Tag Search Results for "UFA"
Alright Flames fans, let's forget yesterday or even this whole series ever happened. Let's get down to business for next season.
Here is the list of UFAs for the Flames:
Tony Amonte
Marcus Nilson
Jeff Friesen
Darren McCarty
Byron Ritchie
Wayne Primeau
Roman Hamrlik
Brad Stuart
Brad Ference
Jamie McLellan (G)
Here is the list for the RFAs:
Matthew Lo...
Over the last few years, we've seen a lot of two-headed monsters in the nets of NHL teams. We've seen Roloson and Fernandez, Miller and Biron, Giguere and Bryz, Nabokov and Toskala, Vokoun and Mason, and the list goes on...
Roloson and Fernandez were the first to split, and just a few months ago the Miller/Biron monster was broken apart. This summer, it appears we'll ...
It looks like Canucks are making huge atempts for offence. For example:
Paul Kariya - 40% - Would work very well as hometown boy
Scott Gomez - 25% - Would bring some good offence to Vancouver
Anson Carter - 25% - Could work with Sedins, cheaper
Ladislav Nagy - 20% - Would bring good offence
Wes Walz - 10% - Always plays good ag...
According to the Raleigh News and Observer, Glen Wesley wants to return next season for his 20th season. Here's what Glen had to say:
"That was definitely not the way I wanted to finish the year off," Wesley said. "I'm really looking forward to coming back and getting a fresh start and wanting to win again. That should be everybody's objective in the locker room. We hav...
Only a few hours to go now until game 2 starts. I am pumped.
Lots to expect out of this one. Will the Sens be able to fight back or will the Ducks just keep on hitting everyone and wear down the Sens?
I really think that this is the Ducks chance. They have a great opportunity to go ahead 2-0 in the series and forcing the Sens to win 4 in 5 games. They have a lo...
This is an open question for all the NHLers out there. Unrestricted free agency is almost upon us and a handful of notable free agents such as Scott Gomez, Chris Drury, Daniel Briere, and Ryan Smyth to name a few, look like they will become UFA's.
So here's the big question. As a top level UFA how do you decide which team you will decide to sign with? For some it...
Well here it is mid June, were getting close to the draft which might mean a couple of trades but more important it's getting close to July 1st. This might be some fans favorite time of the off season. It could even be their favorite time of the year because right now every fan feels that their team has a chance to make the necessary changes to have a shot at hoisting ...
Here's a list of my top picks for the Wild to pursue this offseason.
Forwards:
[b]1) Jason Blake[/b]
A few things stand out in my mind when I look at Jason Blake. First, obviously, that he was a 40 goal scorer last season with the Islanders and led them in points with 69, but also that he played at a +1 for them over all 82 games. Blake is a ferocious forechecke...
Cleon_Daskalakis writes...
Drury, Briere Never in Sabres Plans From the Start
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
When the Sabres season ended, the speculation started. Would the Sabres sign Drury or Briere? How much money would they command? Questions, Questions, Questions!
In the middle of the season we thought Drury might cash in on a $6mil/year long term contract. And with “leading scorer” statistics, Briere might get more.
Now, as we close in on July 1, those sala...
TheHabsFan writes...
Why the Montreal Canadiens can't compete for UFAs...
Posted Monday | Comments 0
During the TSN broadcast, the panelists said it. During the singings, the players said it. When Rivet and Recchi left, they said it. It's no secret, yet everyone seems to miss it.
The problem is not taxes! The problem is not language! The problem is certainly NOT money!
THE PROBLEM IS THE DAMN MEDIA! Players do not want to come here and get their lives ruined by a bu...
My message is to the [b]MEDIA OF MONTREAL[/b]. [b][u]Enough is enough!!![/u][/b] I, and the fans of this great franchise have had it!!! I have said it for years that the media is who manages the team, not the organization. Year in and year out, we see the same trend building, worse and worse as the years go by. This time around, you will not blame Gainey or the rest o...
OK we screwed up not keeping Drury and anyone who could check left the Year Before, Grier, Mckee.
So out of whats left of FA pool I will try and salvage a little of our dignity.
1. Sign Shanahan or Selanne. We need people to buy up these new Jerseys and two of the top sellers just left town. SHANAHAN BACK WITH RANGERS
...
[img]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/Heymateo/smhockeywoodtopper.jpg[/img]
Lombardi [url=www.lifeinhockeywood.com]wheels and deals [/url]and makes a few steals.
The Edmonton Oilers had a slow yet oddly some what busy day today. The Oilers signed Goaltender Mathieu Garon to a 2 year contract, and agreed to terms with Raffi Torres on a 3 Year $6.75 Contract. The signing of Garon spells the end of Markkanen as the Oilers backup, Garon brings some decent numbers with that will help the Oilers more then Markkanen was able to give Rolo...
Well sabres fans it's confirmed Teppo Numminen has resigned with the Sabres
[url]http://wgr550.com/sabres/fullstory.php?id=2491[/url]
According to nhlpa.com Sabres vetern Defenceman Teppo Numminen has a 2.6 million Dollar salary for 07-08.
