WOLF wrote:There is a Marc Savard for Tomas Kaberle deal being rumored. The two teams do have a history...
Typical fucking Bruins. When they are having trouble scoring goals they look to trade their leading scorer. The cap is going up, they just got rid of Wideman, and Thomas is on the block. There is no reason at all why they can't have Sequin, Bergeron, Kreji, and Savard all centering lines for them next season.
Savard was an embarrasment for most of the Philly series. He has no balls. I would welcome a trade for a defenseman. Seguin should be able to fill his role without pissing off the coaching staff and a lot of the players. Julien hung him out to dry after game 7 as he should have.
Savard came back from a concussion and he scored the winning goal in game 1 of the Philly series. He was limited in his return and had to be careful not to take another hit to the head. Savard isn't the problem on this team.
If you want to point to any one player for the loss in the Philly series then point to Wideman, since he spent the better part of the series standing around watching Gagne score goals. He should have had a camera instead of a stick. I'm surprised they got anything at all in return for the bum.
Krecji going down killed the B's. Savard was attrocious outside of game 1 and couldn't even play fundamental hockey. Self centered and excruciating play. Krecji, Bergeron, Seguin have to be ahead of him if they're looking to move a center.
Kid-Wicked wrote:nabokov will land in philly with a huge contract.
Only if they move a huge contract or two. Don't forget that they're likely to sign Hamhuis as well - they acquired his rights the other day. Rumor is they're shopping Simon Gagne.
KW - saw that the 'Nucks signed Rollie Melancon as their goalie coach. IMO he was the guy most responsible for fucking up Carey Price (other than a certain bartender at a local house of ill repute). Curious to see what he does to Luongo and Corey Schneider...
the talk on sports radio today: luongo for price. good deal?
melanson was a shitty player. hope he's a better coach.
chungasrevenge wrote:Recchi and Seguin should be added to the roster today. Recchi might be as player/assistant coach.
Savard/Thomas might be packaged together with Calgary and Ottawa rumored for one or both. The B's have made it clear that neither one is wanted back.
Neely has been president a week and nobody is safe!
The thing about Neely is he brings instant credibility to the Bruins, something they haven't had for a long time. There isn't a player or person in the organization that is/was a better player than Neely unless they have an Orr/Esposito/Bourque night. So if Neely wants to do something, there really isn't anyone there who can argue with him. Choke has to know he is now on the hot seat.
Jesus McNeil, he's only been gone two days. Do you have to be such a tool?
When a historically slow-growth, average stock suddenly spikes, you move it
Dan McNeil
Dustin Byfuglien's big series against Vancouver in the Western Conference semifinals looks like it's going to help the Blackhawks next year as much is it did this year.
Celebrate, I say. When a historically slow-growth, average stock suddenly spikes, you move it. That's what Stan Bowman did Wednesday when he packaged the enigmatic Byfuglien in a deal with the Atlanta Thrashers.
Bowman's first whack at cleaning up the Hawks' salary cap mess scored big with me. Byfuglien was more exciting than he was competent.
Sometimes he really deserved his handle "Big Buff." He banged out 10 hits in a game in the Stanley Cup finals. Other times Byfuglien struggled to flip that switch to the dark side.
In the opening shift in Game 4 at Philadelphia, Byfuglien took to the Flyers' blue line, where fellow irritant Chris Pronger was waiting to stand up the Hawks' power forward. Instead of making a move around Pronger — or through him — Byfuglien pulled up and gingerly dropped a backhanded pass to Patrick Kane, who wasn't onside yet.
Whistle and stoppage. The Hawks' top line skated to the bench after an impotent first 25 seconds, not exactly the tone setter they were promising following their uninspired performance in the overtime loss in Game 3.
That's not an isolated instance. It's symptomatic of Byfuglien's career with the Hawks. He wasn't always "on." He was billed as the team's muscle, yet he often lacked the willingness to engage. Nobody ever said that of Byfuglien's fellow new Thrashers, Brent Sopel and Ben Eager.
Sopel's aging body bore down and blocked more shots than any Hawk on the roster this past season and Eager, while clearly only a fourth-line player, would drop the mitts with anybody.
