NHL Offseason Thread

[the pinjockey 0]

Works for me, he was tearing it up before Hatcher laid him out last year and then he got the ankle sprain right after coming back.

 

As long as the money they will have next offseason (when Knuble and Hatcher are done) is earmarked for Coburn, it is all good.

[Guest The Elements of Style]

Everybody knew Toews was going to get the captaincy. Good for him. By all accounts, he relishes the leadership role, so finally establishing a firm leader of the team, rather than sort of waffling between Martin Lapointe and Robert Lang and whoever wasn't 19 years old, guys we knew weren't even in the long-term plan.

[Zetterberg is God 0]

Mike Milbury joins Hockey NIght in Canada

[the max 0]

Broons re-up Dennis Wideman 4/15.75. Cap hit around 3.95 million, buys out two years of UFA from Wideman.

 

I really, really, really like this deal. It not only locks up a good player for the Broons, but also likely spells the end of the line for Glen Murray.

 

Chara-Wideman

Ward-Stuart

Ference-Alberts/Hnidy/Lashoff

 

That'll be a good top six whenever they sort out. Alberts is a possibility to be moved.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

It's hardly a gimme, but I'd gladly take a chance on Murray...............................if it were under 2mil a year.

 

 

Oh yeah, does Mike Milbury qualify for the "Pundits You Hate" in CE? Cuz I hate him.

 

And finally, is it too late to make a Monty Python joke about Czech's Wrigley Field/Juniper Bush bit?

[the max 0]

If there was a way to saddle Cement Legs onto the Scabs, I'd personally drive him up to Montreal and help him check into a hotel room.

[nl5xsk1 0]

I'm not feeling the Wideman deal. While I recognize that both teams "gave something up" and thus it's - on paper - a fair signing (the B's overpaid for him, and Wideman gave up those UFA years) ... I just don't know if I'm certain that Wideman will continue to grow enough as a player to be a $4m/year dman. I'm ready to be wrong - and really hope that I am - but I saw a player that made more than his share of bad plays last year. Bad decisions with the puck, bad decisions defending the puck, and - most egregiously - a lot of misplays when just gathering the puck in his own end. I'm probably guilty of being hypercritical of him, and will certainly agree that he's better than Alberts, Ference or Hnidy ... but I hate to see Chiarelli overpay for a young defenseman just because other GM's are. Unless Wideman improves a lot of off last year (and I'm thinking more of him in the defensive end than his goal-scoring abilities) it's a bad signing.

 

And, like max said, the Wideman signing is the nail in the coffin in Glen Murray's tenure in Boston. Yeah, he's injury prone ... but he's also the best goal scorer the team has/had. I don't know how excited I am with the top 6 without Murray in there, the team is going to need career years out of a lot of players to make up for Murray's loss.

[the max 0]

I don't understand how signing an improving 25 year old puck-moving defenseman is a bad thing.

 

Wideman made his gaffes last year, but he's still young. For players of his age and skillset, ~4 million is the going rate. When you factor in that they took away 2 years of UFA, it makes it a steal. I think Wideman will build on the very good year he had last year. Consider that last year he was coming off a terrible season, most of the players under Lewis had poor years. He bounced back last year and was a legit #2 for most of the season, capable of playing 28+ minutes regularly and not looking completely exposed. I don't think Wideman gets the respect he's due.

 

EDIT:

 

Murray's goal-scoring has left him. He's playing alongside one of the best passers in the league, but his lack of speed is killing him AND Savard. Teams aren't letting him just stand in the slot anymore either they're making him work for it more, which is killing Murray's legs. Ol' tissue paper groin has 45 goals in the last two years, but he's also missed a combined 42 games in that stretch of time with various leg and core injuries. Eventually, there comes a point when 4.15 million isn't worth what it used to be. With Ryder coming on board, a possibly pissed off Kessel, a full season from David Krejci and the return of Patrice Bergeron...I think that 4.15 million can be better spent elsewhere and no longer on a player who can't skate.

