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Official NHL Off Season Thread
- Thread starter Wolf
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Crazymoogle
Member
Fight for Freeform said:
See Borkbork's post on the previous page. Carter is insisting on 2.5m/season minimum, refuses to be a bargain buy.
dem
Member
http://www.criticalmention.com/vg/nhl/2006-08-21_mtv_2244.wmv
Why the **** does sean avery get a cribs?
and why the **** does a scrub like avery have a bentley?
not a great house though..
Why the **** does sean avery get a cribs?
and why the **** does a scrub like avery have a bentley?
not a great house though..
After 2 hours at my desk with the hockey news pool guide, I managed to learn an important lesson today. Pre-rankings is hard ****ing work. The bottom end of the list didn't come easy, but I've managed to compile a soild list that will bring sweet, sweet victory pouring into the lakes of Wolf valley.
oh btw, The Hockey News is smoking some serious crack. Crosby wins Art Ross? That crack was probably laced with some Oveckin forgetting hallucinogenic. Luongo puts up career numbers and outshines Brodeur? Is the NHL going to remit every other goal scored on him to make up for non-existent Vancouver defense? Flames take the Cup?
I've read enough.
oh btw, The Hockey News is smoking some serious crack. Crosby wins Art Ross? That crack was probably laced with some Oveckin forgetting hallucinogenic. Luongo puts up career numbers and outshines Brodeur? Is the NHL going to remit every other goal scored on him to make up for non-existent Vancouver defense? Flames take the Cup?
I've read enough.
Mike Works
Member
Do you still think Something Awful's hockey thread is slower than GAF's, Wolf?
What's so unbelievable about that? Gee, Ovechkin had two whole points more than Crosby. Outrageous. Keep in mind that Crosby was held back early, getting little power play time and second line even strength minutes, whereas Ovechkin was the man from the start. If Crosby was the man for the Pens for those first 30 games, I guarantee he'd have more points than Ovechkin.
Crosby has a better supporting cast and is a better set-up man. That's why he has a better chance at an Art Ross.
The Internet
Member
Brooks Orpik will win the Art Ross.
Yeah you got me there, I really misjudged that board. Just reading and getting used to the place for now, starting to get a sense of who's the calder's and who's the barrage's.Mike Works said:
I'll be there and here in full once the season gets near.
oh and I'll admit that I laughed out loud when I read your tag. They really got you pegged over there.:lol
pops619 said:
It's unbelivable because AO wants art ross next. And AO always gets what he wants.
Mike Works
Member
I came home drunk one night when the playoffs were going on I think, and this one guy (i won't name names) was complaining about EVERY SINGLE THING going wrong for his team in the game- whether it was the ref's fault or the other team was cheating, and he literally made every 5th post in the thread.Wolf said:
So I come home and read this, and the moment the game is over, I start a new gameday thread for the next day of playoff games entitled; "NHL Gameday - [ poster ] is a vagina" and I posted every single quote of him complaining- which was about 20- in the thread. I got put on probation for a week and when I came back, he'd bought me that lovely tag.
I'm waiting for Luongo in Canucks gear or something until I put up a new one.
Wolf said:
It's the nature of sports reporting these days. No matter how wild your claim is, if you were the first to say it and it actually happens you can gloat 'till the cows come home and if you're dead wrong no one really remembers.
P.S.
Thrashers beat the Canucks for the Cup in 7. Two seasons of a team from the Southeast beating a team from the Northwest is plenty evidence for me!
edit: Just watched that Cribs. Holy crap, is Avery one boring mother ****er or what? He still gets to bang Elisha Cuthbert, though.
soundwave05
Member
The Hockey News is a joke ... last year they said the NHL shouldn't even play the season and just hand the Stanley Cup over to the Philedelphia Flyers :lol
If Hockey News predicts it, it's pretty much not going to happen.
If Hockey News predicts it, it's pretty much not going to happen.
That's not such a fair assessment.... Ohlund, Salo, Mitchell, Bourdon (maybe).... they'll just need to rotate those four... 30 minutes each!
Really, I guess Nonis has enough confidence in Luongo that a couple no-names can pair up for a few minutes each game and still not allow too much damage.
TemplaerDude
Member
Vancouvers defence is already a hell of a lot better than it was last year now that it has got rid of that hack Jovoflop.
Sid wins Art Ross? Crosby's an awesome dude, lots of talent, and he'll have good teammates to pass to/get passes from...but I feel like there was this other guy. What was his name? Aw damn, this is gonna bother me all day. That Russian guy in DC...anyone know who I mean?
!
Oh yeah, him. The Ovechking.
!
Oh yeah, him. The Ovechking.
I think Crosby and Ovehkin both finish in the top 4 in scoring, but Crosby has similar numbers to last year in what could be called a slight disappointment to ppl expecting him to totally avoid the sophomore jinx. Ovechkin finishes second or third around where Thornton is going to finish, but my pick for the Hart this year is either Spezza or Hossa in a bit of a surprise. After this year though, it's going to be Crosby or Ovechkin at the top for a decade.
