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[BigJonsson]

He was ranked #1 by pretty much everyone, duh.

Big: Why not, he'd fit with the leafs perfectly. An old player who is only the shadow of his former self coming to Toronto to finish his career with other old geezers

And still managed to beat the Senators

 

[Malakhov]

He was ranked #1 by pretty much everyone and it is known that he fell down because of his health issues, anybody who followed the draft closely since 2002 will tell you that, sorry.

Wich brings me to Chipchura this year wich was another steal, he was ranked the #1 north american skater at half season before falling because of an injury, go go habs!

 

[Malakhov]

And still managed to beat the Senators

It's not hard to beat a team that doesn't have a goalie

 

[Malakhov]

In other news:

http://www.worldhockeyassociation.net/news/media_releases/top_story.htm

July 6, 2004

Franchise draft exemptions announced

Franchise owners in the World Hockey Association today announced their Draft Exemptions for the 2004-05 season.

Each franchise was allowed one selection prior to the NHL/AHL Free Agent Draft on July 17, 2004.

The WHA draft exemptions are:

Dallas – Brett Hull (unrestricted Free Agent)



Detroit – Chris Chelios (unrestricted Free Agent)



Florida – Martin St. Louis (restricted Free Agent)



Halifax – Glen Murray (unrestricted Free Agent)



Hamilton – Paul Kariya (unrestricted Free Agent)



Québec – Mike Ribeiro (restricted Free Agent)



Toronto – Chris Phillips (restricted Free Agent)

Each WHA team will draft 30 NHL/AHL Free Agents on July 17th, 2004 and 30 Entry Level Players on July 18th, 2004.

Haha, the WHA is such a joke.

 

[dem]

He fell due to epilepsy concerns.. I'll give you that... but he most certainly wasnt ranked #1 on ANYONES list. Zherdev and Michalek were always ahead of him, and thats just in the Euro rankings.

 

[calder]

Calder, I thought you'd be all over my post by now, what gives?

What post? The Lindros one? I actually like Lindros, but TO would be a *terrible* fit for him. It'd be like Theo Fleury returning to Calgary - too much pressure for someone who's just not capable of being what he once was.

Thornton to the Leafs though... damn that'd be almost scary. But as a RFA the Leafs would have to trade for him, and as others have mentioned how the hell could they do that?? Maybe the letsgowings posters will be right and the Wings will swing a trade for Thornton - lets say Jiri Fischer and Hudler. Or maybe just Hudler and a couple of picks. :lol


dem: isn't Kyle Woodlief the bitchiest man in hockey? I like RLR but his catty bitterness towards almost every hockey media pub in NA always cracks me the hell up. His last Chat session on espn (I think) had me in stitches because he couldn't go 3 sentences without dissing THN or someone else.

 

[Malakhov]

I actually like Lindros

I no longer like you

But as a RFA the Leafs would have to trade for him

Can't they give up their next 5 first rounders and sign him? Not like the Leafs use these often anyhow

 

[dem]

Woodlief is a bitch in the same vein as a Klaus Zaugg.

 

[calder]

He fell due to epilepsy concerns.. I'll give you that... but he most certainly wasnt ranked #1 on ANYONES list. Zherdev and Michalek were always ahead of him, and thats just in the Euro rankings.

Yeah, I thought maybe CSB had him #1 on the Euros but I doubt even that. And there is no way "everyone else" had him projected #1 over guys like Staal and Horton when they were 16ish. CSB has no overall list to be #1 on for one thing. I'm pretty sure Mckeens had Staal right up to the end... RLR I can't remember but he's always been a bit off the beaten track.

 

[calder]

Hey hey! No one better be insulting my man Zaugg! Anyone who can spend 300 words creating an analogy between Russian hockey coaches and donkeys is A-OK in my books. His Canada-bashing is at least readable, unlike the vast majority of euro hockey writers. And since we've been winning he hasn't said shit lately.

 

[Malakhov]

He definetly was, he was considered the best pure raw talent of the draft. By the way I've seen some tapes of him and he's just mind blowing when he has the puck, he's a train. The only downside is his defense, he floats a bit when the puck is nowhere near him but teaching someone defense is easier than teaching someone offense without any talent. I can't wait to see him play in the NHL and hopefully with Koivu and Kovalev (don't think we'll sign him but there's still little hope), we could call that line the KKK line (PC fiasco!)

