Mike Works
Member
I have so, so many Zubrus rookies cards...
Also, who did Montreal get for Linden? Did they trade him to Washington or Vancouver?
Also, who did Montreal get for Linden? Did they trade him to Washington or Vancouver?
NHL Offseason mid Aug: World Cup, signings, HC Davos to whup ass, etc
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Malakhov said:
Many Leaf fans here in Toronto are always blinded by the blue and white and can rarely be objective. I am a Leaf fan too and that McCabe contract is a joke. Oh he's good offensively but very erratic in the defensive zone. The guy is always prone for a mistake in his own zone. See the last two years of playoffs as evidence of this.
Mike Works
Member
Hejduk's always been an unrated player in my books (hard to be overated when you're playing with Forsberg and Sakic).Malakhov said:
Though maybe I'm just saying that because he enjoys scoring 50 goals a game against the Canucks.
Malakhov
Banned
Heh, maybe that has something to do with itMike Works said:
Seriously, I do consider Hejduk one of the best pure scorer in the league these days. He's been a threat since he entered the league, the only year that he was off was the year that he was playing with an injury that finally took him out.
Malakhov
Banned
Now THIS is interesting. Scott Taylor wrote a nice (if slightly overstated, but hey that's Taylor) piece on Heatley in the Free Press today. I don't think you can get it online if you're not a subscriber, and I'll be damned if I transcribe the whole thing because it's pretty routine for the most part, but there was one pretty new bit of info.
None of this speculation about Heatley leaving Atlanta is totally new, but I think it's the first time a reporter has spoken to ppl around Heatley and then reported the possibility of him moving sooner rather than later out of Atlanta as baldly. The whole article is about how Dany is training every day already, in the best shape of his life, and so on. All the quotes are from his agent Stacey McAlpine (from Toronto, btw. start dreaming Leaf fans!) but Taylor mentions discussions with other ppl who know Heatley in Calgary or watch him closely, which is why I think the speculation about Heatley turning down the Thrashers qualifying contract maybe as a prelude to getting the hell out is a bit more compelling now.
There was also so goofy comparisons where Taylor mentions that Heatley scored more points last year in 31 games than "alleged NHL offensive stars" like Comrie, Primeau, Oates (?), Junueau (?!?) and Marcus Nilson and Ville Niemenen (!?!?!?!?!wtf!?!) but it wouldn't be a Scott Taylor column without the "holy shit is THAT example/analogy/logic mind-bending and reaching!" section. Taylor also goes on and on about how Heater was the best player in the world in May, but I think Iggy or Brad Richards might have an argument.
None of this speculation about Heatley leaving Atlanta is totally new, but I think it's the first time a reporter has spoken to ppl around Heatley and then reported the possibility of him moving sooner rather than later out of Atlanta as baldly. The whole article is about how Dany is training every day already, in the best shape of his life, and so on. All the quotes are from his agent Stacey McAlpine (from Toronto, btw. start dreaming Leaf fans!) but Taylor mentions discussions with other ppl who know Heatley in Calgary or watch him closely, which is why I think the speculation about Heatley turning down the Thrashers qualifying contract maybe as a prelude to getting the hell out is a bit more compelling now.
There was also so goofy comparisons where Taylor mentions that Heatley scored more points last year in 31 games than "alleged NHL offensive stars" like Comrie, Primeau, Oates (?), Junueau (?!?) and Marcus Nilson and Ville Niemenen (!?!?!?!?!wtf!?!) but it wouldn't be a Scott Taylor column without the "holy shit is THAT example/analogy/logic mind-bending and reaching!" section. Taylor also goes on and on about how Heater was the best player in the world in May, but I think Iggy or Brad Richards might have an argument.
Oh yeah.
Steady and reliable and solid as he is, Phillips is still a disappointment to me. He's not *quite* in his absolute prime as a defenseman yet, but unless his offense picks up a fair bit it's just not worth a 1st overall pick for a good-but-not-great, good skating, physical defender with just 'decent' offense.
I just read that article on Heatly as well, interesting. What I want to know is who is going to take the risk and sign Allison, if I was a GM I'd draw up an contract with a bunch of incentives for games played, goals, points etc. I think, if he's healty, Allison can come back and go back to scoring 80+ points a season with the right team.
OOH BUSTED. I knew you'd buckle and post some day!Mainline said:
And I dunno about Allison, he was always so slow, add his age and injury proneness and I'm not sure he can contribute much even if he's healthy. But then I never quite believed he really was that good offensively and then bam he goes and gets 95 pts one year. Even in his injured years he got more than a PPG.
Holy shit, he's not old he's fucking younger than me. I thought he was in his mid 30's... damn. :\ I'm ready for that Logan's Run thing now, I give up.
Mike Works
Member
calder said:
Article: hahahaha, I thought you said Healy, as in Glen Healy. I was so, so confused reading that.
