2013 NHL Thread

As far as trades are concerned.... There's one big name that I don't recall reading about that could possibly be moved. Up to this point there has been literally no discussions about the New Jersey Devils signing Zack Parise. Parise will become a free agent in July. I love Parise, I have a Parise jersey and really do want him to stay a Devil. On the opposite side of that though... I would really hate to see him walk away from this team and the team get nothing in return. The Devils are going to be having a very, very interesting future with Brodeur probably going into more of a backup role if they resign him at the end of the season. Kovalchuck and Parise could very well be the future of this team (If Zack stays that is). I'd hate to see him go, but here in New Jersey it's nervous times...
 
As far as trades are concerned.... There's one big name that I don't recall reading about that could possibly be moved. Up to this point there has been literally no discussions about the New Jersey Devils signing Zack Parise. Parise will become a free agent in July. I love Parise, I have a Parise jersey and really do want him to stay a Devil. On the opposite side of that though... I would really hate to see him walk away from this team and the team get nothing in return. The Devils are going to be having a very, very interesting future with Brodeur probably going into more of a backup role if they resign him at the end of the season. Kovalchuck and Parise could very well be the future of this team (If Zack stays that is). I'd hate to see him go, but here in New Jersey it's nervous times...

As far as I'm concerned, he's as good as gone, because Parise has already stated publicly that not only is money is a factor (something the Devils do not have, as they are teetering on the verge of bankruptcy), but that a chance to win a Cup will be the make-or-break factor when deciding where to sign this summer. I get you're a fan, but objectively speaking, do you really think the Devils are in any position to be among Stanley Cup contenders talk?

Consider the following:

1. The Devils have Elias, Savlador, Sykora, Boulton, Hedberg and Brodeur all on the wrong side of 35, Tallinder and Zubrus (both 33) are also rapidly approaching that mark.

2. They have no promising goaltending prospects and have both their Hall-of-Fame starter in Brodeur, and their relatively reliable back-up flirting dangerously close to retirement. Who exactly is going to stop the puck for your club when you factor in that the dollars backing the club are scarce at the moment? What elite free agent would even consider signing there with such a shaky guarantee on real life dollars? If the financial worries don't subside, and subside quickly, you're best bet is going to be in trying to sign a guy like Mike Smith at a discount and hope like hell that "potential" projects into performance. History, however, isn't on your side in that respect.

3. You're currently sitting on an estimated $26M in available cap-space heading into this summer where you are facing numerous questions with regard to who to re-sign, discounting Parise for the moment, including UFA's Salvador, Foster, Sykora, Mills, Bernier, Janssen, Carter, Ponikarovsky, Brodeur and Hedberg, as well as RFA's Taormina and Fayne. How do you propose they fill our a [competitive] roster when they've already dedicated $20M between Volchenkov, Tallinder, Elias and Kovalchuk alone?

Yes, technically speaking you'll have $26M available to spend, but you have more than 11 positions to fill on the roster, including both a starting and back-up goaltender, as well as two top-4 defenseman. The money is a lot tighter than you might think provided you can even spend to the cap to begin with.

4. There isn't a single impact prospect in your prospect pool not already on the club (Larsson).​

Sorry, man, but IMO you may as well start saying your goodbyes now, because as painful as it is to think about, Parise is very likely to walk come July 1st, and as if the pain of losing him wasn't bad enough, the Rangers reportedly have him on their radar, so there's a significant chance your nightmare could get even worse having to watch your star player yet again sign with your most hated divisional rival.

And for the record, Parise (on paper) would fit the Rangers club to a tee. Impact scoring two-way left wing who is not only comfortable, but excels in playing in a defensive system? My bet is Sather already has the offer printed up. ;)
 
This may be the one season where i dont want the leafs to do anything, i really hope they dont trade grabo, hes probly been there best player as of late, and Kulemin, Macarthur and Schenn have all stepped up since being thrown into the trade rumours, and since JVR went down with the concussion and the lightning have no interest in trading Malone anymore, there isnt a whole lot of options, and those are 4 good players that can help the leafs win, the only thing i dont like about the leafs is Komisarek, huge waste of money, trade him for a big bottom six forward, or a old vet, someone to help lead the way.
 