 

[calder]

Aww man, looking for a link to Duponts story about Thornton somehow got me to iihf.com, and now I'm all nostalgic about the gold medal game at the WC.

Shit, I'm going to go watch that game again. I almost taped over it and the semifinal win over slovakia when I was taping about 18 more Flames playoff games than I had expected to, thank god I realized my mistake before losing the gold medal game. Bouwmeester's goal has me misty eyed every time.

 

[dem]

Well heres the 2003 midseason CSB ranking, and suprise suprise, it has him the 15th RANKED EURO SKATER.
http://www.ultrahockey.com/archives/entry_draft/2003csb_mid.htm

Seriously.. theres no way in hell he was #1 on any list at anytime. Youve been hanging out at the hf habs board too much.

 

[Malakhov]

http://www.hockeyjournal.com/bruins/200306/draft11.html

And this has him ranked as CSS Rank (Europe) #3 AFTER his health problems (both epilepsy and back problems).

 

[dem]

Yes.. and? Number 3 ranked Euro is not #1 overall.... especially considering it was a strong NA draft.

So when exactly was he ranked #1? It sure wasnt midseason, as ive shown. It wasnt final rankings, as youve shown. That leaves... when? Before his draft year? Dont think so guy.. Staal and Horton were hyped for that.

 

[Pochacco]

btw...

Quenneville to coach Colorado

TSN.ca Staff

7/6/2004

TSN has learned that the Colorado Avalanche will name Joel Quenneville as their new head coach, replacing Tony Granato who had been at the helm since 2002.

This will mark Quenneville's second stint with the Avalanche organization. He was hired as Mark Crawford's assistant in the 1995-96 season and played a large role in the club's first ever Stanley Cup victory.

Considered one of the most respected coaches in the League, Quenneville was fired by the St. Louis Blues in February after serving as the teams head coach since 1997. He guided the Blues to a franchise record 114 points during the 1999-2000 season and was the recipient of the Jack Adams award as coach of the year.

Under Quenneville, the Blues won 40 or more games five of the six full seasons he was in charge, but the Blues couldn't translate regular season success into the post-season. His .500 record in the playoffs (34-34) includes only one trip to the Western Conference final since taking over midway through the 1996-97 season.

The lowest scoring team in this year's post-season, the Blues lost in the first round to the San Jose Sharks. It was the second straight first round elimination for the club.

In May, Avalanche general manager Pierre Lacroix said he was disappointed with the way the 2003-04 season ended but that coach Granato would not pay the price for the team's playoff failure.

"I'm telling you Tony Granato will be there (as head coach) and should be there a long time, with the way he has worked this year and last year," Lacroix told the Denver Post.

"It's never crossed our mind that any of our coaches, including Tony, haven't done a great job ... and we're very pleased about what he delivered to this organization. If someone wants to put the blame on the coach, that is not the route we're going to take."

 

[Greekboy]

I doubt that ranking includes the last draft, but Florida is definitely #1 though.

Then the Leafs go from 17th and into the 20's because they didn't draft until the 3rd round while the other 29 teams did.

 

[calder]

Holy shit! I actually believed Lacroix when he said Granato was getting another shot, but I should have known better. Lacroix would wack his own grandma in a heartbeat if a better free agent grandma came along.

Remember to check divealanche for their next update, should be a funny one.

 

[BigJonsson]

Someone post a list of restricted and unrestricted free agents

 

[DopeyFish]

Leafs UFA/RFA list, doing 30 teams would be one retardedly long list. :/

Unrestricted Free Agents
Sebastien Centomo
Jamie Hodson
Aaron Gavey

Unrestricted Free Agents
Drake Berehowsky (Group III)
Calle Johansson (Group III)
Bryan Marchment (Group III)
Tom Fitzgerald (Group III)
Robert Reichel (Group III)
Mikael Renberg (Group III-Signed in Sweden)
Trevor Kidd (Group III)
Mike Minard (Group VI)
Ron Francis (Group III)
Josh Holden (Group VI)

Restricted Free Agents
Mikael Tellqvist (Group II)
Tomas Kaberle (Group II)
Bryan McCabe (Group II)
Nik Antropov (Group II)
Luca Cereda (Group II)
Harold Druken (Group II)
Brad Leeb (Group II)
Alexei Ponikarovsky (Group II)
Clarke Wilm (Group II)

 

[bishoptl]

Such a shame - I like Joel Quenneville. Too bad I'm now forced to vilify his name at every opportunity now that he's coaching the Divealanche.

 

[Mike Works]

Such a shame - I like Joel Quenneville. Too bad I'm now forced to vilify his name at every opportunity now that he's coaching the Divealanche.

As it was so easy to cheer him on when he was behind the bench for the Blues??

 

[bishoptl]

Hey, I loathe the Blues...but I could still deal with Quenneville as their coach. Not as the head of those mamby-pamby whiners in Colorado though.

 

[Fifty]

I just wanted to pop in here and bash the Sens


God that team is laughable. Yes....Hasek will help them (get owned by the Leafs again)

They'll always be a second class team.

I haven't been following much of the offseason. I guess I just assume that there will be no hockey next season and I don't want to get my hopes up

Oh, and I love the topic title.

 

[Pochacco]

Torontonians are a funny bunch.
They bash the hell outta the Sens - they're a team that can't get to the cup and always lose to the Leafs...
...but the Leafs, after taking out the Sens, ALWAYS get taken out themselves =P

 

[Fifty]

Ever been to the team 1280's website when the playoffs are on? They have models posing in "Leafs Suck" shirts....You guys are even more obsessed with us than we can imagine. Ottawa is Toronto's little brother...Always trying to outdo us but failing time and after time. Quick....Let's get some Toronto fans back into this thread before the Leafs hating majority jumps on my back

 

[calder]

Quick....Let's get some Toronto fans back into this thread before the Leafs hating majority jumps on my back

Too late! Dopey can't help you now!

 

[DopeyFish]

Oh yes I can! *runs*

 

[Shinobi]

After they sign Lindros, they should trade Sundin and Mogilny to get Bure and Kariya, then they can have their team full of players who used to be good!!

Maybe there's still time to swing Belfour for Vanbiesbrouck!

Now you're asking them to be the Rangers...shoot, at least the Leafs make the playoffs.

It's not hard to beat a team that doesn't have a goalie

What part of "the Sens got their ass shutout THREE TIMES by the Leafs" do you not understand? How is Lalime the only one to blame when nobody else on that team showed up in the first three losses, and got one measly, meaningless goal in the third period of the fourth loss? That's been their trouble the entire time...no finish at all in the clutch. So of course they hire the most anti-clutch coach in the history of sports in Brian Murrary...heh, what a joke. The only good thing about that entire bitch ass town is Patricia Boal and The Sports Bunny...fuck everyone else.

Can't they give up their next 5 first rounders and sign him? Not like the Leafs use these often anyhow

I actually agree...they haven't drafted worth a shit in 30 years anyway, so what's five more years with no first rounders.

 

[calder]

Sure, if the Leafs *did* sign Thornton to an offer sheet it would cost them 5 first rounders to compensate the Bruins, but the Bruins have the right to match and there is no way they wouldn't. No one ever has signed a RFA that I know off, even back when teams like the Flyers and Rangers tried to fuck over smaller teams by offering massive front-end loaded contracts to RFAs in the hopes that the smaller team couldn't ante up short term. Never worked, and now no one even bothers making offers to RFAs.

Oilers ink Conklin to multi-year deal

TSN.ca Staff

7/7/2004

The Edmonton Oilers have announced the signing of 28-year-old goaltender Ty Conklin to a multi-year contract.

"After an outstanding season and a terrific performance at the World Championships, Ty is establishing himself as one of the premier goaltenders in the NHL," said Oilers General Manager Kevin Lowe.

The 6'0", 184 pound native of Eagle River, Alaska appeared in 42 games for the Oilers in 2003-04, posting a 17-14-4 record with a 2.42 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage. He registered his first career NHL shutout with 22 saves in a 2-0 win at Minnesota on November 13, 2003.

Pictured Above: Ty Conklin
Named the NHL's Defensvie Player of the Week for the week ending November 16, 2003, Conklin established career highs in games (42), minutes played (2086), wins (17), ties (4) and saves (875).

At the 2004 IIHF World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Conklin backstopped Team USA to the bronze medal and was named the tournament's outstanding goaltender. He was 4-0-1 with one shutout and a 2.00 goals-against average in five tournament games and was twice named as Team USA's player of the game, including the 1-0 shootout win versus Slovakia in the bronze medal game on May 9th.

Conklin will return to the international stage for the United States at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.

"Don't worry you filthy Greaser fans, I'll be there soon enough to make you forget all about Conklin... and that Marek Schwarz guy for that matter. I was the 14th pick! Overall! Wow!"

 

[Fifty]

Named the NHL's Defensvie Player of the Week for the week ending November 16, 2003,

EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM IS A MISTAKE!

 

[Shinobi]

Sure, if the Leafs *did* sign Thornton to an offer sheet it would cost them 5 first rounders to compensate the Bruins, but the Bruins have the right to match and there is no way they wouldn't. No one ever has signed a RFA that I know off, even back when teams like the Flyers and Rangers tried to fuck over smaller teams by offering massive front-end loaded contracts to RFAs in the hopes that the smaller team couldn't ante up short term. Never worked, and now no one even bothers making offers to RFAs.

If there's one team that would pass on matching a RFA offer sheet, it's Harry "Frugel" Sinden and the Boston "Cheap Ass" Bruins. Having said that, I doubt even they are that cheap...or stupid.

 

[bishoptl]

Mmmm....Patricia Boal....

 

[Malakhov]

No one ever has signed a RFA that I know off

Scott Stevens signed with the Blues in 1990 and the Caps were awarded 5 1st round pick. I don't think he was an RFA though.

 

[calder]

Holy shit Shinobi, you listed Sport Bunny as a **POSITIVE**!?!? She is without a doubt the most annoying attempted media creation of ALL TIME. I read a column about her on slam.ca and hated her with a passion 2 paragraphs in ("lookatme I'm a woman who thinks she's sassy and attractive! and I have ill-formed opinions about sports!"), by the time I actually tried to read her column I wanted to kill myself.

She's mildly hot, but the few opinions of hers I've read are lame and more or less total fluff. She has little to no clue what she's talking about, but she sure tries to act like she's hardcore... it's just annoying as hell.

 

[Shinobi]

She's hot...who gives a fuck about her opinions? She's an Ottawa girl for Christ's sake, that means her opinion is gonna be shit anyway.

 

[calder]

Scott Stevens signed with the Blues in 1990 and the Caps were awarded 5 1st round pick. I don't think he was an RFA though.

No, I think you're right. Stevens *was* a RFA, and since the Blues and Caps couldn't decide on compensation an arbitrator picked the 5 first rounders to be the compensation. That was when there were no real rules for compensation. It's all confusing and I may be mixing it up with the next year when the Blues tried to sign Shanahan and lost Stevens the next year as compensation (the league was clearly trying to rape the Blues for fucking up the salary structure) and then there was the tampering punishment on the Blues for signing Stevens again years later.

But since the new CBA started and they set forth the levels of compensation I can't think of one team that's signed a big name RFA that would approach the maximum 5 first round threshold where the original team didn't just match. The Canes tried to get Federov but the Wings matched and that was pretty much the last elite RFA offer sheet. I don't think the Blues would have signed Stevens if they had known it would cost them that.

 

[Malakhov]

Yeah, 5 first rounders are one hefty price to pay though I'd be ready to pay that for a player like Kovalchuk.

 

[Greekboy]

I know that Sergei Gonchar turned out to be one of those 5 picks that the Caps got for Stevens but not sure about the others.

 

[Malakhov]

Did a bit of research on that (I am suffering from hockey withdrawal, I need help ) and yes Stevens was in fact a RFA:

Stevens Exits Washington: Stevens made headlines in July 1990 when he signed a four-year, $5.145 million contract with St. Louis as a restricted free agent. Washington declined its option to match the huge offer. As a result, St. Louis was forced to give Washington an unprecedented five first-round draft picks to compensate the Capitals for the signing. The Stevens signing was a landmark moment for the NHL because it threatened the entire NHL salary structure. The deal included a $1.4 million signing bonus for a player that many did not consider among the league's top five defensemen at that time. Stevens would earn twice what Ray Bourque was scheduled to earn in 1990-91. Because of this, NHL general managers feared that the true superstar defensemen like Bourque would claim they deserved bigger salaries in line with what Stevens was getting. This did, in fact, happen over the next several years and helped set the stage for the 1994 NHL lockout. Ironically, Stevens would last only one season in St. Louis, because he was later awarded to New Jersey as compensation for another high-profile free-agent signing by the Blues -- Brendan Shanahan in 1991.

Here's something about the Stevens/Shanahan incident:

Stevens Exits St. Louis: Just one year after joining St. Louis, Scott Stevens was on his way to New Jersey as compensation for the Blues' signing of free agent Brendan Shanahan. The incident caused great controversy that would reverberate through the NHL for many years. It all began on July 25, 1991, when St. Louis signed Shanahan as a restricted free agent. New Jersey, which refused to match St. Louis' offer, was entitled to compensation. Judge Edward Houston, acting as the NHL's arbitrator, was asked to rule on the case after New Jersey and St. Louis could not agree on a fair compensation package. New Jersey had demanded Stevens, while St. Louis was offering Rod Brind'Amour, Curtis Joseph and two draft picks. On Sept. 4, 1991, Houston ruled in a 14-page document that St. Louis would have to give Stevens, their team captain, to New Jersey. This outraged St. Louis, which was still required to compensate Washington with four future draft picks. The Blues and the NHLPA felt the NHL was deliberately punishing St. Louis for its free-agent spending, which drove up salaries around the league. Initially angered by the ruling, Stevens, who still had three years on his contract, did not report to New Jersey's training camp until Sept. 26, 1991. The ruling was still on the NHLPA's mind when it called for a brief players' strike late in the 1991-92 season.

And here's something about the tampering:

The Tampering Incident: Nearly eight years after losing Stevens, the St. Louis Blues again paid a big price when the NHL ruled that the team had tampered with Stevens by negotiating with him when he was still property of the Devils in 1994. Five years after the incident, on Jan. 4, 1999, the NHL fined St. Louis a record $1.5 million and forced the Blues to give New Jersey one of their first-round picks between 2000 and 2004. New Jersey also received the option to switch first-round picks with St. Louis in any draft between 2000 and 2004. This was the culmination of a four-year investigation which found that St. Louis had been negotiating an offer sheet with Stevens prior to his becoming a free agent on July 1, 1994. This was deemed tampering, since league rules specified that only Stevens' current team could negotiate with him during the time period in question. Stevens signed his offer sheet with St. Louis on July 4, 1994. Five days later, the Devils matched St. Louis' four-year, $17 million offer, but New Jersey general manager Lou Lamoriello successfully argued that St. Louis had stacked the deck against his team before Stevens' contract expired. Since Stevens knew what he was going to get from St. Louis, but Devils management did not know, Stevens was in an unfair position to reject New Jersey's offers during the June 1994 negotiating period. The ruling set a strong example for all teams that future tampering would be harshly punished.

 

[Malakhov]

I know that Sergei Gonchar turned out to be one of those 5 picks that the Caps got for Stevens but not sure about the others.

Witt was another one. I think Gonchar and Witt were the only 2 noticeable picks. Not bad nonetheless.

 

[calder]

I went through a lot of trouble googling up images of Conklin for my troll on the Oilers. Dem better the hell at least respond, it's just good manners.

 

[Mike Works]

Good God, this topic has been on Page 2 for weeks. It seems each time I refresh, there's been one post.

 

[dem]

I'll take

over

I actually kinda like Conklin...

 

[calder]

In hindsight, the fact the Oilers got anything at all for Salo (Gilbert, who put up decent numbers for a D at the UofWisconsin last year) and a high pick was pretty impressive. Another great move by Lacroix in a year full of them!

Man, the Avs are going to *suck* in like 2-3 years. Like 10th in the West level suck.



Mike: you thinking about the draft thread? I started this thread yesterday to celebrate the Sens decision to crap out in the first round for the forseeable future.

 

[Greekboy]

I see Kolzig eventually heading to the Avs.

 

[Mike Works]

Mike: you thinking about the draft thread? I started this thread yesterday to celebrate the Sens decision to crap out in the first round for the forseeable future.

I meant figuratively, not literally.

 

[bishoptl]

The "commies", as my dear ol' dad loves to refer to them, have collectively lost their damn minds.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33790-2004Jul7.html

MOSCOW, July 7 -- The Washington Capitals will have to pay at least $2 million if they want to see Russian forward Alexander Ovechkin in their uniform this season, his club Dynamo Moscow said on Wednesday. Washington selected the 19-year-old with the first overall pick in the National Hockey League (NHL) entry draft last month.

Ovechkin still has a year remaining on his Dynamo contract, but has already stated that he wants to play in the NHL this season and the Moscow club said they would not stand in his way. But since an agreement between the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and the NHL regarding player transfer fees has expired, the two clubs must agree on a new deal before Ovechkin is allowed to join the Capitals. Dynamo, however, want compensation which is almost 10 times greater than what they would have had for Ovechkin in the past.

"Under the old deal, we would have got only $200,000 for such a great player like Ovechkin. Such a sum is clearly inadequate," Dynamo president Anatoly Kharchyuk told Russian daily Sovietsky Sport. "We think he is worth at least $2 million."

Ovechkin has already been billed by many hockey experts as the best player coming to the NHL since Mario Lemieux was taken first overall in 1984 by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The six-foot-two-inch (1.89-metre), 200-pound (91-kg) Russian starred at this year's world ice hockey championship in the Czech Republic and has been included in Russia's squad for the Hockey World Cup to be played later this year. The new player transfer agreement between the IIHF and the NHL is unlikely to be put in place soon with Russian hockey officials fiercely opposing any compromise.

 

[Greekboy]

Didn't they pay Bondra, Jagr etc millions last year and got nothing in return? Viewing it like that makes it seem like 2 million is not that much. Easy for me to say though.

 

[Jason]

http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?id=90501

Thornton signs with Swiss team Davos

The Boston Bruins' dramatic offseason continued Thursday as IMG Hockey announced that they have finalized a new contract for client Joe Thornton to play with HC Davos of the Swiss Elite League for the upcoming season.

The Bruins' captain and three-time NHL All-Star is a Group II Restricted Free Agent without a contract. "I am very excited about the opportunity to play with Davos," said Thornton in a statement released by IMG. "It is a fantastic hockey environment and has a long tradition of excellence in European hockey circles."

HC Davos has long been recognized as one of the most top hockey franchises in Europe and competes in the Swiss Elite League. The club is also well known for its annual Spengler Cup tournament held every December.

"We are very happy for Joe. Davos is one of the premier hockey clubs to play for in Europe," said his agent, J.P. Barry. "As we are all aware there may not be NHL Hockey next season and this agreement will allow Joe to play hockey at the highest level in a unique environment that he may otherwise not have ever experienced."

The news comes as another chapter in a topsy-turvy offseason saga for the Bruins, who have already lost core players to the summer's free agent market. Forward Mike Knuble signed with the Philadelphia Flyers as an unrestricted free agent Saturday, and defenceman Sean O'Donnell signed a three-year, $6-million deal with the Phoenix Coyotes on Wednesday.

Reports also indicate that forward Glen Murray appears close to signing with a new team, but the biggest story to hit the rumour mill came Sunday when the New York Post reported that Thornton wanted out of town.

General manager Mike O'Connell told the Boston Globe Wednesday that he spoke to Thornton and got no indication that he was disgruntled.

"I read the article (yesterday) morning," O'Connell told the paper. "Someone told me about it. I called Larry (Brooks) and I told him, 'I don't know where you got this,' and he said he got it from very reliable sources. But I spoke with Joe in Toronto at the awards dinner. Never did he mention anything to that effect to me. I met with his agent at the NHL draft and never was it brought up that he wanted to be traded. It's all news to me."

The Post story said Thornton, who was held pointless while playing with a rib injury in the playoffs against the Montreal Canadiens, was unhappy he wasn't supported more by management.

Thornton led Boston last season with 23 goals and 50 assists in 77 games. He was also named to Canada's team for the 2004 World Cup of hockey.

What the hell is wrong with Boston??