Here's a question though. Say you could choose only one combo for your team (lets say the Leafs, since they'll buy anything), what would it be;
Naslund + Bertuzzi
Kovulchuk + Heatley
What would you choose (and why)?
Mike Works said:
If I was the Leafs, Nazzy+Bert because their window is so damn short with the age of their roster.
If I was any other team, Heatley and Kovalchuk. Just because they're younger (and cheaper, for a while) - they haven't even reached their peak yet and I'd say right now they are barely a half-step behind Nazzy/Bert as far as talent and effectiveness go right now.
But Taylor's article started this crazzee "what if" thing in my head where Heatley goes to a Canadian team. Canucks would be in the running, simply because with their roster they could add a player like Heatley and start pretty much penciling themselves into the third round of the playoffs. He's still got a lot of close ties to Calgary and he's insanely popular there. The Leafs can sure afford him (and if he expressed any interest in the Leafs the media and fans would pretty much force him to go after Heatley like mad, and I'd agree with them). The Oilers are a long shot because they don't have the hometown ties or unlimited budget but you can't rule them out. The Habs could afford him I guess, but how much they'd want him I have no idea.
Mike Works
Member
Penciling ourselves into the third round?calder said:
Does Heatley happen to play goal?
FUCKING CLOUTIERKLD;JFSsdkfjhsldjhfasjd
(I actually like Cloutier, I'm just in a hockey-self depreciating mood at the moment)
As for the question I myself proposed, it's a tough choice..
Naslund - Proven pure scorer, has slightly improved his backcheck (thank you Morrison), but may be off to Sweden soon. Assumption that he'll stay in NHL should he get traded for at least 3 years.
Bertuzzi - One of the most powerful if not the most powerful player in the game, proven goal scorer, can single-handedly change a game.. for good or bad. Has a short temper, game might be changed emotionally after Moore incident.
Heatley - Promising prospect/leader, had a terrible incident, might go to jail, looked great in his reaction year (after the accident), good chance at being the next Thornton/Bertuzzi.
Kovulchuk - Pure scorer like Naslund, only younger. Only question is whether or not he can keep it up (a question which plagues all young snipers in their early years). Outlook good.
It's tough to call, but I'd go with Heatley/Kovulchuk for most teams, purely because of Naslund going off to Sweden in the near future, I think, plus Bertuzzi's future. I don't doubt his capabilities as a player, but this whole off ice stuff can really fuck with a guy. I dunno, it's a tough call. If it were the Canucks, I'd want to keep Bertuzzi/Naslund for sure, but for most other teams, I'd take the younger combo.
Crazymoogle
Member
Mike Works said:
I offered to suit up but the NHLPA wouldn't hear of Cloutier going without an income. ;-)
I find the Mccabe talk funny because he was overpriced when we dropped him for, what was it, a 2nd round pick? I think Quinn just likes picking up Canucks garbage.
Good points on the player choice. Bert's got a lot of years left when he comes back, but Naslund is getting closer to becoming Mogilny - expendable.
Man, we need a goaltender...
The Bookerman
Member
Cloutier was seriously the worst starting goalie in the NHL last year.
The Bookerman said:
Technically, Roman Turek was a starter for a while.
My gut reaction was to say that Heatley is better than Thornton right now, but then that made me realize how expectation plays such a huge part of it. I seriously thought Thornton would be better than he is by now - sure he's an elite talent and if he's healthy he'll be in the top 5 in scoring while bringing excellent size to the mix, but for a while I figured he'd be a dominant scorer in the league (like, pencil him in for the Art Ross at the beginning of every year) and that hasn't quite happened yet.
It's risky but I still think Heatley is going to be noticeably better than Thornton this year, or at most the year after. Not that Thornton isn't great, although he had an off year, but in my mind at least by not continuing the big improvements he had the previous couple of years I've tempered my expectations.
Mike Works
Member
Cloutier was worse than Giguere, Weekes, Osgood, Dunham, and Kolzig how?The Bookerman said:
Hah, that reminds me that I bet my brother $10 that Giguere would have a "bounce back" season. I don't even really think he will, but we couldn't agree on what stats it would take to qualify as bounce-back. I tried to say that if the Ducks make the playoffs and he's the starter it counts, but my brother kept insisting he had to match his regular season numbers from 2 years ago.
It was one of those bets that, after you make it, you realize you have no freaking idea how it'll end up. I would have tossed a coin because in my mind Giggy could either win the Vezina this year or he could end up the second most overpaid backup in league history.
It was one of those bets that, after you make it, you realize you have no freaking idea how it'll end up. I would have tossed a coin because in my mind Giggy could either win the Vezina this year or he could end up the second most overpaid backup in league history.
The Coyotes are looking great IMO.