The NHL officially announced the 2013 Winter Classic today.

As was expected the game will feature the Detroit Red Wings hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor Michigan, January 1, 2013. The game will mark the 645th meeting between the two legendary franchises who first played each other on Jan. 4th, 1927.

It's expected that the game will break the world record for attendance of a hockey game.


http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=616022
 
As well it should. That area is tremendous, and so too is the rivalry between those clubs (Original 6).

Not only is that event itself going to be tremendous (and likely the largest WC game to date), but the 24/7 series that's likely to follow it on HBO is going to be just as enthralling when you consider some of the personalities likely to be a part of it — especially Brian Burke.
 
New York Rangers. 77 points. First in the NHL. Again.

Believe it, folks — this team is for real. This team can go for it all, and this team will go deep. It starts with Henrik Lundqvist—a guy who will not only contend (and likely win) the Vezina this year, but also the Hart Trophy for league MVP—and trickles all the way down to even guys like Steve Eminger and Stu Bickel who have flat out bought into the Tortorella system of play that has this team firing on all cylinders, despite a handful of it's players underperforming in the overall sense (Richards, Dubinsky, etc.).
 
Detroit Red Wings. 78 points. First in NHL(granted the Rangers have 3 games in hand). Again. 20 consecutive home wins.

Even with All Star Goalie Jimmy Howard injured, the machine keeps rolling along. Zetterberg appears to have woken up after a season long slumber and this team has great, great depth. They're scoring a lot of goals but giving up far fewer than have the past few seasons.

Rangers and Wings appear to be headed for an Original Six Finals showdown.... The teams will meet in NY on March 21st for a potential 1st in East vs. 1st in West match up.

BUT a lot can happen between now and then.



New York Rangers. 77 points. First in the NHL. Again.

Believe it, folks — this team is for real. This team can go for it all, and this team will go deep. It starts with Henrik Lundqvist—a guy who will not only contend (and likely win) the Vezina this year, but also the Hart Trophy for league MVP—and trickles all the way down to even guys like Steve Eminger and Stu Bickel who have flat out bought into the Tortorella system of play that has this team firing on all cylinders, despite a handful of it's players underperforming in the overall sense (Richards, Dubinsky, etc.).
 
Detroit Red Wings. 78 points. First in NHL(granted the Rangers have 3 games in hand). Again. 20 consecutive home wins.

Even with All Star Goalie Jimmy Howard injured, the machine keeps rolling along. Zetterberg appears to have woken up after a season long slumber and this team has great, great depth. They're scoring a lot of goals but giving up far fewer than have the past few seasons.

Rangers and Wings appear to be headed for an Original Six Finals showdown.... The teams will meet in NY on March 21st for a potential 1st in East vs. 1st in West match up.

BUT a lot can happen between now and then.

A lot can happen for sure, and playoff match-ups would be serious factors into the reality that that could actually happen, but on paper I'd say that right now, that's a very likely scenario.

The deadline will likely change that, though, depending on not only what both clubs manage to do, but what the clubs behind ours do as well.
 
As far as I'm concerned, he's as good as gone, because Parise has already stated publicly that not only is money is a factor (something the Devils do not have, as they are teetering on the verge of bankruptcy), but that a chance to win a Cup will be the make-or-break factor when deciding where to sign this summer. I get you're a fan, but objectively speaking, do you really think the Devils are in any position to be among Stanley Cup contenders talk?

Consider the following:


Sorry, man, but IMO you may as well start saying your goodbyes now, because as painful as it is to think about, Parise is very likely to walk come July 1st, and as if the pain of losing him wasn't bad enough, the Rangers reportedly have him on their radar, so there's a significant chance your nightmare could get even worse having to watch your star player yet again sign with your most hated divisional rival.