Byfuglien can be a bully, but he gets bullied. He never wore a path in the carpeting that leads to the Hawks' weight room, either. He is fleshy and needed the first few months of the season to arrive at a reasonable fitness level. The Hawks had concerns about Buff's penchant for keeping late hours, too.
Buff has a heavy shot and isn't bashful about letting it fly, but he doesn't react well to passes that are slightly off the mark. His passes aren't consistently on target. He's strong on the puck and in the corners, but he's stiff and needs a lot of skill around him to find himself regularly on the scoresheet.
Yeah, Byfuglien helped the Hawks win the Cup. He also contributed largely to the Hawks early playoff flops against Nashville this spring.
Chicago was fortunate when defenseman Brian Campbell returned from his broken collarbone in Game 3 against the Predators because Byfuglien was a sloppy, unreliable blue liner.
If there's anything the Hawks have proven during the three years of the Rocky Wirtz regime is that they are willing to quickly make shrewd, sometimes unpopular decisions. Dale Tallon laid a great foundation, but his reckless handling of the salary cap for 2010-11 — ultimately what led to his dismissal — left Bowman with a big mess to clean up.
Bowman began that in fine fashion this week. Gone is one of the biggest heroes of the Stanley Cup run. Exiled, along with his $3 million salary, to Atlanta.
Don't get sentimental about this one. Byfuglien's celebrity here exceeded his talents.
chungasrevenge wrote:Recchi and Seguin should be added to the roster today. Recchi might be as player/assistant coach.
Savard/Thomas might be packaged together with Calgary and Ottawa rumored for one or both. The B's have made it clear that neither one is wanted back.
Neely has been president a week and nobody is safe!
The thing about Neely is he brings instant credibility to the Bruins, something they haven't had for a long time. There isn't a player or person in the organization that is/was a better player than Neely unless they have an Orr/Esposito/Bourque night. So if Neely wants to do something, there really isn't anyone there who can argue with him. Choke has to know he is now on the hot seat.
This is true. Neely walks on water with the B's fanbase.
Very excited. Although Seguin looks like he's about 15.
San Jose signed Niklas Hjalmarsson to a 4-year, 14 million dollar offer sheet.
The Blackhawks have one week to match the offer. I think they have to, although that's got to be more than they thought he would get. I wonder if they can match that and still have room under the cap for Niemi. All those moves and the cap's still fucking them. The $4 million in bonuses really hurts them this year, but it's still a small price to pay for FINALLY winning the Cup after almost 50 years.
Lardbucket wrote:San Jose signed Niklas Hjalmarsson to a 4-year, 14 million dollar offer sheet.
The Blackhawks have one week to match the offer. I think they have to, although that's got to be more than they thought he would get. I wonder if they can match that and still have room under the cap for Niemi. All those moves and the cap's still fucking them. The $4 million in bonuses really hurts them this year, but it's still a small price to pay for FINALLY winning the Cup after almost 50 years.
They're going to lose him IMO. However, if they don't match they get San Jose's 1st and 3rd round picks next year, so not a bad return. Still, it's a dick move by SJ and it will probably come back to bite them.
WOLF wrote:
They're going to lose him IMO. However, if they don't match they get San Jose's 1st and 3rd round picks next year, so not a bad return. Still, it's a dick move by SJ and it will probably come back to bite them.
I'm not sure which way they'll go. They were already a little thin on defense, and Kim Johnsson and Nick Boynton are probably both gone (no big loss on either, but it lessens the depth). There's some sentiment around here that Niemi may not be the long-term answer, and if someone offers him too much, I could see the Hawks saying goodbye. It's a really tough situation - losing either guy will hurt them. If Niemi leaves, they'd have to consider keeping Huet on the big club and then THAT fucks their cap all over again.
Bruins might waive Savard to force his hand to open up to playing for other teams besides Toronto and Ottawa. Apparantly Edmonton was at the bottom of his list of places to play and they would likely pick him up first if waived. It could get ugly. B's have really soured on him and are extremely confident in Seguin and Colborne.
chungasrevenge wrote:Bruins might waive Savard to force his hand to open up to playing for other teams besides Toronto and Ottawa. Apparantly Edmonton was at the bottom of his list of places to play and they would likely pick him up first if waived. It could get ugly. B's have really soured on him and are extremely confident in Seguin and Colborne.