Here is a link for the sabres team page on nhlpa.com:
[url]http://nhlpa.com/WebStats/PlayerSearchV2.asp?OIDTeam=9508[/url]
...
So who's the winner so far in the Free Agent summer grab? Is it Philadelphia with the leading free agent scorer Briere? The Rangers and their two-headed coup, or the Avalanche with heart and soul warrior Ryan Smyth. Well, I'm gonna go with the less flashy Thrashers and their retention of underrated (until now) center Slava Kozlov. They are one of the very few teams to re...
brownelvis writes...
Why this UFA Period Proves that the Lockout Was Worthwhile .
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
Dan Tolensky wrote an interesting Blog wondering if July 1st, 2007 was the day that we wondered if the Lockout was a waste of time. I usually love what you're writing because he don't miss much. This time I think that he has. I say, however, that the NHL convinced the NHLPA that they would play for funny money that may, or may not, be worth an actual US Greenback ... for t...
With all the action surrounding the first week of the 2007 unrestricted free agency season, I decided to take a look ahead to next year to see what's in store for us. Barring any contract extensions (and there will be at least a couple) it appears that next year many teams will finally have their opportunity to acquire an elite puck moving defensemen. The crop of talent ...
After signing Rafalski, Drake & Hasek, the wings are still lacking scoring for next season. This is where Alexei Yashin could help. Although, he is a selfish player, the Redwings are very thin in the scoring department. The top line of Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Holmstrom can not continue to carry the teams scoring on their back. I think Yashin would fill in well ...
[i]Kevin Lowe finally got the big name UFA he was looking for, and the third new face for next season's blueline. But it comes at a steep cost. Is Sheldon Souray worth a cap hit of $5.4 million per year? Hard to say right now. But for some reason, for the last few hours I’ve been seeing flashes of Jason Spezza and some pylon in a Habs sweater flashing through my mind...
Below is a list of notable unrestricted free agent signings (sorted by team) from the 2005 & 2006 off seasons. It’s funny how crazy us fanatics get about signing free agents and how depressed we get if our teams (the Sabres in my case) seem to miss out on the talent bonanza.
After a deeper look through this list, I’m pretty happy with the Sabres approach. W...
many fans, bloggers, gm's etc are worried about the spending spiraling out of control. but i feel they are wrong...
...the over the top mentality the flyers and rangers had this july 1st is going to cause a counter-reaction for the remaining gm's this season. i believe we will see more the likes of joe thornton and iginla type signings by the time the new year hits.
...
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?page=screenshots070730
An article about the top five worst signings this season. It really was tough to pick five I am sure.
I've heard plenty of voices over the past few weeks say that the salaries are spiralling out of control again and that the salary-cap really doesn't mean anything anymore. Obviously, this isn't entirely false inspite of what many fans of my Edmonton Oilers will tell you. Obviously as a whole this won't affect the salary cap as the cap is tied to league revenues. What thi...
Lowe was desperate for some help upfront and he found it in the form of a RFA, Dustin Penner. Who just happened to play for Anaheim, where Chris Pronger ended up last year after his wife complained about Edmonton, and while Mr. Pronger couldn't be a man and honor his contract he opted out. Kevin Lowe got snubbed in the UFA market, and needed to improve his team so he went ...
or, Can "playing the system" work out? I'm curious, what do people think about this?
Over this off-season, for example, the rangers spent nearly 20 mil per year on Drury and Gomez alone. Noone can deny that these are premier players, and these additions have caused talk of the rangers being the powerhouse of the atlantic division. The islanders, on the other hand, se...
[b] [u] By: Jon Cunningham[/u] [/b]
[i]Please note, all apostrophes show up as an 'a' with ^ above it. I didn't do it, sorry. [/i]
[b] [u] [i]Hello All![/i] [/u] [/i] [/b]
In this blog, I will examine all the NHL Teams major additions and subtractions during the off season, and examine if the team is better or worse because of it.
Each team will have a rating of...
With the 2007/2008 NHL season reaching the halfway mark it dawned on me that 14/28 players (according to nhlnumbers.com) are UFA's or RFA's. Seeing as this team seems to be having consistency problems it may not be such a bad thing to start fresh with some new players and get rid of some of the older ones. With that being said, here are who I think the Wild should try to k...
Well, it's coming down to crunch time before the trade deadline and already we have been bombarded with rumours about us getting a guy and them getting a lot of our guys. If you are like me, you have probably thought about what the numbers are and who is in the mix. Well, technically everyone is in the mix (e.g. Vokoun) but, I thought I would give the info on who our UFA...
Thought this would be fun. Below I give you players that will be UFA's at the end of the season. Next to the players is a Factitious contact. Who would you sign?