[nl5xsk1 0]

I don't understand how signing an improving 25 year old puck-moving defenseman is a bad thing.

Signing him isn't a bad thing; signing him to an almost $4m/year contract after one good year is a bad thing. He's a good offensive defensemen, but I'm hesitant to call him a good defensive defensemen. If he is indeed improving (e.g. improves off of what we saw last year) then I'd agree that it was a good signing. If he plays the same as he did last year - especially in his own end - I'll be unhappy with him getting a $4m/4year contract.

 

Wideman made his gaffes last year, but he's still young. For players of his age and skillset, ~4 million is the going rate. When you factor in that they took away 2 years of UFA, it makes it a steal. I think Wideman will build on the very good year he had last year. Consider that last year he was coming off a terrible season, most of the players under Lewis had poor years. He bounced back last year and was a legit #2 for most of the season, capable of playing 28+ minutes regularly and not looking completely exposed. I don't think Wideman gets the respect he's due.

RE: the bolded part ... I hate the 'well, that's how much players like him are getting paid' argument. Some GM's are throwing out 6, 8, 10 year contracts to players that don't deserve them. Some GM's are handing out NTC or NMC clauses like they're after dinner mints. Some GM's are making bad decisions ... I don't think other people's mistakes are good justification for making a move. And I think it's crazy to think that being paired with Chara wasn't a big part of Wideman's improvements. He sure looks better when he's paired with Chara then when he's paired with, well, anyone else.

 

EDIT:

Murray's goal-scoring has left him. He's playing alongside one of the best passers in the league, but his lack of speed is killing him AND Savard. Teams aren't letting him just stand in the slot anymore either they're making him work for it more, which is killing Murray's legs. Ol' tissue paper groin has 45 goals in the last two years, but he's also missed a combined 42 games in that stretch of time with various leg and core injuries. Eventually, there comes a point when 4.15 million isn't worth what it used to be. With Ryder coming on board, a possibly pissed off Kessel, a full season from David Krejci and the return of Patrice Bergeron...I think that 4.15 million can be better spent elsewhere and no longer on a player who can't skate.

His goal scoring left him? He scored 17 goals in only 63 games last year! While not Richard Trophy-worthy, it was respectable for a Bruins team that really struggled to score.

 

I won't argue that he's injury prone - that's inarguable - and I'll even agree that he's not as prolific a goal scorer as he once was. But he had a better goals-per-game average than the people ahead of him on the B's scoring sheet & had one of the best scoring percentages on the team. To say that he's incapable of scoring goals is inaccurate. And while I agree that he's overpaid at this point for what he produced, what is the team going to benefit for moving him now? (other than getting under the cap, which they need to do once the Wideman signing is official - and I'd argue that there are other players that should be moved before Murray) It's too late to clear cap space to acquire a free agent and he's going into his last season under contract, so the urgency to move him has fizzled.

[Zetterberg is God 0]

Glen Murray placed on waivers

[CanadianChris 0]

Mike Milbury joins Hockey NIght in Canada

You're not serious, are you? Oh geez, you are serious. Why can't he just go away?

[TheSSNintendo 0]

Can't wait for this upcoming hockey season. I'm already going to 7 games, with 6 of them being part of the Caps' "6 Pack" plan.

[the max 0]

Signing him isn't a bad thing; signing him to an almost $4m/year contract after one good year is a bad thing. He's a good offensive defensemen, but I'm hesitant to call him a good defensive defensemen. If he is indeed improving (e.g. improves off of what we saw last year) then I'd agree that it was a good signing. If he plays the same as he did last year - especially in his own end - I'll be unhappy with him getting a $4m/4year contract.

 

Personally, I see Wideman improving next season. In the year and a half that he's been a Bruin he has improved leaps and bounds in his own end. Julien has taken notice and used him in any situation as a #2 defenseman would be. To say that he's solely benefitted from Chara's presence is unfair.

