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NHL January 2013 |OT| - "Double-B to Double-M" The Milbury Leafs Era Begins NOW

dem

dem

Member
Excitement over Kadri

Thats so cute.


I remember when I used to get excited about middling prospects.
 
K

Kave_Man

come in my shame circle
For the first time in a long while looks like the Leafs are taking a real hard look at our youth and seeing what we got.

They're gonna be given every opportunity to succeed now.
 
S

scissorfight

Banned
TemplaerDude said:
Sharks letting hobos take team photos.

tumblr_mgr909tzCe1qbqx99o1_400.jpg
Click to expand...

VNzJR.gif
VNzJR.gif
VNzJR.gif
 
dem

dem

Member
Cake Boss said:
You're the last person to be complaining on this board about people getting hyped up over an unproven prospect.
Click to expand...


I said it was cute.
Just as cute as Habs fans reporting every time Galchenyuk scratches his nuts in practice.


DID YOU SEE THOSE MOVES IN TIGHT? MAN THAT WAS SO TECHNICAL. THERE IS NO WAY YAKUPOV OR GRIGORENKO COULD SCRATCH THAT ITCH.
 
D

DopeyFish

Not bitter, just unsweetened
Kave_Man said:
For the first time in a long while looks like the Leafs are taking a real hard look at our youth and seeing what we got.

They're gonna be given every opportunity to succeed now.
Click to expand...

Lupul-Bozak-Kessel
MacArthur-grabovski-kulemin
JVR-Kadri-Frattin
Komarov-McClement-Brown

Dat lineup

(Yah yah bozak first line center)
 
C

calder

Member
Sure it's Craig Custance, but this ESPN Insider column about the Ducks isn't bad

ANAHEIM -- The conversations started in April. They continued in May. Then extended into June and July.

Ducks GM Bob Murray and Nashville GM David Poile have commiserated often over the course of the last year because no two general managers in the league can quite relate to each other as well as those two. Poile spent most of last season simultaneously trying to construct a team that could win a Stanley Cup and at the same time keep its three franchise potential free agents - Pekka Rinne, Ryan Suter and Shea Weber - from leaving.

The results were mixed. They did get Pekka Rinne signed but the Predators lost in the second round of the playoffs, lost Suter in free agency and then had to pay a huge price to match Shea Weber's offer sheet with the Flyers.

This year, it's Murray's turn.

The Ducks GM quietly addressed a big need on defense this summer by adding size and toughness with the signings of Bryan Allen and Sheldon Souray. Goalie Jonas Hiller looks fantastic this week and is ready to pick up where he left off last year. Bruce Boudreau called Bobby Ryan one of the best looking players in camp, the distractions of last year's trade rumors behind him. These are all nice stories.

But like Nashville, the focus in Anaheim this season will be on the stars who can hit free agency in July. Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry both had negotiations this summer with the Ducks and couldn't strike a deal. Murray expects the agents for both to visit Anaheim in the near future to meet with their clients and evaluate where things stand.

It's a situation that will linger early in the season and grow in intensity if the trade deadline approaches without new contracts for Getzlaf and Perry.

Nashville had to deal with it and one comment from Poile during their many conversations stands out to Murray.

"You're going to have some tough decisions to make," Poile told Murray.

Without a doubt.

Ever present in those tough decisions is the experience the Ducks went through last season with prized prospect Justin Schultz. Just bringing his name up in the Ducks practice facility seems to raise the temperature.

Schultz was the player who made the talented Jake Gardiner expendable when the Ducks added Francois Beauchemin in 2011. At that point, there was no sign Schultz would wait out a loophole in the CBA (that still exists) and test free agency. He did, and left last summer for the Oilers.

The Ducks lost a valuable asset for nothing, one that could have brought a big return had they opted to trade him early last season. That absolutely factors into the decision-making that will eventually face Murray if Perry and Getzlaf aren't signed near the deadline. Losing Schultz for nothing still stings.