The Internet
Member
I'm assuming you mean the Art Ross...'cause that would be a little more realistic.calder said:
Mike Works
Member
Jason Spezza or Marion Hossa for the Hart?
uh.....
uh.....
http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=176329&hubname=
Bam! There it is.
Another Franchise that just shouldn't exist.
Bam! There it is.
Another Franchise that just shouldn't exist.
Lol. I guess we won't have to wait a half season to see his moves backfiring for him to lose his job over them. Trading Luongo for Bert you can *almost* see, if you assume that Luongo's history of contract squabbling with the Panthers is a sign that he may someday want out. But to replace him with *Belfour* is just craziness. You can't trade Luongo for a forward unless you have his replacement already lined up (and his replacement isn't a moody broken down 41 year old).
Crazymoogle
Member
calder said:
Actually, his replacement is an average young goaltender who's big enough in stature to play well for his pricetag so long as it's not 82 games. Given time - and if their young defense is as good as it looks - he could possibly show just enough upside for the team to have some success. Of course, if he plays anything less than Luongo-replacing, then the team will panic at the trade deadline...and I assume that knowing that they signed Belfour. Knowing Keenan's style, Belfour would have been played as if he was a sturdy 70+ game starter.
The gambles on Florida's roster smell like Keenan no matter how you look at it, and I can't say it's something I would be excited about if I was a Panthers fan. Say what you will about Luongo, but franchise goaltenders are too rare to throw them around for experiments.
TemplaerDude
Member
Rumour on the local station that says Canucks are in talks to ship Kesler and possibly Cooke to Columbus for Zherdev.
There are a couple ways of looking at a trade like that...
+ Zherdev will definitely provide more offense, more than the two combined
- The Canucks would be sacrificing two feisty two-way players for a potential defensive liability
Personally, I think it would be a good choice since they could use some offense, but it sounds like bull.
+ Zherdev will definitely provide more offense, more than the two combined
- The Canucks would be sacrificing two feisty two-way players for a potential defensive liability
Personally, I think it would be a good choice since they could use some offense, but it sounds like bull.
Mike Works
Member
Bulis - Morrison - Naslund
Sedin - Sedin - Zherdev
Pyatt - Chouinard - Shultz
Burrows - Santala - Linden
Make it happen, Nonis!
Though I do worry about giving away 2 gritty forwards for a sniper. Our team would really need to use their speed, because they would not be very big.
And who knows, he'd probably end up playing on the top line with Bulis bumped down to the second, but I just like the sound of Sedin - Sedin - Zherdev
Sedin - Sedin - Zherdev
Pyatt - Chouinard - Shultz
Burrows - Santala - Linden
Make it happen, Nonis!
Though I do worry about giving away 2 gritty forwards for a sniper. Our team would really need to use their speed, because they would not be very big.
And who knows, he'd probably end up playing on the top line with Bulis bumped down to the second, but I just like the sound of Sedin - Sedin - Zherdev
Mike Works said:Bulis - Morrison - Naslund
Sedin - Sedin - Zherdev
Pyatt - Chouinard - Shultz
Burrows - Santala - Linden
Make it happen, Nonis!
Though I do worry about giving away 2 gritty forwards for a sniper. Our team would really need to use their speed, because they would not be very big.
And who knows, he'd probably end up playing on the top line with Bulis bumped down to the second, but I just like the sound of Sedin - Sedin - Zherdev
HAHAHA that's a worse lineup than Pittsburgh! Bulis on the first line?
TemplaerDude
Member
rs7k said:
:\ No it's not. Quite far from it.
Penguins will have a better lineup at forward than a lot of teams. Crosby and Malkin are already a better center duo than all but a few teams (and they might already be the best), and the wingers aren't that bad. Now they've got some solid checking players too. I'll agree, Vancouver's lineup looks worse than Pittsburgh's, but that's not necessarily a bad thing for either team.
Mike Works
Member
Who cares if one team has a better group of forwards than another? I'm pretty sure teams are judged by every position.
There isn't one person on earth that would take Pittsburgh's current roster over Vancouver's for this upcoming season.
Ohlund - Bieksa
Salo - Mitchell
Bourdon - Krajicek
Luongo
I'm certain Pittsburgh's got a top 3 as good as Ohlund, Salo, Mitchell.
And of course this is the season that Marc Andre Fleury catches up with Roberto Luongo, I can feel it!!
"The Pittsburgh Penguins - Hey, at least we're not St Louis!"
There isn't one person on earth that would take Pittsburgh's current roster over Vancouver's for this upcoming season.
Ohlund - Bieksa
Salo - Mitchell
Bourdon - Krajicek
Luongo
I'm certain Pittsburgh's got a top 3 as good as Ohlund, Salo, Mitchell.
And of course this is the season that Marc Andre Fleury catches up with Roberto Luongo, I can feel it!!
"The Pittsburgh Penguins - Hey, at least we're not St Louis!"
TemplaerDude
Member
God the Pens fans on here are a cocky bunch aren't they. Amazing.
The only thing your team will be doing in spring is whacking golf balls so I wouldn't talk if I were you.
The only thing your team will be doing in spring is whacking golf balls so I wouldn't talk if I were you.
Mike Works
Member
Ahh, spring... the time of year when a young man's fancy turns to thoughts of love and the Penguins are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.pops619 said:
The Penguins have an amazing core of young talent- Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Fleury... that's the front and back of an all star team right there.
An all star team in 2009.
No offense, but while you have some really good forwards, you are by no means Carolina up front. Erik Christensen, Michell Ouellett, Ronald Petrovicky, Maxime Talbot doesn't exact send shivers up the opposition's spine.
And then of course there's your rock solid defense:
Ryan Whitney - Brooks Orpik
Sergei Gonchar - Noah Welch
Mark Eaton - Josef Melichar
*Eric Cairns
Marc-Andre Fleury/Jocelyn Thibeault
Don't get me wrong, if they're able to re-sign their young guns, and build a solid foundation around them, the Penguins will definitely be a playoff team in 3 or so years. But right now, I somehow doubt Jagr, Gagne, Elias, and Satan are shaking in their boots havign to face the unstoppable shutdown tandem of Ryan Whitney and Brooks Orpik :lol
Pittsburgh was an absolutely awful team last year.
This year they've added Nils Ekman, Jarkko Ruutu, and Evgeni Malkin.
Please inform me how this is going to improve their team by 36 points in the standing, I must not know a lot about hockey!
The Pens underachieved last year. They wouldn't have been a good team in any event, but there's no way they were a 58 point team on paper. The whole organization was a mess.
Adding Malkin is the equivalent of adding a player as good as the best available on the free agent market. I'm talking now. Crosby and Malkin are as good as any center duo in the league. Their top six wingers are solid. They added some solid checking players. Every move they've made has addressed a weakness (speed, penalty killing, toughness, defense) and they did it at the cost of completely worthless players.
The Pens were playing decent hockey by the end of the year once they finally got rid of a lot of the trash. They've taken that foundation and have added a major player in Malkin and a bunch of other solid pieces. They have a young core of players who will get better. Laugh at Whitney and Orpik all you want, but they're inexperienced guys who will soon be considered quality players.
Maybe I'm being more optimistic than most, but if you think it's going to take three years for this team to make it to the playoffs, you're just as crazy, if not moreso. The Lightning went from second worst in the league (where the Pens were last year) to the Stanley Cup in three years. No disrespect to guys like Lecavlier and Richards, they're a very nice combo, but they're no Crosby and Malkin. If that organization can turn it around that quickly, the Pens can do it even faster.
Again, have your laughs now. I don't care if people think the Pens won't make the playoffs, but to act like they're still a terrible team is wrong.
Adding Malkin is the equivalent of adding a player as good as the best available on the free agent market. I'm talking now. Crosby and Malkin are as good as any center duo in the league. Their top six wingers are solid. They added some solid checking players. Every move they've made has addressed a weakness (speed, penalty killing, toughness, defense) and they did it at the cost of completely worthless players.
The Pens were playing decent hockey by the end of the year once they finally got rid of a lot of the trash. They've taken that foundation and have added a major player in Malkin and a bunch of other solid pieces. They have a young core of players who will get better. Laugh at Whitney and Orpik all you want, but they're inexperienced guys who will soon be considered quality players.
Maybe I'm being more optimistic than most, but if you think it's going to take three years for this team to make it to the playoffs, you're just as crazy, if not moreso. The Lightning went from second worst in the league (where the Pens were last year) to the Stanley Cup in three years. No disrespect to guys like Lecavlier and Richards, they're a very nice combo, but they're no Crosby and Malkin. If that organization can turn it around that quickly, the Pens can do it even faster.
Again, have your laughs now. I don't care if people think the Pens won't make the playoffs, but to act like they're still a terrible team is wrong.
TemplaerDude
Member
You are going to be so disapointed, it's kind of sad.
Kabuki Waq
Member
Pens need to shore up their defence which i dont believe they have.
The nucks improved alot because of Luongo but I still dont think they are a contender.
My Leafs are going to sneak into the playoffs this year at which point the leaf magic will take us to the cup.
The nucks improved alot because of Luongo but I still dont think they are a contender.
My Leafs are going to sneak into the playoffs this year at which point the leaf magic will take us to the cup.
BELEAF!!!
Not really. All I'm hoping is the Pens are reasonably in it all year, to the point that the games stay somewhat meaningful until close to the end. I'm absolutely positive they'll be able to accomplish that. Playoffs would just be a cherry on top. I know this team will win Cups soon so I can take one more non-playoff year.
You guys pick on the Pens so much, as if you've got such an amazing team yourselves. We'll see this spring. I'm willing to bet the Pens make the playoffs and the Canucks don't.
You guys pick on the Pens so much, as if you've got such an amazing team yourselves. We'll see this spring. I'm willing to bet the Pens make the playoffs and the Canucks don't.
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