lets go pavel

see, this is the interesting thing about sammy, and i think what causes so much frustration ... statistically he's a top-6 forward, and while injuries to other guys (cleary, homer) may have contributed to that, he's still up there, there's no debating that ... but look at the guys you just said he's better than, presumably based on watching him play -- 3 guys who are often healthy scratches, malts who has a very specific and limited role with the team, and a guy who hasn't even played yet!! hardly a ringing endorsement for sammy -- it sounds more like an argument for why a 4th line guy deserves playing time than the resume of a top-6 forward, and this i think is the source of so much frustration around here ... if sammy were playing on the 3rd or 4th line and off the power play i think the majority of the complaints would disappear ...

let's face it, these guys HAVE to pick an upset, what's the point of writing a column that says all the favorites will win? and when it comes to upsets, who better to pick for the upset than the best team in the league who also has a history of following regular season success with early postseason exits, who has a reputation (deserved or not) of being an undersized finesse team lacking in the grit needed for playoff success, and who also would be facing a sentimental favorite of a goaltender who has a reputation for standing on his head? hell, you could even argue that the other series are so even that there really aren't any other favorites to upset ... that said, who cares? someone will always pick against us, someone will always pick for us, both sides will have their reasons, and none of it will mean a damn thing once the teams start skating ...

i can give you a theory ... the PK runs in shifts, and each shift usually stays on the ice for as long as it takes to clear the puck, then they change ... if Dats' PK team is more effective/expeditious at getting teh puck and clearing then his time on the ice for the PK would be less than the others ... a better stat would be to compare the number of shifts on the PK ... that said, while i do think he's matured into a great two-way forward (and he is my favorite player), i'm not sure i would call him the best defensive forward in the game either ... (edit - typo)

i saw that too ... they have dats listed at 197 and z at 195, both 5'11", but maybe they figured that was close enough to disqualify them ...

exactly, i think he's jealous that all the goalies in the league have their noses in someone else's backside ...

uhhh ... apart from that being about the worst pick-up line ever, unless i'm mistaken you just expressed your desire to mount another dude ...

why not new years day? seems like a good time to me, everyone's off from work, hungover and laying around, what better to do than watch a little outdoor hockey ... plus it seems like a good way to end the christmas holiday/winter break for many people ...

i think i saw murray on tradecentre yesterday on the nhl network and someone asked him if paddock's job was safe ... his response was "as long as we're winning" ... so no real surprise ...

no, no, no, you've got it all wrong ... the only reason our D looks good is because of the great goaltending behind it ... unless, of course, this turns into a goaltending thread, in which case the only reason the goalies look good is because of the D in front of it ...

worked great for me ... i was in the deadline thread most of the day and hitting refresh every couple of minutes, never had any problems ...

if i recall correctly, the general consensus on these boards was that we needed 3 things: depth at defense, more size/grit, and secondary scoring ... we got depth at defense with stuart, and if mccarty makes it up the 2 of them bring some added size and grit (not enough to please everyone, i know, but more than before) ... so the only thing not addresses was secondary scoring, and for the umpteenth time prior to our slump/rash of injuries we had as much secondary scoring as anyone in the league ... 2 out of 3 isn't bad ... it's easy to look at the trades that happened and say we could have done that, especially fedorov, but we're not on the inside to know what is going on ... if players or coaches have reservations about getting a player, that is significant ... i don't know too many cup winners lacking in chemistry ... also a good possibility columbus wouldn't deal with us ... in any case, to stop cheering for your team because they didn't wow you at the deadline is pretty weak ...

yeah, but the issue was never cap room ... the question was were we willing to give up what others were asking ... holland said it all depended on whether the prices were right, i guess they weren't for the pieces he wanted ...

they gave up foote with his 15 points and fedorov who has been injured ... i would hardly call that selling away the team, more like getting rid of some older players/bigger salaries who they didn't see fitting in the team's future ...

maybe columbus wouldn't deal with us ... just speculation, but they are in our division ...

i see it, but it says rumour mill ... so we'll see ...

a prospect ...

how old is fetisov these days? i say bring him back and pair him with cheli ...

i think montreal can ... and they were the frontrunners supposedly

yeah, LA hasn't moved anyone yet, have they?

he just signed a kajillion dollar contrct for a kajillion years ... he's not going to bail just because they don't get feds ...

yes, but how is jussi's golf game? he just missed the playoffs ...

actually, i just read that the sabres' fans were not happy with management's latest contract offer, so there's a good chance they will be traded to day too ... maybe kenny can pick them up!

about belak to florida ... does this mean florida is buying, not selling, and trying to make a playoff push? if so, i guess jokinen's not going anywhere ...

yup, but a guy can dream, can't he?

WHAT?? we have a game tonight?? how are we going to play a game tonight when we're supposed to trade away half of our team today?? seriously, i think we've got this one ... 3-1 wings (homer, flip, HOSSA) ...