"It's in the back of my mind at all times," Murray said. "That's all I'm going to say."

Justin Schultz David Maxwell/Getty ImagesThe one that got away: The memory of Justin Schultz haunts Anaheim's front office.

By waiting until after the lockout to continue negotiations, all sides involved now have the advantage of doing it with full awareness of what the new CBA looks like. If the Travis Zajac deal is any indication, the starting point for each is an eight-year contract. And it's going to be for more than the $5.75 million per season Zajac earned from the Devils.

That's where the Ducks have an advantage, even if it's a slight one. They can go eight years in a deal with Perry or Getzlaf, something other teams can't do in free agency unless they work out a sign and trade with Anaheim.

It's an advantage, although not a huge one.

"I liked it better when it was five and seven," Murray joked of the NHL's original offer for contract length restrictions. "I didn't think it was going to last but I really liked that. That would have been much better for me. I was doing cartwheels over that one."

The Ducks have been plagued with slow starts for the last several seasons and avoiding that has become a focus of this quick training camp. If this team struggles early, especially heading into a healthy six-game road trip in early February that takes Anaheim on a tour of the Central division, it will only ratchet up the pressure to deal one of the big forwards.

But this group is well-aware of its necessity to avoid a slow start. This is the first camp for the Ducks under Bruce Boudreau and the players like the pace. Especially compared to Randy Carlyle.

"Randy was great to me and I was with him for a long time. At times, I think Randy had trouble adapting to the newer game and the fact that guys come in in shape," Getzlaf said. "You don't have to spend all of training camp beating guys up so they're in shape. I think at times we got a little carried away with some of those things."

Boudreau's teams historically start well and the biggest difference he has now compared to when he took over the Ducks in early December of last season is a healthy Hiller. Anaheim's success started when Hiller recovered completely from vertigo and regained his confidence.

That appears to have carried over to this season.

"He's been looking really good," Boudreau said.

The other key to a fast start will be the return to form of Getzlaf. He played all 82 games last year for the first time since 2006-07 but his production plunged. He had just 11 goals, the lowest of his career. His 57 points were the lowest total since his rookie season. For the first time in his career he was a minus player (minus-11).

That kind of production doesn't help the cause during negotiations.

"There were different situations that I've learned from - family stuff and having new babies and stuff like that that put a lot of pressure on myself at the start of the season," Getzlaf said. "From there, I had to learn the difference between the family man and the rink and all that kind of stuff. Those are steps I've taken and learned and I feel good about the season."

Assuming the distractions that can come with contract negotiations and inevitable trade rumors don't get in the way.

"I'm going to play and hope to get a deal done here in the next little while," Getzlaf said. "I've been through it once before where we did [a contract] during the season. It didn't affect me then, it won't affect me now."

Perry sounded equally unconcerned.

"I'm not even going to worry about it," he said. "If things get handled, they get handled. We'll see what happens."
Click to expand...
 
S

Solo

Member
dem said:
I said it was cute.
Just as cute as Habs fans reporting every time Galchenyuk scratches his nuts in practice.


DID YOU SEE THOSE MOVES IN TIGHT? MAN THAT WAS SO TECHNICAL. THERE IS NO WAY YAKUPOV OR GRIGORENKO COULD SCRATCH THAT ITCH.
Click to expand...

You're just jelly that both Gally and Grigs will be better NHL players than Bustupov.
 
S

sazabirules

Unconfirmed Member
dem said:
I said it was cute.
Just as cute as Habs fans reporting every time Galchenyuk scratches his nuts in practice.


DID YOU SEE THOSE MOVES IN TIGHT? MAN THAT WAS SO TECHNICAL. THERE IS NO WAY YAKUPOV OR GRIGORENKO COULD SCRATCH THAT ITCH.
Click to expand...

Like posting AHL stats over and over of the Barons?
 
C

Cake Boss

Banned
Guys guys. look at how our top NHL line is ripping upthe mminors, surely your NHL's team top line can't do this in the minors.