Hull is an odd pick...but he's very useful if you know how to use him (PPs). But the rest of the team is a bit quick...which is why I think it's odd.
Yeah well I honestly think that Brewer had every right to go for arbitration. On the other hand, it just seems so negative and almost like a diss to the fans of this small market team. I'm sure Brewer doesn't want that, or any negative stigma associated with him.
I wonder what's up with Nedved...a lot of news, views...but nothing concrete.
I'm totally 180ing you here, but I think Cloutier played well. I also think that Hedberg was capable. I would place blame on the offense for not being able to break Calgary's defense. My theory is to use the speed of Rucinsky and Sanderson to get it deep inside, and use their skills around the robot Calgary D to create space and chances. Remember it was a close series...just a couple of more goals from Vancouver's offense would have won them the series IMHO. I could be wrong...but I've seen so many Flames games (more importantly many Flames losses) that I'm convinced that this is one way to beat them consistantly.
Anyways, this why I think Heately would be an essential for playoff success.
Hull is an odd pick...but he's very useful if you know how to use him (PPs). But the rest of the team is a bit quick...which is why I think it's odd.
Yeah well I honestly think that Brewer had every right to go for arbitration. On the other hand, it just seems so negative and almost like a diss to the fans of this small market team. I'm sure Brewer doesn't want that, or any negative stigma associated with him.
I wonder what's up with Nedved...a lot of news, views...but nothing concrete.
I'm totally 180ing you here, but I think Cloutier played well. I also think that Hedberg was capable. I would place blame on the offense for not being able to break Calgary's defense. My theory is to use the speed of Rucinsky and Sanderson to get it deep inside, and use their skills around the robot Calgary D to create space and chances. Remember it was a close series...just a couple of more goals from Vancouver's offense would have won them the series IMHO. I could be wrong...but I've seen so many Flames games (more importantly many Flames losses) that I'm convinced that this is one way to beat them consistantly.
Anyways, this why I think Heately would be an essential for playoff success.
Mike Works
Member
DopeyFish said:
The only team I can think of that would value McCabe over Ohlund would be St Louis, considering they already have a big man. Ohlund is so much more valuable than McCabe, it's not even funny.
And then when you look at McCabe's numbers on the Leafs;
2003-04 Toronto NHL 75 16 37 53
2002-03 Toronto NHL 75 6 18 24
2001-02 Toronto NHL 82 17 26 43
2000-01 Toronto NHL 82 5 24 29
versus Jovo's on the Canucks;
2003-04 Vancouver NHL 56 7 16 23
2002-03 Vancouver NHL 67 6 40 46
2001-02 Vancouver NHL 82 17 31 48
2000-01 Vancouver NHL 79 12 35 47
I mean, you could maybe make a case for McCabe over Jovo, thanks to Eddy getting injured this season, but aside from that, you need to lay of the pipe buddy.
Yeah, but is their number 1 goalie still Boucher?Fight for Freeform said:
1) All it would've taken was one goal. Game 7 went to overtime.
2) Sanderson was one of our best players in the stretch, and looked good in the playoffs too. Aside from a few key plays from Rucinsky, Sanderson was definitely the better signing, and I really wished he stayed with the team, because he fit in so, so well.
3) It wasn't Cloutier's fault at all, in fact I'd be hard pressed to fault anyone in particular (can't even fault Bertuzzi, because the re-formation of the team after he was gone worked out excellently). Both Calgary and Vancouver played very well- Calgary past their expectations obviously- Game 6 went to triple-OT (that was a classic), Game 7 went to OT... it was an awesome series, easily the best of the playoffs in my biased mind.
Mike Works
Member
Hi, you must be new here, welcome to Gaming AgeLisa Lashes said:
Paying McCabe that much money is a freaking joke. Nevermind that the Leafs have also now made ANTROPOV a millionaire. The NHL is almost getting as ridiculous as baseball at this rate. I still think that no player should be making more than 5 million a season...and when I say that I'm talking about the top tier guys like Iginla, Forsberg, etc.
The Leafs will likely be a flop (again) in the coming season. They make the same moves every year and never really take the time to let players develop. They go with "experience" over potential. One of these days they're going to run fresh out of draft picks and then they'll be as bad as they were in the early 90s.
The Leafs will likely be a flop (again) in the coming season. They make the same moves every year and never really take the time to let players develop. They go with "experience" over potential. One of these days they're going to run fresh out of draft picks and then they'll be as bad as they were in the early 90s.
Lisa Lashes said:
IAWTP.
I've been a Leafs fan since the 70's. I've stuck with them through both the good and bad, but I won't be cheering them any longer. They've stuck with the same core team through the past 2-3 years, and they keep getting beaten. Yet, instead of acquiring new blood and trying to go the distance, they resign the same team. I have resigned myself to the fact that they will not win the cup.