 

RE: the bolded part ... I hate the 'well, that's how much players like him are getting paid' argument. Some GM's are throwing out 6, 8, 10 year contracts to players that don't deserve them. Some GM's are handing out NTC or NMC clauses like they're after dinner mints. Some GM's are making bad decisions ... I don't think other people's mistakes are good justification for making a move. And I think it's crazy to think that being paired with Chara wasn't a big part of Wideman's improvements. He sure looks better when he's paired with Chara then when he's paired with, well, anyone else.

 

Like it or not, that's the value of a player as dictated by the market. Chiarelli didn't tell the Leafs to blow 14 million on Jeff Finger. Or the Islanders to sink 20.5 million into Mark Streit. The going rate for those players was set by the demand of the market. While Wideman was never available on the open market, the Bruins were smart and took him off of it with the contract. Who knows what the rate will be in two years, when Wideman would have been a UFA? It's a calculated risk that they took, but all signs point to Wideman getting better this season and beyond.

 

His goal scoring left him? He scored 17 goals in only 63 games last year! While not Richard Trophy-worthy, it was respectable for a Bruins team that really struggled to score.

 

You lectured me earlier in the thread about Aaron Ward missing time due to the way he plays the game. This is the game that Murray plays. He's slow, not physical, can't kill penalties, can't make plays without Savard or Krejci with him...yet this is a guy you want to keep around? Maybe "goal scoring left him" was harsh. But missing all those games, making the kind of money he's making...you'd expect him to be a top scorer when he plays...he has a tendency to disappear for stretches of games.

 

I won't argue that he's injury prone - that's inarguable - and I'll even agree that he's not as prolific a goal scorer as he once was. But he had a better goals-per-game average than the people ahead of him on the B's scoring sheet & had one of the best scoring percentages on the team. To say that he's incapable of scoring goals is inaccurate. And while I agree that he's overpaid at this point for what he produced, what is the team going to benefit for moving him now? (other than getting under the cap, which they need to do once the Wideman signing is official - and I'd argue that there are other players that should be moved before Murray) It's too late to clear cap space to acquire a free agent and he's going into his last season under contract, so the urgency to move him has fizzled.

 

They were given a 48 hour window after the Wideman signing and they took advantage of it (since he's been waived as I type this). He'll probably catch on somewhere else and he might do well or he might not. He doesn't fit this team anymore. He was a great player in Boston for a large part of his career. But for this team to seriously consider making the playoffs, I think they're better off without Murray.

[nl5xsk1 0]

You lectured me earlier in the thread about Aaron Ward missing time due to the way he plays the game. This is the game that Murray plays. He's slow, not physical, can't kill penalties, can't make plays without Savard or Krejci with him...yet this is a guy you want to keep around? Maybe "goal scoring left him" was harsh. But missing all those games, making the kind of money he's making...you'd expect him to be a top scorer when he plays...he has a tendency to disappear for stretches of games.

Apples to oranges, max. My argument against the Ward signing was that they re-upped him for 2 years. If he had a year left on his contract, I wouldn't have been averse to bringing him back ... my complaint was signing a guy that missed time due to injuries to a multi-year deal, knowing that he'd likely miss time in the coming seasons. Murray's under contract; I wouldn't even think of advocating that they re-sign him.

 

And are you really going to use the "can't make plays without Savard or Krejci" as your argument? He'd undoubtedly be paired with one of them, so his inability to score away from them is irrelevant. Might as well add "stuggles to score when he doesn't have a stick or when the ice isn't frozen" to his 'cons' list.

 

They were given a 48 hour window after the Wideman signing and they took advantage of it (since he's been waived as I type this). He'll probably catch on somewhere else and he might do well or he might not. He doesn't fit this team anymore. He was a great player in Boston for a large part of his career. But for this team to seriously consider making the playoffs, I think they're better off without Murray.

I'll agree that he had to go for financial reasons - the team just couldn't afford to keep him.