Marian Hossa (5yrs - $40,000,000)
Pavol Demitra (2yrs - $8,500,000)
Brian Campbell (6yrs - $37,000,000)
Cory Stillman (3yrs - $13,000,000)
Mats Sundin (2yrs - $12,500,000)
Markus Naslund (4yrs...
I posted this as a comment in one of the topics in the forum, but I felt it was long and detailed enough to post as my blog as well;
First of all....I would make no major changes to the game itself....maybe just eliminate the instigator penalty.
Some of you guys are arguing that owners would lose too much money expanding the ice surface........ummm.....why the hell d...
MrBigglesworth writes...
FLYERS DEFENCE : Free Agency Analysis & Predictions
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
[b]Randy Jones will get re-signed for $1.3 mill multi-yr deal.[/b]
[b]I predict Hatcher, Smith and Modry all off the books come next season.[/b] With Hatcher retiring/buyout and Smith/Modry leaving as FA's. Big Hatch does have 1 more yr left on his 3.5m contract, but I will go on a limb and point at Rathje to compare. Youngsters Parent and Kuks both played solid in t...
AlexanderScharf writes...
Teams Overpaying Free-Agents? This Is Just The Beginning
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
The question comes into play during every off-season. Every signing is accompanied by speculation, more so on price than talent itself. After last off-season saw Chris Drury, Daniel Briere and Scott Gomez land contracts worth over $7 million per year, the question will be asked even more and the speculation will be even more intense. As we all know, though many like to “...
[i][b]Criteria[/b][/i]
Under 35 UFA defenceman
[b][i]Legend[/i][/b]
Name age ; current salary/projected salary
[b]Name[/b] in bold are players I like most to sign w/ Flyers
[u][b]TOP TIER over 5mill[/b][/u]
[b]Redden [/b]age31 ; 6.5/6.5
[b]Campbell[/b] age29 ; 1.7/6.5
[b][u]MIDDLE TIER 2-4mill[/u][/b]
[b]Roszival[/b] age29 ; 2.1/4
Stuart age28 ; 3.5/4
...
Yet another UFA day is rapidly approaching, now just a measley week away.
As usual, hockey fans across North America are gaining excitement as this day approaches and the calendar is about to flip July.
And from a personal point of view, I couldn't be more excited - as usual - to see what my beloved team, the Buffalo Sabres, will do.
A year of disappointment, only...
With the coming of Eminger, I do not expect the Flyers to land a Campbell, Liles or Roszival type UFA. As much as I'd like to think we could get an RFA like Boumeester, I dont see us signing anyone over 3mill.
--UFA--
UFA [b]Joe DiPenta[/b] - age 26, 6'4", 220lbs. Shoots Right.
6 points and +3 in 23 games, with 16 PIMs and 5 shots on goal, but he averaged ONLY 11 m...
S Kaspar Rollins writes...
Don't Expect A Big Splash From Flames; My UFA Wishlist
Posted Sunday | Comments 0
I'll be plopped in front of TSN on Tuesday for the excitement, but if the Calgary Flames manage to make a big splash, it'll just be a bonus. Although the departure of Rhett Warrener, Marcus Nilson and Anders Eriksson cleared up a bit of cap space, the re-signings of Daymond Langkow, Craig Conroy, Curtis McElhinney and Eric Nystrom make huge grabs on the UFA market very unl...
That's right. Forget about tomorrow (Tuesday July 1st) as a day that your team will get better. Darcy might try to make a splash by signing a UFA, but his bid will fall far short of what other ravenous teams out there will be offering.
Wait for Wednesday and Thursday to arrive, when the big money is off the table, and the Tier 2 UFA's are still around. I'm forecastin...
In this blog we'll go back to this time last year and get some hindsight analysis of the UFA signings from last season.
But first.
It should be noted that the UFA process is not a way in which GM's look to find bargains or good prices on players. It's an all-out bidding war for the services of players who have earned the right to seek "fair" market value for their w...
[b]I apologize for my absence Avs fans, but in May of this year I moved to South Korea for one year to teach ESL and it's kind of hard to keep updating blogs with everything that's been happening!
As Colorado fans, we clearly remember the date of July 1, 2007. On this day we made two major signings to kick off Free Agent Frenzy, with the additions of Ryan Smyth and Scot...
[b]Let me start by saying that I am an optimistic person by nature. I try to believe that all things will work out well in the end or at least that every situation has the potential to turn out well.
As the whole hockey world anxiously awaited FAF (Free Agent Frenzy), I suggested the Avs could use some depth wingers - guys with a little heart and soul. You can't questi...
Drive for Five writes...
'Streit' Jackets on sale now in the Islanders Store
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
[img]http://nycya.com/5/images/streitjacket.jpg[/img]
With the recent signing of former Canadiens defenseman Mark Streit, what better way to make a buck off of the fans you've driven completely insane? The Islanders 'Streit' Jacket is here just in time to protect you from yourself and others. Yours for the low price of $71.08, to commerate the signing date of our new powe...
S Kaspar Rollins writes...