I'm going to give the Leaf fanboys, like Dopey, a little secret. Steve Stavros, the former Leafs owner, is a relation to me. In fact, he comes to my restaurant every Sunday morning. According to him, the only prerequisite for the Leafs is to do well enough that they bring in the crowds to make the owners money. That is all. A championship would be well-received, but not necessary in the eyes of the owners. Fact. Now, John Ferguson Jr. might have different aspirations, but by the signings over the summer, it looks like the upper management has had its say in these matters, and all I see is a repeat of the past few years.
So, now I need to cheer on a new team. Do I cheer on my fave player, Joe Sakic and the Avalanche, or another team? Hmm, decisions, decisions.
How do you figure? There were at least a dozen starting goalies (41+ games) with worse numbers than him. He also plays on one of the most offensively-minded teams in the NHL and even had a strong playoff series before he got injured.The Bookerman said:
Jovo actually plays terrific defense, despite being considered more of an offensive defenseman.Mike Works said:
The NHL Network is showing Flames/Canucks '89 highlights. It's game 7, in OT if anyone wants to see how it ends.
Haha, Neal just focused on how shitty Joel Otto is doing this series.
EDIT: wow whoever 26 was for the Canucks he was robbed point blank all alone in the slot! Bob Cole of course tried to make it sound like the greatest save in history (it was a nice toe save) but the guy had about 65% of the net wide open and just hit Vernon in the foot.
You can see how drastically the game has changed in like 15 years. The players seem slower (part of that is it being OT in game 7) but there's so much more freedom out there. You see all three attacking forwards on the boards near the hash marks fighting for the puck, defencemen swapping points, the centers are all over the damn place. Add the fact the goalies look *half* the size of goalies today and it's constant excitment.
OH SHIT SMYL HITS THE POST. This was a great, great hockey game. OMG Mullen all alone in front goes to the backhand as he's falling, McLean out of position, how the hell did that not go in. This game is as good as any in this years playoffs, even though it would have ended a half dozen times already if guys back then could raise the fricking puck 16 inches off the ice.
Haha, Neal just focused on how shitty Joel Otto is doing this series.
EDIT: wow whoever 26 was for the Canucks he was robbed point blank all alone in the slot! Bob Cole of course tried to make it sound like the greatest save in history (it was a nice toe save) but the guy had about 65% of the net wide open and just hit Vernon in the foot.
You can see how drastically the game has changed in like 15 years. The players seem slower (part of that is it being OT in game 7) but there's so much more freedom out there. You see all three attacking forwards on the boards near the hash marks fighting for the puck, defencemen swapping points, the centers are all over the damn place. Add the fact the goalies look *half* the size of goalies today and it's constant excitment.
OH SHIT SMYL HITS THE POST. This was a great, great hockey game. OMG Mullen all alone in front goes to the backhand as he's falling, McLean out of position, how the hell did that not go in. This game is as good as any in this years playoffs, even though it would have ended a half dozen times already if guys back then could raise the fricking puck 16 inches off the ice.
Alucard said:
That day is already here and good solid post from Spike. Nice to see that there are some realist Leaf fans out there but they are still outweighed heavily by the delusional ones. It's the delusional ones that keep the Leafs in business because they are too dumb or naive to look beyond the Maple Leaf crest and see the real or should I say bigger picture.
Lisa Lashes said:
YAAAAAAAAY FOR MONEY! As long as the stands are being filled, I doubt the management cares too much. I have a lot of friends who are Leafs fans and even they're getting a little frustrated. It's as if Toronto management is committed to never winning a Stanley Cup again. How do you pay a guy like Antropov a million? It makes no sense.
I do hope there will be hockey this season so I can make a trip or two to the ACC to watch the Pens and Leafs.
Alucard said:YAAAAAAAAY FOR MONEY! As long as the stands are being filled, I doubt the management cares too much. I have a lot of friends who are Leafs fans and even they're getting a little frustrated. It's as if Toronto management is committed to never winning a Stanley Cup again. How do you pay a guy like Antropov a million? It makes no sense.
I do hope there will be hockey this season so I can make a trip or two to the ACC to watch the Pens and Leafs.
Well there is a theory going around saying that Leafs management is afraid to win the Cup because they love how the fans are currently coming in droves in anticipation of ending the 37 year drought. Tease them, tease them but never give in. I doubt it but an interesting theory nonetheless. I was so embarrassed as a Leaf fan when fans were driving around downtown and waving flags after beating the Flyers in a game during the playoffs last year.
Is that how sad we are now?
Crazymoogle
Member
The only other thing I'll say about Mccabe is that he had his chance with the Canucks, and in the end management decided Jovo and Ohlund were worth more. Same goes with Aucoin - great guy with a shot that seems to get better with age - but 4+ million? Huh?
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