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Official NHL Off Season Thread
- Thread starter Wolf
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calder said:I can't stand watching Oiler fans and Canucks fans arguing about which team regressed the least over the off season.
:lol
I like the idea of a dedicated sports forum in principle. The problem I have is that places like HF boards have too many obnoxious immature kids running around. Although Im guessing the fee SA requires helps keep the morons away...Mike Works said:
Sounds interesting, I'll give it a shot.
dem
Member
Mike Works
Member
Bertuzzi was amazing when he was on his game last season.dem said::lol
Yeah ok.. I can't wait to check out the new west coast express
Unfortunately it seemed he only felt like being on his game about 40% of the time- if that. That entire line's +/- gives a great indication of how much he backchecked (and how long Morrison was allegedly injured for)- especially considering how many points they amassed.
No one knows who's going to be our first line RWer this season, but I'd be surprised if there was a drop in (overall) productivity compared to last season, which was their worst.
So dem, c'mon, lets see Edmonton's roster. I'm sure those holes left by Pronger, Peca, and Samsonov will be filled with ease, right! I mean you've got Lupul and... uh... well Matt Greene could fill Pronger's void, right?
Right? :lol
The Canucks lost Bertuzzi, Jovanovski, Allen, Auld, Baumgartner, and (Carter).calder said:
The Canucks gained Luongo. I mean we also got some other guys (Mitchell, Kraijeck, Pyatt, Chouinard, Bulis), but we got Luongo. That's honestly all that matters. Losing Carter sucks, but that's the situation you're presented with when you sign a player to a cheap 1 year deal in order for him to pad his stats by having a great year (ala what Bulis expects of himself this year). Losing Jovanovski is offset by gaining Willie Mitchell- mainly because the Canucks already have more than enough offense within their defense now. Baumgartner getting over a million is retarded, thanks a lot Bobby Clarke, hopefully Bourdon will be able to step up in his rookie season and get a solid year in.
After all that, it's losing Bertuzzi (who wasn't going to do anything more than he did last year in Vancouver) and Allen (and Auld) and gaining Luongo (and Kraijeck).
The Canucks are going to look amazingly different this season, and there's a very good chance they could tank considering no one has any idea how well these players will gel. But there's also a very good chance they could be challenging for the division title. How anyone can along and discount a team that has Naslund/Morrison/? and the Sedins+? as their top two scoring lines, possibly one of the best two way third lines in the conference (depending what it turns out to be), good depth in forwards, a defense with Mattias Ohlund, Willie Mitchell, Sami Salo (paired with three relatively unproven young guys) to go along with Roberto Luongo... as I said, there's a chance the team could do poorly, but simply no one knows right now.
And then you've got Edmonton. Edmonton, a team that was a playoff team that barely got into the playoffs due to the old Canucks' slightly superior incompetance. They've lost three of their biggest players- Peca, Samsonov, Pronger. What have they done to improve their team for next year?
Lupul. Am I missing anyone else? I know they got a good young prospect in the Anaheim deal, and uh... have they signed anyone else new?
Seriously dem, post Edmonton's current roster. At least post the defense, it'll be great, trust me
It definitely does. It's like being a part of one giant clique. We pretty much laugh at everyone at HF, and there are about 5x more posts in the span of an hour than there are on GAF. Just make sure you read the guidelines before you register and post. You can't change your avatar without paying, you have to re-buy an account if you get banned, etc. Just be careful initially, and after that it's good fun.Wolf said:
edit: Hemsky signs for 6 years in Edmonton (assuming it's not 4+ mil, that's a good deal for Edmonton) and Belfour signs for 1 year in Florida
lol :lol :lol)Mike Works
Member
I'm sorry, Belfour signing with Florida is pretty funny, but I feel like I could somehow one-up myself here...
Tjarnqvist - Smith
Staios - Hejda
Greene - Bergeron
THERE we go.
Lookout Western Conference, it's the ultimate pairing of Matt Greene and Marc-Andre Bergeron :lol
Tjarnqvist - Smith
Staios - Hejda
Greene - Bergeron
THERE we go.
Lookout Western Conference, it's the ultimate pairing of Matt Greene and Marc-Andre Bergeron :lol
Mike Works
Member
dem said:
Mike Works
Member
EVERY TEAM'S defense is better than the OilersSandman42 said:
dem
Member
meh.. the canucks d is just a bunch of second pairing guys... which is pretty much the same thing as the Oilers. Smith/Tjarnqvist/Staios/Greene/Bergeron are all decent dmen. Theyre missing a #1.. but they have the assets to pick one up during the season (or earlier). None of them are bad.. like say.. cory cross.
I dont understand the Greene bashing.. he's going to be a good one.
I dont understand the Greene bashing.. he's going to be a good one.
ForzaItalia
Banned
Sandman42 said:
Aubin>Roloson
Mike Works
Member
My mistake dem, I wasn't aware that Mattias Ohlund and Willie Mitchell were second pairing guys and Marc-Andre Bergeron was a decent defenseman :loldem said:
Mike Works
Member
"dem's right, Bergeron is an amazing defenseman!"
Cold-Steel
Member
I'm really excited for the Canucks this year.
Looks like we're going to see a system of play similar to what Buffalo had last season, a team where all four lines are capable of producing on a regular basis. With Luongo in net and a defensive mindset, this team is probably going to do much better than last year's bunch who couldn't even limp into the playoffs if they tried.
Bertuzzi, Allen and Auld gone.
Now we will see less time in the penalty box and more shutouts!
Looks like we're going to see a system of play similar to what Buffalo had last season, a team where all four lines are capable of producing on a regular basis. With Luongo in net and a defensive mindset, this team is probably going to do much better than last year's bunch who couldn't even limp into the playoffs if they tried.
Bertuzzi, Allen and Auld gone.
Now we will see less time in the penalty box and more shutouts!
yodathesoda
Member
Hah wow what happened to the strong NW? To be blunt Vancouver looks awful, no spin can hide that. No size, lack of proven players or leaders and terrible defense. Hey at least they have a goalie!
Edmonton sucks as well but hey I would hate to live in Edmonton too so I can understand the mass evacuation there.
Edmonton sucks as well but hey I would hate to live in Edmonton too so I can understand the mass evacuation there.
dem
Member
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=172350&hubname=
Gomez gets 5 mil
Do the Devils keep him or dump?
If im the Lou I trade him.. he's going to leave when he turns a free agent anyway. Carlos is going to be looking for ~7 mil next season.
Gomez gets 5 mil
Do the Devils keep him or dump?
If im the Lou I trade him.. he's going to leave when he turns a free agent anyway. Carlos is going to be looking for ~7 mil next season.
charlesthefirst
Member
We have to trade Gomez, he's really not worth that much money, especially in our cap situation. That, and I'm tired of him whining about not getting enough money. He's got to be traded.
Mike Works
Member
Lets see if this counts as spin:yodathesoda said:
Jan Bulis - 6'1 - 210lbs
Taylor Pyatt - 6'4 - 230lbs
Marc Chouinard - 6'5 - 220lbs
Mattias Ohlund - 6'2 - 220lbs
Willie Mitchell - 6'3 - 205lbs
Kevin Bieksa - 6'1 - 190lbs (he should be our fighter this season)
Then there's also the Sedins who aren't big by any stretch of the imagination, yet still have better lower body strength and positioning that most second liners in the league.. that would get you open ice hits, but it will get you puck possession deep in the offensive zone. Also add someone like Cooke who plays more of a pest role, assuming we keep him.
Markus Naslund
Trevor Linden
Mattias Ohlund
Mattias Ohlund
Willie Mitchell
Sami Salo
"a goalie" :lol
I ain't proclaiming the Nucks to be the next coming, as I have no idea what the team will play like, but writing off an entirely new team is flat out stupid. There's a difference between getting an enema like the Canucks did in the off season and contracting lepersy like the Oilers
soundwave05
Member
A trade is most likely happening then.
New Jersey might as well trade him within 48 hours and get something back.
The only thing is most teams probably won't be happy with a one year deal for Gomez if they're taking him on (b/c they could then be in the same situation with him walking a year from now).
Oilers are reportedly going after Sykora and possibly Tarnstrom or Markov as well, now that they've locked up most of their RFAs. Personally I think Lowe was smart not to spend on a D-Man earlier in the summer, because a lot of guys got overpaid. We picked up Spacek and Tarnstrom during the season last year for peanuts because teams are more desperate to dump salary as the year goes on.
New Jersey might as well trade him within 48 hours and get something back.
The only thing is most teams probably won't be happy with a one year deal for Gomez if they're taking him on (b/c they could then be in the same situation with him walking a year from now).
Oilers are reportedly going after Sykora and possibly Tarnstrom or Markov as well, now that they've locked up most of their RFAs. Personally I think Lowe was smart not to spend on a D-Man earlier in the summer, because a lot of guys got overpaid. We picked up Spacek and Tarnstrom during the season last year for peanuts because teams are more desperate to dump salary as the year goes on.
TemplaerDude
Member
Funny all these cocky oilers fans after barely making it into the playoffs and barely making it into the cup finals, they can't realize how lucky they were in the first place, and now half their team has bailed on them and they're bad mouthing us, it'll be really funny when we go unbeaten against their sorry team this year because they have no body who can score on Luongo or stop the Sedins and Naslund.
Sad, sad sad.
That's ridiculous. Ohlund alone is one of the best defenceman in the league, Bourdon is the best defensive prospect in the league, Salo is an awesome offensive force on the blue line, and Mitchell is anything but worth laughing at.
Your comments border on retarded, I'll say that.
Sad, sad sad.
That's ridiculous. Ohlund alone is one of the best defenceman in the league, Bourdon is the best defensive prospect in the league, Salo is an awesome offensive force on the blue line, and Mitchell is anything but worth laughing at.
Your comments border on retarded, I'll say that.
soundwave05
Member
TemplaerDude said:
:lol Yeah OK.
You're also nuts if you think this is the Oilers final roster.
Even assuming the Oilers sign Lupul to $2.5 mill-$3 mill deal, they're actually under budget at $38 million, with a lot of 2-way contracts, and made a lot of money last year.
People forget, Roloson, Spacek, Tarnstrom, and Samsonov were all added during the season ... if you think Lowe is just going to sit around, forget about it. I'm pretty comfortable with our cap situation.
Carolina and Edmonton were among the most active teams in improving their roster as the season went on last year ... that's how you gotta be in the new NHL, I think the GMs who are overspending again in the summer are once again going to get bit in the ass.
Mike Works
Member
Who's left to sign?
soundwave05
Member
Mike Works said:
I would like Sykora myself. He's played before with Lupul and I believe he's Czech so he could be deadly with Hemsky as well. If we get him, I feel like our forward depth would be among the best in the NHL.
Defense I think would be better to add as the season goes on, because the teams that don't do as well as they thought (it always happens) will then look to dump salary, and you'll be able to get players for cheaper. This is exactly how we added Spacek and Tarnstrom for basically peanuts last year. Also the hate on Greene/Bergeron is ridiculous, you're talking about 1st/2nd year defensemen playing in the playoffs/Cup Finals, of course they're going to make mistakes, that's just part of the process.
Again this is exactly the strategy both Carolina and Edmonton used while over GMs stood pat ... that's the way you gotta work in the new NHL IMO. Too many GMs are stuck in the old NHL way of thinking where they blow their entire wad during the off-season.
The important thing is to have playoff revune so ownership is OK with you spending a little more as the season goes on, and also have some cap flexibility. Then you can make moves during the season. I like the fact that the Oilers also avoided arbitration with all their RFAs, avoiding situations like New Jersey and Buffalo are now stuck in.
TemplaerDude said:
Why do Canuck fans act like Luongo has never let in a goal before? :lol
TemplaerDude said:
Ohlund is a #2 defenseman at best. I'm pretty sure some guy named Erik Johnson is a better defensive prospect than Bourdon.
Your comments border on retarded, I'll say that.
dem
Member
I doubt the Oilers bother with Sykora. They have too many kids knocking on the door. Pouliot/Jacques/Schremp could all make the team this year. Alexei Mikhnov had a huge World Championships this year for Russia and could probably take a spot on the 3rd line right now. He will be signed as soon as the russians get their shit together. Winchester seems to be hangin around too.
soundwave05
Member
The Oilers have a lot of youngsters, true ... but I wouldn't mind getting Sykora as a short term inclusion while guys like Schremp and Pouliot work their way up the ranks. It depends though, even if we don't get him, that's still money that can be spent during the season, so either way I'm cool with it. According to the Edmonton Journal, Lowe is looking at getting Sykora though.
Not really sure what to make of Mikhnov ... a 6'6 LW ... yikes. I believe Jacques is 6'4 and a LW, Smid is 6'3, Winchester is 6'3 also.
Not really sure what to make of Mikhnov ... a 6'6 LW ... yikes. I believe Jacques is 6'4 and a LW, Smid is 6'3, Winchester is 6'3 also.
dem
Member
TemplaerDude said:
Best defensive prospect in the league? Youve got to be joking. He's a good prospect.. but he is NOT ready. He will play at LEAST another year in junior.. and probably another in the AHL. And quite frankly it would be stupid to waste a year under the new CBA.
Luc got hyped from a bunch of Canuck fans chanting his name at the world juniors.. and he wasnt even the best dman on that team.
Crazymoogle
Member
Reilly said:
Templaer seemed to have a good dose of hyperbole there, but Ohlund is pretty clearly a top pairing defenseman on most NHL teams. He doesn't have the ridiculously high +/- of a STL Chris Pronger or the offense-fueled positioning of, say, Scott Niedermayer; he's always been in the shadow of Nik Lidstrom types.
If he could shoulder heavy minutes every game (and get press in just about any other city) he'd probably be much better known. But as it stands, he's still just fragile enough that a heavy load of minutes is going to cut down the number of games he can play during the season, or send him to the injury list. Hopefully guys like Mitchell can start shouldering that burden; last year after losing Sopel/Malik, the plan boiled down to "give more minutes to Jovo and Ohlund", which is a pretty bad idea when one or both get injured.
Back onto current events; did the Sabres accept the Briere deal? I still have fond memories of his scoring rage through the minor leagues but 5m seems damn steep.
Random fact: In the Mogilny to Vancouver trade, the Sabres got Michael "most exciting hit of the 1994 season" Peca, Mike Wilson, and a 1st rounder. The tree:
Peca: traded to NYI for Tim Connelly and Taylor Pyatt. Pyatt was turned into a 4th round pick after a trade with Vancouver this year.
Wilson: traded to Florida in 99 for defenseman Rhett Warrener (eventually traded in a package for Chris Drury and Steve Begin) and a draft pick...Ryan Miller.
1995 1st Round Pick: Drafted Jay McKee (recently lost in free agency to STL)
Mike Works
Member
there's a rumor floating around that buffalo is going to be involved in a 3 way trade with...
wait for it...
edmonton and vancouver.
god, if that happened i think this thread would explode :lol
wait for it...
edmonton and vancouver.
god, if that happened i think this thread would explode :lol
soundwave05
Member
Mike Works said:
Which is never going to happen. Apparently it involved Hemsky-Briere-Cooke as the main pieces.
But Briere is now an UFA, so Buffalo can't trade him straight up like that even if they wanted to. Edmonton would never deal Hemsky either with the long-term deal they signed him for. The guy is headed to be a 90-100 point player, $4 million salary for a player like that will locked up until like 2012 is going to a cap saver for Edmonton for many years to come.
That's also going to be a problem if New Jersey tries to shop Gomez on an arbitrated contract ... it's only good for one-year so teams are going to be hesistant to trade away big-time prospects for Gomez knowing they could lose him in another year.
The salary cap adds a completely different element to off-season moves, the GMs who use their cap space wisely and plan well are going to ultimately be the big winners in the long-run.
Mike Works
Member
I'm pretty sure Briere's not a UFA yet, though if the deal did involve Hemsky, then it should be dead.
scissorfight
Banned
Wings sign Danny Markov - no details yet
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=172414&hubname=nhl
While injuries are a concern and the details are unavailable, any move that gets Lilja off the top pairing (or off the ice completely hopefully) is a step forward in my book.
Ship Lilja for a bag of pucks and
Lidstrom - Kronwall/Markov
Schneider - Kronwall/Markov
Chelios - Lebda
doesn't look too bad at all.
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=172414&hubname=nhl
While injuries are a concern and the details are unavailable, any move that gets Lilja off the top pairing (or off the ice completely hopefully) is a step forward in my book.
Ship Lilja for a bag of pucks and
Lidstrom - Kronwall/Markov
Schneider - Kronwall/Markov
Chelios - Lebda
doesn't look too bad at all.
Mike Works
Member
A team (Sabres) has 48 hours to accept or decline every arbitrated player from the moment their last team arbitration is conducted.Sandman42 said:
Either the Sabres or Devils have had all of their arbitrations completed, so one of those teams is within the 48 hour window already, and I think it's the Devils just because I remember there being so, so many Sabres going to arbitration, but I could have my teams mixed up here.
Either way, we should be hearing about a signing, trade, or if not then a lot of proposals for either Briere or Gomez very soon.
Because the Sabres have an assload of arbitrations they have like two weeks to decide on Briere. So he's not a UFA yet and they probably won't decide until the last minute either, so they can see what all the other arbitration awards are.
Edit: their last arbitration is Adam Mair on August 4th.
Edit: their last arbitration is Adam Mair on August 4th.
charlesthefirst
Member
Mike Works said:
Yeah, Gomez was the Devils' last arbitration. Their only arbitration, I believe. It shouldn't be too long before we know Gomez's fate.
dem
Member
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keCWnL-xq7s
Video of Alexei Mikhnov
6'5 with hands like that? Zow!
then again.. he'll probably be another nik antropov
Video of Alexei Mikhnov
6'5 with hands like that? Zow!
then again.. he'll probably be another nik antropov
ForzaItalia
Banned
dem said:then again.. he'll probably be another nik antropov
Nah...that Mikhnov guy can actually skate.
Kabuki Waq
Member
ForzaItalia said:
but thats only cause he still has both his knees.
dem said:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keCWnL-xq7s
Video of Alexei Mikhnov
6'5 with hands like that? Zow!
then again.. he'll probably be another nik antropov
There will never be another nik antropov. How dare you.
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