 

But without him, I really wonder if this team can even match last year's offensive numbers, and last year's B's aren't going to get confused with the mid-80s Oilers any time soon. It seems that us fans are hanging all of our hopes on "if"s. If Krejci continues to play the way he did at the end of last year, if Kessel is as good as his potential would indicate (instead of just Samsonov v.2), if Bergeron can come back at the level he was pre-injury and remain healthy this year, if Soderberg decides to stay in the States, if Kobasew is actually the goal-scorer he was last year compared to the grinder he was in year's past, etc.

 

The Wideman thing, I'll just admit defeat. I think it sucks that we endured a lock-out so the league could establish some financial structure, and then within just a few years unproven players are getting long, high-salaried contracts. We can only hope that he continues to improve and thus justifies the contract.

 

[the max 0]

Apples to oranges, max. My argument against the Ward signing was that they re-upped him for 2 years. If he had a year left on his contract, I wouldn't have been averse to bringing him back ... my complaint was signing a guy that missed time due to injuries to a multi-year deal, knowing that he'd likely miss time in the coming seasons. Murray's under contract; I wouldn't even think of advocating that they re-sign him.

 

And are you really going to use the "can't make plays without Savard or Krejci" as your argument? He'd undoubtedly be paired with one of them, so his inability to score away from them is irrelevant. Might as well add "stuggles to score when he doesn't have a stick or when the ice isn't frozen" to his 'cons' list.

 

Yes I am, since Murray is being paid 4.15 million dollars but is invisible unless Krejci or Savard are setting him up. 4.15 million dollars should at least buy you some defensive awareness, but I guess that kind of money doesn't go that far.

 

But without him, I really wonder if this team can even match last year's offensive numbers, and last year's B's aren't going to get confused with the mid-80s Oilers any time soon. It seems that us fans are hanging all of our hopes on "if"s. If Krejci continues to play the way he did at the end of last year, if Kessel is as good as his potential would indicate (instead of just Samsonov v.2), if Bergeron can come back at the level he was pre-injury and remain healthy this year, if Soderberg decides to stay in the States, if Kobasew is actually the goal-scorer he was last year compared to the grinder he was in year's past, etc.

 

You toss out a lot of "if's" and never ask "if the Bruins keep Murray, how many games is he good for? 50? How many lazy penalties that cost the team precious goals? One? Two a game?" Murray has regressed a lot in the last two years and for a player of his age to have as many core and leg injuries as he did, it's not smart to keep him around. I'm glad they waived him, they can use his spot for a younger player who will add more.

 

I don't think anyone was going to suggest that this team will be in the top 10 in scoring, that's just crazy. But to have a defensive corps like they have, a defensive minded coach, and two above-average goaltenders...they're going to be in games. It's a lot of "if's" for sure. But they just subtracted the biggest one: Glen Murray's health.

[Red Baron 0]

Henrik Zetterberg used the Stanley Cup for a baptism.

 

 

That is the best story that I have ever heard.

[CanadianChris 0]

I thought it was Holmstrom. And I'm pretty sure that's not the first time I've heard of that happening. It is a nice story, though.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

Stevie Y did it, too. Or it may have been Sylvain Lebevfre. The one of those two who didn't use it for a baptism showered with it.

[CanadianChris 0]

Yeah, Lefebvre had the baptism. I heard the Stevie Y showering story before, too.

 

My favourite Cup story is either the time it was found at the bottom of Mario's swimming pool or the time a few of the Silver Seven had some adult beverages and tried to punt it across the Rideau Canal.

[Nightwing 0]

Yeah, Lefebvre had the baptism. I heard the Stevie Y showering story before, too.

 

My favourite Cup story is either the time it was found at the bottom of Mario's swimming pool or the time a few of the Silver Seven had some adult beverages and tried to punt it across the Rideau Canal.

 

I love the fact that they left it on the Canal and picked it up the next day. That's great.

[Nightwing 0]

Well, it looks like Filppula signs for 5 years, $15 million. A great deal for the Wings, especially if he develops into a solid second-line scorer in that time. An interesting note:

 

Holland said they will likely head into camp over the cap, forcing them to trade somebody. He said they'll let it play out in camp and the exhibition games and then make a decision. They don't have to be under the cap until Oct. 8, the day before the season. They have 10 defensemen, only one of whom (Jonathan Ericsson) is exempt from waivers, so they'll likely need to move somebody on defense.

 

"We'll have to make a decision based on the 23-man roster, the salary cap and age,'' Holland said. "We'll have to be prepared to trade some players. I would expect there would be interest in some of our players.''

 

It looks like Lilja is heading out. With a few teams looking for veteran defensemen, he might net a decent prospect in the long-run. Hopefully they clear out Samuelsson, too, and give guys like Kopecky (Who was developing well last year until he got injured) and Helm (Who was the energy guy on the team during the playoffs) more time. I'd also like to see if Leino can make it onto the team his first year over.

[Zetterberg is God 0]

Steve Tambellini named Oilers GM, Kevin Lowe moved to different position

Scotty Bowman joins Blackhawks as adviser

 

Bowman leaving is surprising but I guess he wanted a challenge (and more likely the chance to work with his son).

[Guest Cal Moriarty]

Bowman is probably too old to coach again. I think Savard is a decent coach, but not without his faults (the Hawks had a really bad power play for a long time, as I recall), so maybe he'll mature and improve at his position just like the players will now that he has Bowman in the organ-eye-zation. I dunno. That'd be neat.

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

I don't know, although it seems like Bowman is too old, he looks to be perfectly healthy and hasn't aged a bit in my eyes.

[Red Baron 0]

The Flyers will play one more game at the Spectrum. Possibly the worst arena to broadcast a hockey game.

[Red Baron 0]

Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Stephen Legein is hanging up his laces. Kid had so much potential in the NHL and seeing some of the highlights of him with the Ice Dogs and Team Canada, he would have a nice lengthy career in the NHL.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

From a poster at tsn.ca:

 

"Sources say Mats Sundin is very close to deciding what to have for breakfast tomorrow. Oatmeal, Froot Loops, and Toast are the three being tossed around, but Mats said 'Well, I never set a deadline. I guess some people think it's noon, but I'll decide when I'm ready'"

 

He's got shit figured out, eh? He goes to Detroit or Montreal and wins a Cup. He goes to New York where he can make them a bonafide Cup contender and plays with his buddy. He can return to Toronto and be remembered, when all is said and done, as the guy who stuck it out for the blue and white (I don't see history remembering Teemu and Niedermayer's waffling this past season). Or he goes to Vancouver and makes ten million dollars.

 

 

As impatient as I'm getting, I'd love to have him. I don't buy into anyone saying anything different if they're a fan of the teams mentioned above. When the papers read "SUNDIN A (insert team nickname), (same team's city)'s fans will be ecstatic. Conversely, I expect an awful lot of boo birds from the cities above that he snubs.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

This story has to be shared:

 

I'm staying with my folks right now as I readjust from my cross-country move and deal with the red tape of buying a place. I've primarily been using their desktop as opposed to my laptop. My mother has Facebook as well, and my notifcations on Saturday included her posting a picture of herself that I'd never seen, in which she has braided hair; My assumption was that it was from her trip to the Dominican in May or June, but my response was the quote from Treble's Holiday Inn Guy signature. I followed with "A gold star if you get that reference, but I really don't know where the picture is from".

 

I just googled something, and the first item in the history was the quote as well. The fourth result was our NHL thread from December, including my replacing Cal Ripken with Michael Ryder. She only looked at the first three search results.

 

Other snippets from that thread include me worrying about the recent play of the Habs, and CC not worrying about the recent play of the Sens. I like that.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

Also, we're sneakin up on The Annual 20 Questions thread. I gotta pick up some yearbooks, which I'm beginning to notice in newsstands. I gotta pick a few up - I'm always rusty at this time of the year, but the Jays playing meaningful baseball, coupled with a potentially much better Raiders in September, have only added to that problem.

 

 

[the max 0]

Joe Sakic back with the Avs for one year. I think this is the last year for Sakic.

 

Mats, you're up. Make up your fucking mind.