Bye Bye Playoffs?: Evaluating The Flames, 2008 Edition
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
As much as I scoffed at the money thrown at players like Cristobal Huet, Jeff Finger, Brian Campbell, Wade Redden and Mike Commodore, I was also very disheartened in the relative quiet on the Flames' front on July 1. Though today's signings of Jim Vandermeer and Curtis Glencross make the situation a little better, their inability to find a viable 2nd line still makes the p...
[u][b]NOUS DEMENAGEONS !!!
http://www.alnh.tk/
Nous voulions un site plus complet que ce simple blog, je vous donne rendez-vous !
http://www.alnh.tk/
[/b][/u]
[i]*Veuillez notez que les mises a jour sont administrer par Marc-Antoine Perrault et Etienne Jolette.[/i]
[i]NB: les accents de fonctionnent pas[/i]
[u][b]Rumeurs[/b][/u]
-Ilya Nikulin est ...
I am not sure what to make of things. I was excited at the coming of UFA time but the lack of anything going on has left me a little bummed out. I read this comment from Doug Wilson “We’re a better team now than we were at the beginning of last season.”
Ok excellent...but how is San Jose a better team now than it was last year at this time? Bernier is not here...
Many Flyers fans who watched all of the free agent and trade craziness in the last few days are scratching their heads wondering why the Flyers have only made a handful of relatively minor moves.
The answer is...Addition thru Subtraction !
[b][i]Lets examine how this 'Final Four' team has improved in the off-season thus far...[/i][/b]
[u][b]Umberger out ; Giroux i...
First of all, I want to thank everyone for all of the comments recently and especially the kind words when I broke the news of the Curtis Glencross signing and terms on July 1st. I appreciate all of the support and love to see as many comments as possible. I will continue to give as much Flames analysis and insight this off-season.
I have addressed what I felt Sutter ...
Enjoy
http://flyerflies.com/blog/
Have a great weekend.
[i]Sabres fans, hockey fans, and all others:[/i]
This is my first chance to impress you with my opinions or bore you with my stupidity. UFAs and RFAs will come and go, and that is what you have to expect. It is no fun when its your favorite player (Drury, Grier,...ect.) and some times you just want to get rid of a guy (Kalinin). Its the busin...
First off, let's see how I did with my off-season move guesses (http://my.hockeybuzz.com/user.php?user_id=19560) and what Sutter did in comparison to my guesses:
1) [i]Trade Matthew Lombardi, Anders Eriksson, Andrej Taratukhin, and 2009 #2 Draft Pick to Florida for Olli Jokinen[/i]: [b]FAIL[/b]. Ok, so this big trade didn't happen, but that's not to say Sutter didn't try ...
Hey, you guys, yeah I'm pointing at you in the media. It's time you stopped writing the same stuff over and over. I've started to get quite annoyed with the Toronto Hockey media the past few weeks because you continue to read the same things, printed in the paper and posted online, every day and every week. Okay, so Niklas Hagman, Jeff Finger and Curtis Joseph are not goin...
[b]First a little disclaimer: this blog won't be entirely different from my last as it concerns the addition of grit to the Avalanche in the upcoming season...thought you'd like to know now instead of later.
So, in the past few days, the Avs have resigned the "Cody Macs", that is Cody McLeod and Cody McCormick and now have added former Avs player Brian Willsie from the ...
[i]Many Predator fans have been wondering where Pred's blogger PredJoe has been this off season. This article pulled from wire reports answers this question. [/i]
[b]Ufa Russia [/b]- While the international dispute continues over young Alexander Radulov and his NHL and KHL contracts one American is also seeing if, he too, can strike gold in Russia.
PredJoe has been b...
Rebuild.
That was the game plan going in to the off-season after another abysmal season from our boys in Blue and White.
Given this arduous task was veteran GM Cliff Fletcher. I mean, it's not every day that MLSE realize their failure and place this kind of responsibility on their GM (or... is it?).
Fletcher got to work right away, trading a 3rd round selection in...
Think fast: it's February 20th. You're the general manager of a middle-market NHL franchise. Your team has done poorly in the standings over the past five years, but this year is different. They have been playing decent hockey and lie 1 point inside of the 7th seed.
In the past, this time of year meant one thing: selling. You'd sell a couple of players to playoff-w...
It's time for a new era in Montreal.
The notion of unloading Alexei Kovalev from the Habs' line-up may seem absurd to some fans of the team, but I believe this is a crucial step towards their path to the Stanley Cup.
Whether you're a fan of Kovalev or not, it's undeniable that he's a tremendous talent. The problem with him is that he only plays when he wants to, and ...
This off season the Maple Leafs must decide to spend during free-agency or stay the course. I believe the Leafs should make a giant move and sign Marian Hossa to a contract of something like $9 million/5-6 years, or avoid all other UFA's. While I believe the Sedin twins are talented, they aren't Marian Hossa.
My other reason for Hossa or bust would be the better UFA's...
Mr_X writes...