And for the record, Parise (on paper) would fit the Rangers club to a tee. Impact scoring two-way left wing who is not only comfortable, but excels in playing in a defensive system? My bet is Sather already has the offer printed up. ;)

The Rangers and just about every other team in the league have their sights set on him. I've heard Philly, the Rangers, Kings, Wild, Leafs, and countless others have expressed interest in him. Personally I feel that Tallinder Volchenkov, and at this point Kovalchuck are incredibly overpaid, but that's a different story for a different time. I don't really think that the Devils are going to make it deep into the playoffs, I'm not stupid and it's easy to see that they are far from the class of the East. I would really just hate to see the Devils just toss away a face of the franchise yet again (Gomez, Rafalski, Nidemyer, Gionta, etc) and get nothing back at all in return.

The financial situation of the Devils is truly sad to me, but that is the world we live in now. So... I know that you are certainly a Rangers fan which I'm fine with. Contrary to most Devils fans, I don't have much of an issue with the Rangers. I detest Philly far more than I do the Rangers, but again that's a different story as well. I agree with you, as much as I shudder to think of another Devil going to any Atlantic Division team that Parise would probably fit in the Rangers system pretty well, but how would they be able to do it? Aren't they pretty close to the cap themselves? I mean from what I'm hearing Parise wants his contract to start around 8mil per year.
 
The Rangers and just about every other team in the league have their sights set on him. I've heard Philly, the Rangers, Kings, Wild, Leafs, and countless others have expressed interest in him. Personally I feel that Tallinder Volchenkov, and at this point Kovalchuck are incredibly overpaid, but that's a different story for a different time. I don't really think that the Devils are going to make it deep into the playoffs, I'm not stupid and it's easy to see that they are far from the class of the East. I would really just hate to see the Devils just toss away a face of the franchise yet again (Gomez, Rafalski, Nidemyer, Gionta, etc) and get nothing back at all in return.

The financial situation of the Devils is truly sad to me, but that is the world we live in now. So... I know that you are certainly a Rangers fan which I'm fine with. Contrary to most Devils fans, I don't have much of an issue with the Rangers. I detest Philly far more than I do the Rangers, but again that's a different story as well. I agree with you, as much as I shudder to think of another Devil going to any Atlantic Division team that Parise would probably fit in the Rangers system pretty well, but how would they be able to do it? Aren't they pretty close to the cap themselves? I mean from what I'm hearing Parise wants his contract to start around 8mil per year.

They're not tossing away the face of the franchise, and they didn't toss away any of Gionta, Gomez, Rafalski or Niedermayer either — they all left, willingly. Parise is likely to be the next in line in that order. Yes, every team in the NHL would love to add him, but only a select few will have the money and organizational make-up to actually contend for his services, however – the Rangers among them.

Kovalchuk, believe it or not, is the face of the Devils' franchise at this point, and they'd be stupid not to embrace it considering the length and size of the deal they signed him to. IMO the Devils need to focus less on the idea of retaining Parise and much more on the idea of potentially trading him for multiple pieces to make a Kovalchuk-centered team work.

As for whether or not the Rangers can afford him, a number of things can happen between now and the point Parise would be available to us, so it's hard to say definitively, but yes, on paper, at the moment, they can afford to sign him to a long-term contract (which would likely bring his cap hit to $7-7.5M).
 
Congratulations to the Detroit Red Wings, owners of the longest home winning streak in NHL history. It's a damn shame that everyone over on E$PN forgot hockey even exists.

Some naysayers may try to detract from this amazing accomplishment by pointing out that when the Bruins and Flyers did it, there was no OT or shootouts...to that, I point out that there also wasn't a salary cap, the draft rules were ridiculously slanted towards good teams, and they could assemble all-star teams. The Red Wings, while they have the advantage of OT/shootouts, also play under a strict cap limit, that has balanced out the talent in the NHL. It's much harder to dominate now than it was back then, so shut up about it. A win is a win is a win according to the rule books. Further, if it's so damn easy now, why hasn't anyone else done it? Even the 2002 Detroit Red Wings, which practically was an all-star team for real, couldn't do it.
 
Congratulations to the Detroit Red Wings, owners of the longest home winning streak in NHL history. It's a damn shame that everyone over on E$PN forgot hockey even exists.

Some naysayers may try to detract from this amazing accomplishment by pointing out that when the Bruins and Flyers did it, there was no OT or shootouts...to that, I point out that there also wasn't a salary cap, the draft rules were ridiculously slanted towards good teams, and they could assemble all-star teams. The Red Wings, while they have the advantage of OT/shootouts, also play under a strict cap limit, that has balanced out the talent in the NHL. It's much harder to dominate now than it was back then, so shut up about it. A win is a win is a win according to the rule books. Further, if it's so damn easy now, why hasn't anyone else done it? Even the 2002 Detroit Red Wings, which practically was an all-star team for real, couldn't do it.

You're exactly right. If anything, it's much harder now than it was in the 70s. I mean weren't there like 20 teams in the league? Also when the Bruins did it I think in the 30s there were only 10 teams.
The salary cap has created a level playing field, more or less, making it very difficult to win each night, home or away. The 95-96 Wings team that won 62 games (most in NHL history) didn't even win 21 in a row at home.

Just sit back and enjoy and let the naysayers be naysayers. Hell, there's even naysayers that say it's no big deal that the Wings have made the playoffs the last 20 years in a row (going on 21) and 25 of the last 27 years, since half of the teams in the league make the playoffs every year.

To that I say, it's not like the Wings are squeaking in every year. Most of that 20 year streak, they've been either seeds 1-3 in the West including several Presidents Trophies and 11 straight 100 point seasons. Oh and add 6 trips to the Stanley Cup Finals, 4 Cups, and nearly a 5th. The Wings are also the only NHL team to have made the Stanley Cup Playoffs every year of the Salary Cap era. What this franchise has done over the past two decades is nothing short of remarkable.
 
So apparently Rick Nash may be made available by the hapless Columbus Blue Jackets at the upcoming NHL trade deadline. With a no trade clause in hand, rumors are out there that he would possibly be willing to waive his NTC, if the move could be orchestrated for the good of the Jackets, the potential new team, and of course Nash himself.

Two rumored destinations are the New York Rangers and the Los Angeles Kings, although there's been no word on whether Nash would accept a trade to either of these two teams. The question I have is, why would the Rangers, of all teams, make such a dramatic change to their roster, with all of the success they are suddenly (inexplicably) enjoying? The Rangers are clearly rolling: first place in the Eastern Conference, near the top of the overall standings, and bigger than either of these two things, winners against the Bruins, in Boston's building, earlier this week. With the last comment indicating that the Rangers may be for real after all, would they really stir the pot, and risk disrupting team chemistry and cohesiveness, or would landing a player of Nash's magnitude be worth it? What do my fellow NHL fans think of this? I would welcome the thoughts of one moderator on here in particular.
 
It's good to see a home winning streak record belong to Hockeytown. When Jimmy Howard got injured I thought the streak would end but Joey McDonald has played great in his absence (which is good because Ty Conklin is probably the worst back up in the league). In the end, however, all that matters is what happens come playoff time. Anything less then a Stanley Cup is a disappointment every year for the Red Wings.
 
So apparently Rick Nash may be made available by the hapless Columbus Blue Jackets at the upcoming NHL trade deadline. With a no trade clause in hand, rumors are out there that he would possibly be willing to waive his NTC, if the move could be orchestrated for the good of the Jackets, the potential new team, and of course Nash himself.

Two rumored destinations are the New York Rangers and the Los Angeles Kings, although there's been no word on whether Nash would accept a trade to either of these two teams. The question I have is, why would the Rangers, of all teams, make such a dramatic change to their roster, with all of the success they are suddenly (inexplicably) enjoying? The Rangers are clearly rolling: first place in the Eastern Conference, near the top of the overall standings, and bigger than either of these two things, winners against the Bruins, in Boston's building, earlier this week. With the last comment indicating that the Rangers may be for real after all, would they really stir the pot, and risk disrupting team chemistry and cohesiveness, or would landing a player of Nash's magnitude be worth it? What do my fellow NHL fans think of this? I would welcome the thoughts of one moderator on here in particular.

The team lacks scoring forwards. They win because they have elite goaltending and superior defense, but in a run and gun match-up they lose to probably 60% of the better scoring teams in the league. Tonight's loss to Chicago is as prime example of what happens when they get into these holes. They can't dig themselves out in time because they don't have the offensive weapons to accomplish it.

The key is not the acquisition of Nash itself, but rather the cost in terms of what it will take from the active roster at the moment. Obviously the team has developed a great camaraderie over the season that's taken them to the top of the NHL, but they have expendable parts, and when you consider the window they have at the moment to really build a contender, adding a player of Nash's level (and more important character) shouldn't disrupt anything in the room — if anything it should prove to the guys that management is serious about winning, and winning now.

From what I've heard from two of my buddies (both with legitimate connections to the NHL), the Nash thing is pretty transparent. He doesn't want to leave, but acknowledges that his time there is up and that the franchise can't move forward with him and Carter there.

The leaked short-list seems accurate and the Rangers have the assets to make it happen. CBJ wants a lot, but what they said about wanting players who WANT to be there is true. Dubinsky is who they want, but Dubinsky is an issue, because there's concern among Howson and his scouts that he wouldn't be happy in Columbus going through another rebuild and want to avoid a Carter situation. The Rangers also don't want to trade him, but obviously you don't pass on Nash. JT really doesn't want Dubi included, but knows it raises the talent level on the team to acquire a guy like Nash.

From what I understand, all prospects are in play, with a lot of emphasis on Chris Kreider, J.T. Miller and Tim Erixon, but if CBJ get Kreider, we'd get more than Nash, though I have no idea what that entails. First-round picks would come into play as well, but the Rangers don't care to hoard picks this draft.

Right now the Kings and Rangers are largely in on this, but something to remember here is that Nash does not want to go to LA. The only reason they're being considered is because of what they're prepared to offer. Ultimately it's up to Nash to decide, as he has a full NMC.

http://watch.tsn.ca/clip620990#clip620990
 
Nash would be a perfect addition for the Rangers. Trading him to NY makes sense for CBJ too. The last thing they want to do is trade him to another West team, unless they absolultely have to. The Rangers may already have enough to win it all now but adding Nash would solidify them as the team to beat. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think the Rangers aren't one of the more high-scoring teams in the league. We all know that in the playoffs defense and goaltending (which they have) wins the Cup BUT at some point, you have to be able to score. If they don't have to give up too much, Nash to NY make perfect sense for them. For Columbus, they can move on from Nash and rebuild around some new prospects.
 
Nash would be a perfect addition for the Rangers. Trading him to NY makes sense for CBJ too. The last thing they want to do is trade him to another West team, unless they absolultely have to. The Rangers may already have enough to win it all now but adding Nash would solidify them as the team to beat. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think the Rangers aren't one of the more high-scoring teams in the league. We all know that in the playoffs defense and goaltending (which they have) wins the Cup BUT at some point, you have to be able to score. If they don't have to give up too much, Nash to NY make perfect sense for them. For Columbus, they can move on from Nash and rebuild around some new prospects.

I'm inclined to agree. The $7.8M cap hit and additional six years left on his deal are troublesome, but no so much in a sense he'd break out bank, because we'd undoubtedly be shipping out salary to Columbus to compensate for that.

Nash just plain fits the mold/style of the game the Rangers are playing right now, because he's a quick-strike offensive player, same as Gáborík and same as Richards.
 
Canucks finally dominate a game. They beat the Leafs 6-2 and oh man it feels really really good too see The Canucks to play 100% (that an the game againts the Wild). The past weeks have been brutal despite only loosing twice in regulation since the beginning of the calendar year their lack of dominance in any of the matches in recent weeks beating most of their games after regulation.

Hopefully it just meant those non-regulation wins were the Canucks' "slump" phase and they can run through the rest of the regular season.

Now please .... win the cup.

As for Nash ... there were also possibilities that Nash was interested in Vancouver. But rumors suggest the Blue Jackets were asking for Hodgson, Raymond, Schnider, and a 1st Rounder. Nash is great and all but I would say no to this. Though if this were true ... wouldn't Vancouver exceed the cap hit since all three Canucks account to like less than $4 Million of the cap hit and the Canucks barley have any space left even right now?

Edit Love Nash ... the fact that he is using his NTC as much as possible shows a lot of class. Especially a player of his caliber playing in a team like the Blue Jackets shows how much class and respect he has for the organization that took him in. Such a big contrast from the some other superstar player(s) from the NBA.
 
Canucks finally dominate a game. They beat the Leafs 6-2 and oh man it feels really really good too see The Canucks to play 100% (that an the game againts the Wild). The past weeks have been brutal despite only loosing twice in regulation since the beginning of the calendar year their lack of dominance in any of the matches in recent weeks beating most of their games after regulation.

Hopefully it just meant those non-regulation wins were the Canucks' "slump" phase and they can run through the rest of the regular season.

Now please .... win the cup.

As for Nash ... there were also possibilities that Nash was interested in Vancouver. But rumors suggest the Blue Jackets were asking for Hodgson, Raymond, Schnider, and a 1st Rounder. Nash is great and all but I would say no to this. Though if this were true ... wouldn't Vancouver exceed the cap hit since all three Canucks account to like less than $4 Million of the cap hit and the Canucks barley have any space left even right now?

Edit Love Nash ... the fact that he is using his NTC as much as possible shows a lot of class. Especially a player of his caliber playing in a team like the Blue Jackets shows how much class and respect he has for the organization that took him in. Such a big contrast from the some other superstar player(s) from the NBA.

Which is why teams worried about 'disrupting chemistry' like most clubs in contention for him should rest easy in knowing the player they are getting is of the caliber of Nash, and not Heatley.

Fact is, Nash is a born leader and one of the better personalities in the league. Cost is one thing, cap hit is another, but quality of player/chemistry? That'd be dead last on my list of concerns.
 
The Deadline is a week away so expect to see a flurry of moves from now up until the deadline. We've already seen a few moves but nothing huge.

I'm a little disappointed the Wings didn't get Kubina. Detroit media outlets were reporting that the Wings had an offer on the table but ultimately he went to Philly. The guy I really want is Selanne but I'm not sure if the Ducks will trade him at all, let alone to the Wings. Selanne is very close friends with Valteri Filppula so I'm sure he'd waive the no-trade clause.

I'd also take a look at guys like Moen, Bryan Allen, Ruutu, Ryan Smith, even Hemsky (although I think the Wings will sign him in the offseason).

With almost 6 mil under the cap, I expect Ken Holland to make a couple moves but nothing major. The team doesn't need any major help especially not at a steep price. Ken Holland hates giving up guys on the roster so I'd be shocked if any huge moves were made.
 
From what I heard all talks with Nash is dying since Columbus is asking too much for him. As I mentioned before there was rumor that Columbus was asking for Raymond, Schneider, Hodgson and a 1st Rounder from Vancouver and an equally expensive trade proposed to the Rangers.

I wonder who the Canucks will get in the trade. Last year they got Higgins and Lapierre and both actually worked out pretty well adding depth to the lineup. Right now though it looks like the Canucks need some good D-Man on the roster. They have a good top 4 of Bieksa, Hamius, Salo, and Edler but if let's say Salo gets hurt (again) this cripples Canucks defense. I would think maybe the Canucks are willing to trade either Ballard, Raymond, or even Malholtra for a Defensive Player.

How about Ballard + Raymond + 2nd Rounder (VAN) for Ryan Suter + a 3rd/4th line Forward from Nashville.

Of course Nashville would never do this LOL!
 
From what I heard all talks with Nash is dying since Columbus is asking too much for him. As I mentioned before there was rumor that Columbus was asking for Raymond, Schneider, Hodgson and a 1st Rounder from Vancouver and an equally expensive trade proposed to the Rangers.

I wonder who the Canucks will get in the trade. Last year they got Higgins and Lapierre and both actually worked out pretty well adding depth to the lineup. Right now though it looks like the Canucks need some good D-Man on the roster. They have a good top 4 of Bieksa, Hamius, Salo, and Edler but if let's say Salo gets hurt (again) this cripples Canucks defense. I would think maybe the Canucks are willing to trade either Ballard, Raymond, or even Malholtra for a Defensive Player.

How about Ballard + Raymond + 2nd Rounder (VAN) for Ryan Suter + a 3rd/4th line Forward from Nashville.

Of course Nashville would never do this LOL!

Nashville just go the green light from management to "go for it". You'd have to knock their socks off in a trade for Suter or Weber at this point, and I just don't think Poile would truly consider moving either. IMO they're going to be buyers, not sellers. The team is in prime position to make a serious run, and Suter/Weber are going to be major pieces of one.

Vancouver, along with all other teams looking for depth defenders, will need to look elsewhere, and the cost will be high. Kubina, Grossman and Gill have all pulled in 2nd round picks, which means anything better than those players (which is plenty) is going to command a more talented prospect/NHL player or a first-rounder.
 
The Deadline is a week away so expect to see a flurry of moves from now up until the deadline. We've already seen a few moves but nothing huge.

I'm a little disappointed the Wings didn't get Kubina. Detroit media outlets were reporting that the Wings had an offer on the table but ultimately he went to Philly. The guy I really want is Selanne but I'm not sure if the Ducks will trade him at all, let alone to the Wings. Selanne is very close friends with Valteri Filppula so I'm sure he'd waive the no-trade clause.

I'd also take a look at guys like Moen, Bryan Allen, Ruutu, Ryan Smith, even Hemsky (although I think the Wings will sign him in the offseason).

With almost 6 mil under the cap, I expect Ken Holland to make a couple moves but nothing major. The team doesn't need any major help especially not at a steep price. Ken Holland hates giving up guys on the roster so I'd be shocked if any huge moves were made.

Who needs an aging/on the decline Kubina when you just picked up Kyle Quincey again?

Fans may see first-round pick and think "wow, we gave up too much", but when you consider the position your club is in and the lack of depth in this draft, and that "first-rounder" looks a lot more like a second or high third.

Most of all, though, Quincey provides the Wings with a solid insurance block in the event Stuart makes good on his desire to close out his career on the West Coast and/or if Lidström does indeed retire.
 
The Sporting News in Canada is reporting that the Canes have appeared to have re-signed Ruutu to a 4 year 19 million dollar contract: http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=388555

I'm a little surprised because I thought there was going to be a fire sale by Carolina. This is a good re-sigining for them and the price seems fair.
 
That price isn't "fair". He's being paid near $5M for 40 points and "intangibles". I love Ruutu, but that contract is ridiculous.

All of these forwards have cap hits between $4.5 and $5M:

James Neal, Ryan Kesler, Martin Hávlat, Patrice Bergeron, Mike Ribeiro, Daniel Alfredsson, Tim Connolly, Andy McDonald, David Backes, Brian Gionta, Erik Cole, Martin Erat, David Legwand, Brooks Laich. Now you'll be adding Tuomo Ruutu, a guy who averages 17 goals a year, to that list. Yeah... OK. :rolleyes:

I get that they had to buy four years of free agency from him, but that's a steep fuckin' price for an oft-injured grinder with a light scoring touch.
 

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