Oh did I forget that we aren't even in a playoff spot even though we are putting up points.
 
dem

dem

Member
Cake Boss said:
Guys guys. look at how our top NHL line is ripping upthe mminors, surely your NHL's team top line can't do this in the minors.

Oh did I forget that we aren't even in a playoff spot even though we are putting up points.
Click to expand...

I doubt I've mentioned Eberle or Hall at all...

I mention Scott Neidermayer 2.0 because he was leading the entire fucking AHL in scoring as a rookie defenseman.

You guys are dullards.



Congrats on Galchenyuk matching Yakupov's terribad world junior output.
Oh and Terribad Yakupov had 2 more point than OMG AMAZING Grigorenko in the World Juniors.
 
S

Socreges

Banned
dem getting his comeuppance..

DopeyFish said:
Oh yeah- with Lombardi and Connolly gone, it means no luongo trade to leafs most likely

This also makes kadri a likely regular now

Yeaahhh
Click to expand...
Yep.

Nonis slowly undoing damage done by Burke, too. He really did make some shitty moves.
 
M

Merguson

Banned
Socreges said:
dem getting his comeuppance..

Yep.

Nonis slowly undoing damage done by Burke, too. He really did make some shitty moves.
Click to expand...

Yeah.. Burke's free signings were not his strength at all.. well except for MacArthur.

And I guess you could include Beauchemin since he got us Gardiner and Lupul.
 
K

Kave_Man

come in my shame circle
Socreges said:
dem getting his comeuppance..

Yep.

Nonis slowly undoing damage done by Burke, too. He really did make some shitty moves.
Click to expand...

Other then the first rounders though the moves he made luckily wouldn't handcuffed us going forward.

Lombardi is on his last year same with Connolly. Komisarek even just has one more year left on his contract as well.
 
J

Jayhawk

Member
I'm happy Nonis is getting rid of underperforming veterans in order for young prospects in the Leafs system to have a better shot at developing at the NHL level.
 
C

CrazedArabMan

Member
Can't wait for the Habs to play the Leafs with Subban sitting out with no contract still, they are probably going to go right to the wire with this one.
 
dem

dem

Member
CrazedArabMan said:
Can't wait for the Habs to play the Leafs with Subban sitting out with no contract still, they are probably going to go right to the wire with this one.
Click to expand...

Galchenyuk is so mature and defensively sound.. they don't really need defensemen in Montreal.
 
S

Solo

Member
Well, he actually is mature and defensively sound, unlike a certain #1 overall pick with a greasy moustache.......








When do teams need to make their cuts and have a final roster? Tomorrow?
 
K

Kave_Man

come in my shame circle
I'm thinking that Frattin will be sent back to the Marlies. There isn't any room for him on the team right now by the looks of it.
 
B

bonesmccoy

Banned
Shameless self quote:

the prescient bonesmccoy said:
Lupul - Bozak - Kessel
JVR - Grabovski - MacArthur
ulemin - adri - omarov
Brown - McClement - Frattin

Phaneuf - Gunnarson
Holzer - Gardiner
Liles - Franson

Our shite goalies

Constant scratches: Steckel, Komisarek, Mottau

I heard on 1050 that Connolly has fallen afoul of Carlyle, so here's hoping he's shown the door.
Click to expand...

Agree re Luongo's likely destinations - he's not coming to Toronto now.
 
S

ShaneB

Member
I assume Gillis smartened up and realized waiting will likely pay off a lot more in a shortened season. A goalie gets hurt somewhere?? "A-ha! You need Luongo big time, what have you got ?"

Cake Boss said:
WTF is Calgary doing? They just waived both of their goalies, Karlsson and Irving.

Who's their backup?
Click to expand...

They never use their backups anyways :p Kiprusoff playing all 48 games.
 
C

Cagey

Banned
Bryce Salvador named Devils captain, as per Pete DeBoer on the radio just now. I had assumed we would trot out three As again.
 
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