He's never had a reputation as a "team guy", but he's always delivered, points-wise anyways. Either he's being made the scapegoat for that brain dead penalty in game 7, or something happened behind the scenes, because it seems pretty premature to let the guy walk. IMO, if the Bruins stay healthy, they have a shot at the cup, a la Chicago, this year. Next year is the time to dismantle, not now...
chungasrevenge wrote:Bruins might waive Savard to force his hand to open up to playing for other teams besides Toronto and Ottawa. Apparantly Edmonton was at the bottom of his list of places to play and they would likely pick him up first if waived. It could get ugly. B's have really soured on him and are extremely confident in Seguin and Colborne.
He's never had a reputation as a "team guy", but he's always delivered, points-wise anyways. Either he's being made the scapegoat for that brain dead penalty in game 7, or something happened behind the scenes, because it seems pretty premature to let the guy walk. IMO, if the Bruins stay healthy, they have a shot at the cup, a la Chicago, this year. Next year is the time to dismantle, not now...
The game 7 penalty is a huge reason. The fact that he didn't own up to it really pissed off a lot of players and coaches. Recchi was so pissed about it that he had to leave the room without talking to the media. Sobotka was the other player involved and he's in St. Louis now. Neely still works with Harry Sinden and neither one of them like Savard. I don't think Chia has a choice. I think they can still be a contending team without him.
chungasrevenge wrote:Bruins might waive Savard to force his hand to open up to playing for other teams besides Toronto and Ottawa. Apparantly Edmonton was at the bottom of his list of places to play and they would likely pick him up first if waived. It could get ugly. B's have really soured on him and are extremely confident in Seguin and Colborne.
He's never had a reputation as a "team guy", but he's always delivered, points-wise anyways. Either he's being made the scapegoat for that brain dead penalty in game 7, or something happened behind the scenes, because it seems pretty premature to let the guy walk. IMO, if the Bruins stay healthy, they have a shot at the cup, a la Chicago, this year. Next year is the time to dismantle, not now...
The game 7 penalty is a huge reason. The fact that he didn't own up to it really pissed off a lot of players and coaches. Recchi was so pissed about it that he had to leave the room without talking to the media. Sobotka was the other player involved and he's in St. Louis now. Neely still works with Harry Sinden and neither one of them like Savard. I don't think Chia has a choice. I think they can still be a contending team without him.
If they deal him, you just know Bergeron AND Krejci are going to get hurt. Still, if they got a rock solid D-man for him, and Rask has a good season, the Bruins can be dangerous no matter how few goals they score.
With the Hawks matching Hjalmesson's offer sheet, they now have about 100K left to sign 6-7 players. Something (else) has got to give. Huet will surely get sent to Rockford, but something else may need to give as well. Can they get someone to take Brian Campbell's contract? Stay tuned...
Absolutely to both, but still don't like it. I guess it's one of those things that I know has to be done, but just wish he'd stick around to have a really great season that he has the potential for...if he'd just stay healthy. Oh well.
"I was looking for that great jazz note that destroyed the walls of Jericho." - The Clash, The Sound Of Sinners
Seguin is already a star around here. The B's had the largest crowd ever for development camp and had to turn people away at the door. The crowd was chanting Seguin's name during every session. He also threw out the first pitch at Fenway Park. A lot of pressure for an 18 year old.
Antti Niemi awarded $2.75 million in arbitration.
Hawks can cover it, but it would just about cap them out.
There is some chatter about the Hawks not accepting the decision, which would make Niemi a UFA, and signing someone like Marty Turco for ~$1.5 mil.
Not sure which way I want them to go - there's always the "one-year wonder" thing to consider, Niemi would likely want more $$$ next year, but Turco would be a short-term solution at best.
Pluses and minuses either way they go, that's for sure.
Lardbucket wrote:Antti Niemi awarded $2.75 million in arbitration.
Hawks can cover it, but it would just about cap them out.
There is some chatter about the Hawks not accepting the decision, which would make Niemi a UFA, and signing someone like Marty Turco for ~$1.5 mil.
Not sure which way I want them to go - there's always the "one-year wonder" thing to consider, Niemi would likely want more $$$ next year, but Turco would be a short-term solution at best.