Sens have Current Team issues to deal with before UFA period
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Alright, So I won't talk about what the sens should do or who they should sign in the off season, but rather what they should do to finalise they're team and roster spots before they even get there, before they can worry about anything else.
The sens had alot of problems this year, it's dealt with, it's done, let's forget and learn about it, they have to address their c...
Another disappointing end to what was looking like a promising season. But I have to admit, the effect and anticipation for the playoffs has worn off. I've had to brace myself for early departures in each of the last 3 seasons as it truly seemed inevitable.
My season-long problem was Mike Keenan. He proved early and often that he's about 10 years removed from b...
There is a lot of obvious attention being paid to the playoff series' that are at hand, and when it comes to Islander country most are focused on the possibility of obtaining John Tavares. But today I am going to take a look at the impending UFA's on the roster and give my reasons for why they should or should not return.
The first two that I will rule out are Yann Dani...
1) [u]Coaching[/u] – My first engagement in the Flames’ off-season moves would be to make a coaching change. But, unlike most of the outcry from Flames fans and media, I would not fire Mike Keenan as head coach. I know most fans are calling for Keenan’s head I believe that (other than the constant line-juggling and “strong encouragement” to have Kipper play all ...
mslepp writes...
Calgary Flames: Recent Activity and Addressing the Rumours
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
[b]Who Will be at the Helm?[/b]
This is the major cloud that's been looming over Calgary for the last couple weeks.
Darryl or Brent?
Sutter or Sutter?
Even with the firing of Dave Tippett in Dallas (which doesn't make a whole lotta sense, but is an issue for another day), the Calgary Flames have been super quiet about what's going on in the search for a head ...
Any other Sabre fans felling uneasy about what is about to go down @ high noon on July 1, 2009?
Well first off I think it is a complete joke that this week's guest on Sabres Lunch Express is none other than GM Darcy Regier. My first thought probally like most Buffalo Fan's is $#Y%@&%$#. You gotta be kidding me. Shouldn't this guy be earning his paycheck? NHL GM's h...
Spacepawn writes...
Habs RFAs and UFAs Forwards Are Worth Less - Part 1 of 2
Posted Monday | Comments 0
The Montreal Canadiens had the most players to re-sign or seek out this 2009 off-season. Might be a new NHL record to add to the list of Habs records. The team's GM, Bob Gainey, at the time of the NHL Draft, had 11 players signed and $33 million of cap space remaining. While some teams will be opting for minimum cap this coming season, Montreal will remain a contender for ...
I understand the Islanders wanting/needing to rebuild with young talent. The problem is that they have very little young "talent". If you look past Bailey, Okposo and Tavares, there is absolutely no young talent what-so-ever.
Bergy is nothing that we thought he would be, Neilsen is OK at best and Tambo is a complete failure. I don't mind these guys being on the team,...
with the first day all finished up we now have the kovy sweepstakes down to three teams kings, devils, and an unknown eastern team. Im not sure if the rangers are in because of their money situation and are focusing on frolov it looks like possibly burke is looking to beef up the leafs and add scoring. Lou said that the devils are still very much in the race and that they ...
After a flurry of activity in the first couple days of the free agent season, the market cooled off, leaving a lot of players sitting on the sidelines waiting for their phones to ring. There was a sense that everyone was waiting for Ilya Kovalchuk to sign and then the remaining pieces would start to fall into place. Well we are approaching August and although Kovalchuk is...
1. Jose Theodore - Back to back 30 win seasons and above .900 save percentage.
2. Miro Satan - 10 points in 13 playoff games last year and still 20 goals capable.
3. Bill Guerin - coming off another 20+ goal season and 9 points in 11 playoff games, someone needs a veteran leader.
4. Marc-Andre Bergeron - QB of your PP, defensive liability at times
who, with the right...
Hey, I'm just another armchair GM and fan, but if I'm Calgary's Jay Feaster, I'm really looking to bulk up for a serious playoff push. With the way Calgary have turned their season around since the departure of Darryl Sutter, I suspect Calgary will squeak into the playoffs.
And, I’d hate to be the guy to say “anything can happen in the playoffs”, but… ANYTHING C...
SabreHess writes...
Sabres and Richards...a match made in hockey heaven
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
I doubt very many will see this blog as it is my first on hockeybuzz.com. All the same i want to get my opinion out there in the cloud so to speak.
Eklund himself is on record as of this morning proclaiming the Sabres are one of the secondary teams in the Brad Richards extravaganza. This isn't the first time that notion has been intimated, but i guess this time it h...
The Devils have three MAJOR UFAs.
Adam Mair.
Andy Greene.
Johan Hedberg.
When it comes to Mair I'm sure all the Devils fans are happy and thankful to his contributions to the team last year. I myself believe he is a great player but I don't think he is going to be resigned.
Andy Greene I think should definitely be resigned. He is an all around great blueliner....
ZACH PARISE/RFA
VLADIMIR ZHARKOV/RFA
ADAM MAIR/UFA
MATT CORRENTE/RFA
ANSSI SALMELA/RFA
MATT TAORMINA/RFA
MARK FRASER/RFA
ANDY GREENE/UFA
JAY LEACH/UFA
JOHAN HEDBERG/UFA
BUYOUTS--ANDREW PETERS/JAY PANDOLFO
SabreHess writes...
Sabres add Leino, re-up McCormick....Ehrhoff Thoughts
Posted Friday | Comments 0
With the handcuffs off Darcy Regier is proving to be resourceful and more aggressive than myself and most Sabres fans have ever given him credit for. Signing Ehrhoff was a great move to add a durable blueline presence who can command the Sabres PP until Myers or Gragnani is ready and chip in 30-35 assists for the next decade. People are complaining about the term of the ...
So...Tomas or not Tomas? No, I'm not a headline writer for NHL.com or the guy who titles episodes of The Simpsons (I'm convinced they are the same person, go ahead prove me wrong). I'm just a man trying to answer what is really the last remaining big question surrounding the 2011-2012 edition of the Boston Bruins. In a recent Boston Globe poll, over 67% of people indicated...
With Sean O'Donnell's departure, Andreas Lilja's signing at $737,500 sounds good at first sight to round out the defense, with Oskars Bartulis ready as a 7th defender or possibly taking his spot at training camp. There are a few problems I see with this signing:
1. [b] Andreas Lilja hasn't played a 70 game season since 2007-2008.[/b]
This concerns me a lot. He has only...
Now that the initial free agent frenzy is over, I'd like to review some contracts that have been handed out in order to assess the value of 3.5 to 4.5 million dollars on the open market. Or more importantly, to see how NHL franchises value that dollar range differently. Below are a list of forwards who have signed AFTER July 1st 2011 to contracts that will have an annual...
With Draft day looming, a lot of questions are in play.
Do we draft A potential top 6 forward in (Grigorenko, Forsberg, Galchenyuk).
Do we trade up with Edmonton (Who is in dire need of depth at D, and could get it in Ryan Murray.).
Do we trade for rights to an upcoming UFA (Parise).
There is a lot to think about, with one solid line (Pacioretty, Cole, Deshairn...
The Philadelphia Flyers' defense was an obvious fault in their game, leading to their subsequent elimination by the New Jersey Devils in 5 games in the Conference Semi-Finals. This was a problem during the season, however it was masked by their winning ways, as well as the inconsistent play of goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov. During the season, the defense would bail him out of ...
What will happen to Ville Leino?
well Regier needs to figure out what is going on with his 2011 off-season flop.
Leino had a stellar career high 53 points with the flyers before he came to buffalo but can he repeat it? no i dont think so nor do most.
last year he missed 11 games due to injury and played a mediocre season being demoted to the 3rd line. Ruff trie...
There’s one name that has been surrounded with controversy this past season with the Buffalo Sabres. That man, is Mikhail Grigorenko. The number one draft pick for the Sabres had very high expectations placed upon him. The way [i]some[/i] people wrote about him, I have expected him to show up in a cape, looking like a super hero. He could do no wrong according to some.
...
Everybody knows that size matters.
I’m talking about the one that gives you the reach to get to the puck first or take it away from a player, the one that makes you less likely to get tossed away from the puck or that you can use to toss smaller players from it, the one that hurts when you bodycheck a player and the one that makes it less likely to get hurt or tired whe...
I won’t take anything away from right wing David Clarkson. When he deploys his A-game, Clarkson is a rugged power forward with tons of offensive upside, the type of player any team would want. With that said, I cannot put enough emphasis on the wording of that previous sentence, more particularly, the first five words of it, an allusion to the glaring shortcomings that h...
With already 22 contracts, and the soon to be signed MacKinnon, the Avalanche already had a full roster making for a slow free agency season. The Avs put both Hunwick and Zanon on waivers with the hopes that one or both would get picked up by another team. No one was interested, leading to Zanon being bought out earlier today. The Avs did not use one or their two complianc...
andrewhitson writes...
Motown Musings: Wings Roll into Development Camp
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Exciting times ahead in Motown. The Wings were active on FA Day bringing in much needed top six depth while staying away from costly trades or ill-timed signings.
I've seen a lot of fans chime in on line combinations lately, and without a doubt Mr. Babcock has plenty of options to play with. But, for the thrill of the guess, i'll post my idea of an ideal situation on op...
Losing my post v-card, here we go...
We all know Grabovski had some choice words for the Leafs organization and staff, but considering how he was used by Carlyle, can you really blame him? We all know players in his situation are thinking it, but it actually takes balls to say it! You have to commemorate him for holding it all in during the season and showing up every ...
It is clear we have a couple holes on the Canucks depth chart. In my eyes we need 1 physical stay at home D-Man and 1 grinder who can score when needed to. With only $4.5 mil our options are fairly few, but I feel there is an opportunity here to get exactly who we need and stay under the cap. Now Gillis just needs to pull the trigger before they get snatched up.
My tak...
“I point the finger squarely on (NHL agent) JP Barry, the man who blessed us with the (Dany) Heatley mess.”
Doesn’t it feel like every time the Senators hit center stage in the NHL world Eugene Melnyk is quoted saying something as blasphemous as this?
I mean if it’s not his personal vendetta against Matt Cooke being publicly announced after his top defense m...
Hey everyone,
Right now, the Flyers line up something like this:
Hartnell - Giroux - Voracek
B. Schenn - Lecavalier - Simmonds
Laughton - Courturier - Read
McGinn - Talbot - Rinaldo
Rosehill - Hall
Not a bad forward group right? And the D line up like so:
Coburn - Timmonen
Meszaros - Streit
Grossmann - Schenn
Gustaffsson
Mason
Emery
Whe...
As it stands right now, this summer looks to have a large selection of UFA's for every position. Teams will have tight budgets, some are in serious trouble already and others are losing tons of players, which will mean a scramble to create a roster. I understand that it is early and that a lot of these players will resign. However lets go with the assumption that they a...
There is a lot of disagreement as to what the Oilers should do during the off season. There are some people that would like to see one of the young stars traded for so other star. Realistically, these trades are not that common.
Sometimes you will see a young prospect that is under performing (Paajarvi is an example) be traded for a player who had concussion problem...
Well another season has come and gone. Another lottery finish, another season of failed expectations. Now comes every Oiler fans favourite part of the year. Summer. Hope is in the air and all of us armchair GM's can tinker, trade, and sign whomever we choose to improve this team.
The Oilers top 6 currently looks like this going into next year:
Hall-Nugent Hopkins-Eberl...
By the time a player becomes a UFA, their abilities have usually been on display for long enough for the team that was paying them to be able to make a decision on them. For the case of the Toronto Maple Leafs, I think they would love to have more time with a couple of their UFA's, and a lot less with others.
To start off the list, Nikolai Kulemin. Kulemin has been a so...
ZzHockey writes...
Will a trade benefit Colorado more than signing a UFA?
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
With the St. Louis Blues having huge interest in Paul Stastny what will Colorado do?
When it comes down to it, the loss of a Centre is not really that big a deal to Colorado, they have an unbelievable amount of depth that no other team in the NHL has. Stastny would be a huge blow speaking of chemistry between Landeskog, MacKinnon and himself, but not something that can...
The 2014 draft had Colorado walk home with 7 new prospects. I can honestly say I was shocked when the Avalanche did not talk Brendan Lemieux when he was available at #23, a natural wing, in which Colorado depth wise is in need of. He grew up around the Avalanche, was born in Denver Colorado his favorite player is Ryan O'Reilly. Instead Colorado takes CONNER BLEACKLEY a pla...
vettaco writes...
Five guys who are UFA's that aren't signed and should be
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
As of today there are still a few good free agents out there that teams should be looking at. I am not sure what the players are asking for but if they have been on the market this long then I am guessing their price has gone down. My five picks are below.rrnrn1. Devon Setguchi (RW)rnThis guy can skate, hit, score and play on a 2nd or 3rd line. He was magic one year in San...
The Edmonton Oilers have the chance to add 4 players in the first two rounds of the draft this year. Among them is one of the highest acclaimed players of our generation. If he lives up to that hype or not, he will be expected when the Oilers are shopping to fill holes in their roster.
I think the Oilers might be in one of the most unique positions in NHL history. In...
[i]Bare with me on this blog. It was written quickly as it has been a long time since HB's actual Oilers Blogger has said anything. A week before the Oilers make 5 picks early in the draft and the best rumors are found on TSN and their website sucks. Like it or not, someone had to say something at all about the club as this is truly a momentous time for the Oilers club t...
Oilers latest GM came with a lot of hype. Oilers Brass have changed everything from the President to the scouting staff. However the GM is the first one to show his stuff and he really was not amazing during the draft. Seems like the scouting staff did their job in terms of the 2 late picks he made but he mortgaged they Oilers future for magic beans.
The Oilers trade...
The old saying stands true; one man’s trash can be another man’s treasure. With the NHL qualifying deadline of June 29th behind us, we as fans of our respective teams can now go and dig thought the trash of unqualified RFAs of other teams. We imagine how they could fit in to our teams, how a fresh start could jump start their careers. Now I know that treasure could...
The Oil once again went into free agency with a lot of talk. Their goal, the same as it has been for many years; grab a top tier defense man and a starting goalie. I know that we aren't aware of the options that the Oilers actually had. Maybe some players just refused higher money to play elsewhere. I think in a few years this will change but for now lets assume the Oi...
We are almost three weeks passed the start of free agency, and there are still some good players just sitting there waiting for a contract. The thing is contract spots are all but used up on most teams and the teams that do have contract spots open don’t have the cap to sign anyone else. For this blog is just going to be a quick reference guide to each team’s contracts...
What do the Bruins do now with their D-Core....
there's a couple options they have, some of them however make us Bruins fans a little nervous.
1. Stay Status Quo: With the number of bodies they have signed the Bruins could leave things status quo and see if the group of young guns can do. that would leave Chara, Seidenberg, Krug, Mcquaid as 4 of the top 6 leaving ...
We all know that Steven Stamkos is going to get paid, the question is by whom? Let me start this by saying that I really do think that the Lighting will resign Stamkos, the thing is how much is that one player worth to his team. The rumors out there are that a new contract for Stammer will be in the 10-12 million dollars per season range for 8 years. This agreement would ...
The LA Kings roster needs little tampering--their management, little explanation. The Kings’ roster, and the threat they convey to every other team in the league, has been consistent since Darryl Sutter took the reins in December of 2011. Amidst the Voynov and Richards contracts, Dean Lombardi has authored a master class for the craft of GM'ing.
Anze Kopitar is one ...
Back in the summer of 2014, the Oilers traded Sam Gagner for Teddy Purcell. It was a move that had fans confused to say the least. While Gagner had his flaws, he, at that time anyway, was a capable scorer and one of two players the Oilers had capable of playing the position in the top 6. Trading him for a guy who not only didn't play centre, but didn't really fix any holes...
It`s been an interesting year for RFA`s. There are a few curious names that did not receive a qualifying offer.
On the Edmonton side it`s not too surprising who is being released. Gazdic, Cracknell, Lundstrum, and Kessy were not part of the future. I am sad to see Jumanji (Gazdic, because he looks exactly like Robin Williams in Jumanji) go. I heard he was a very positi...
Two highly sought after free agents want to sign in Edmonton? Music! Dealing with the cap issues that will follow? Bad music... like country or something. If the Oilers bring in both Lucic and Demers here is what the team looks like without any other changes. In brackets I've included each players cap hit.
Hall (6) - RNH (6) - Eberle (6)
Lucic (6) - McDavid (3.775) - Y...
After collectively catching their breath (or exhaling a sigh of relief, depending on the perspective) Leafs Nation prepares for life after Stamkos. (Steven, we hardly knew ye, but it was fun to dream for the last year or two!) Now, the hard-hitting fact that the Shannaplan will go on as scheduled is inevitably sinking in.
The Bay St. Brain-Trust will ...
Kris Russell, the probably number 2 UFA (Because Stamkos Re-Signed), [i]Still[/i] hasn't signed. why? probably number 1 (Okposo) has, but why not Russell?
Who Knows?
Well now that the Vesey sweepstakes are over and the B's didn't land the much sought after college free agent a lot of Bruins fans are wondering "what now?"
They lost Loui Eriksson to Vancouver, they didn't directly address the need on right wing by signing someone like Kyle Okposo. They brought in Backes but is he going to play center or right wing?
The good news ...
Seems to be a popular title around the web. It seems rather obvious but many people go near the correct answer. It is three steps much easier said than done. I will go hardest to easiest.
1. Dump the players Chiarelli has signed as UFA's
2. Grab key UFA's
3. Dump Chiarelli (McLellan should go to if they want a cup but he can get them to the playoffs)
The first o...
With the news that players like Anthony Duclair and Tobias Rieder are heading toward UFA status, I've figured now would be as good a time as any to layout my idea of a reasonable offseason plan for the Oilers to (not) follow.
The primary focuses for the Oilers should be as follows:
[b]1.) Secure significant RFAs (Nurse, Strome and Benning)
2.) Pursue cheap skill
3....
29 August, 2018
Hello Hockeyverse. I know it has been so long since I have last blogged, but now I have come back, with more rest and focus on getting the best work to you guys possible.
However, I am looking this year to continue my work with more than just the Blue Jackets, focusing on the entire league, and the other minor and developmental leagues.
Today, I will...
Training camps for all 31 teams have opened up, with tryouts signed; players dealt; extensions handed out; and new faces coming aboard across
the entire league. For the Blue Jackets. The Jackets have one of the youngest rosters in the entire league, with plenty of open spots.
One big spot to look up front is third/fourth line center. The Jackets have three centers figh...
Wh Keep Panarin is a Bad Idea
It was announced earlier today by TSN's Darren Dreger that the Blue Jackets have no interest in trading winger Artemi Panarin. Dreger added they were working to continue convincing him to stay with the team for the long haul. Panarin is a pending free agent, and is making $6 million dollars this season, and will seek a bigger raise on a new...
Peter Chiarelli left the Oilers in terrible shape when he was fired as GM however the team is not far off of a playoff spot this year. I don't like the Oilers odds of making the playoffs but they are still competing with really only 3 good players and some filler. Still we know this and I will get to the point. The future might not be as dark as it looks for the Oilers ...
The draft can not get here soon enough. Mostly as it should be the start of Holland fixing the Oilers. I can say this with certainty because they can't get anymore broken. Also the draft's arrival will stop sites like TSN.ca claiming that Kakko is "closing the gap" on Hughes. There is no actual gap. NJ is picking one player and that is going to be Hughes. Are they lo...