Pluses and minuses either way they go, that's for sure.
I don't think Niemi's that good. He just had a great team in front of him. I'd send Huet to the minors (a given), let Niemi walk, sign Turco or Jose Theodore on the cheap, and bring up Corey Crawford as the back up. It wasn't long ago that Crawford was perceived as the future in Chicago and he still very well might be...
Lardbucket wrote:Antti Niemi awarded $2.75 million in arbitration.
Hawks can cover it, but it would just about cap them out.
There is some chatter about the Hawks not accepting the decision, which would make Niemi a UFA, and signing someone like Marty Turco for ~$1.5 mil.
Not sure which way I want them to go - there's always the "one-year wonder" thing to consider, Niemi would likely want more $$$ next year, but Turco would be a short-term solution at best.
Pluses and minuses either way they go, that's for sure.
I don't think Niemi's that good. He just had a great team in front of him. I'd send Huet to the minors (a given), let Niemi walk, sign Turco or Jose Theodore on the cheap, and bring up Corey Crawford as the back up. It wasn't long ago that Crawford was perceived as the future in Chicago and he still very well might be...
Actually, everything I hear says that Hannu Toivonen may have passed Crawford up in management's eyes. Crawford is a very good AHL goalie, but seems to lose position sometimes and is a little slow in regaining his feet after sprawling. The fact that they have looked for more reliable goaltending several times rather than give Crawford a long look is telling.
I do share your doubts about Niemi from a consistency standpoint. He gives up some softies (nowhere near as bad as Huet that way) and he gives up WAY too many rebounds. If they have a long-range plan in goal, I'd be okay with giving someone like Turco a one-year deal on the cheap. He'd benefit from facing a lot fewer shots behind that Hawk defense, for sure.
Dan Roan of WGN reported the Hawks had signed Turco for 1.75 mil, but for now the report has been shot down.
Also, Stan Bowman was speaking very highly of Corey Crawford, so it does appear that Crawford will be given every chance to make the team as a backup.
The fact that no one announced anything about Niemi at the convention this weekend makes me think they're letting him walk away. I would think if they were keeping him, they'd have announced that at the convention.
Just call me Carnac the Great. I have Turco in a Fantasy Keeper League. I was going to drop him, but now I'll hold onto him one more year - he should be fantasy gold in Chi-town!
I'm okay with Turco. He actually had comparable numbers to Niemi's, and faced an average of 6 shots per game more than Antti did. He signed for a reported 1.3 mil, and now Niemi will probably get a longer-term deal from someone, but probably at a slightly lower average salary than the 2.75 mil he was awarded.
Gotta give the Bowmans credit - they were against the wall cap-wise, everyone knew it, and they still ended up making some pretty good deals without disrupting the core of the team (except maybe for Niemi, although letting him go for nothing indicates that maybe they didn't see him as a core guy).
This scares the living piss out of me if they can go back and void Hossa's contract a year after the fact. From what I'm understanding here, not only could the Blackhawks lose Hossa, but they'd be fined 5Mil on the salaray cap. That seems so wrong.
From ESPN....
It's comical to read some people declaring that the NHL can't go after the contracts of Roberto Luongo(notes), Chris Pronger(notes) and/or Marc Savard(notes) because it "would be in complete violation of the collective bargaining agreement and it would be a complete infringement of the players' rights under the CBA," as Kurt Overhardt told the Vancouver Sun.
Second 26.10 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement not only states that an investigation will in "no way be limited by the fact that such [Standard Player Contract] was approved and registered by Central Registry," but that "there shall be no limitation of time barring the investigation of a Circumvention by the Commissioner." As long as the investigations were ongoing -- and they have been for these contracts, and for that of Marian Hossa(notes) -- the NHL can still go after them.
For a document that usually offers about as much definitive clarity as a Rorschach test, that's fairly authoritative.
That said, many of the agents speaking on and off the record following the rejection of Ilya Kovalchuk's(notes) 17-year contract with the New Jersey Devils don't appear to be ringing an alarm bell on the NHL's investigation of similarly structured deals. From 'Malkin To The Kings' in the Ottawa Sun, speaking to a high-profile anonymously sourced agent:
