55fan

Meech is from there. Good to hear he's going home. Maybe this will give him some extra incentive. I liked him here, but he just didn't cut it. Good luck, Meechie!

Wouldn't that have been something? You, me, and Dawn flitting about with streamers, champagne, and confetti. The rest of LGW headed towards the nearest cliff.

That's just nuts.

Sad Liljafan is sad. Now he's playing with Pronger, so I can't root for him at all. Good luck, Andreas.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Lilja is still out there. Just sayin'.

Deep, calming breaths. Repeat to yourself: They have Kopecky.

Could be. Dude always wanted what Mario had.

At least he's moving something.

My heart agrees totally. My mind wants to see what is out there.

Wouldn't it be hilarious if he went to the Flyers after yesterday's hoax?

If Mursak outplays Miller, then Miller will be the one in the press box. Even so, .825 is nice depth. If not, then he's worth his money to play every night. In the best scenario, the two of them compete for ice time and bring out the best in each other by upping the competition.

Delightful. Small sum to pay for his services. Welcome back! It's MILLER TIME!

Tough one. I think I'd go with Europe first since there are so many different places to go, but I've always wanted to go to Australia and see the kangaroos and find out what it is like to walk upside down. (Just kidding on the last part.) Free Agency Day or Trade Deadline Day?

Hmm... cupcakes and the like, yes. Bagels and donuts? Not sure. The person below me is excited to have Patty Eaves back.

I was just wondering that in another thread. A couple of days ago we were chortling over Koko for a 7th, and wondering who would give up a pick when they could just wait a couple of days. Now it seems like everyone and their mother-in-law is doing it. From the GMs' perspective, I think it's just the dearth of talent out there. I can't explain it from the players' perspective.

Maybe some exlax would help? Oh, now I'm not being nice...

I feel like this:

Yep, Bump is correct. It's section 10.3 of the CBA, included herein for your reading pleasure: 10.3 Offer Sheet and First Refusal Procedures. (a) When a Restricted Free Agent receives an offer to sign an SPC from any Club (the "New Club") other than his Prior Club, which offer the Player desires to accept, he shall give to the Prior Club, in accordance with Exhibit 3 hereto, a completed certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit 6 attached hereto (the "Offer Sheet"), signed by the Restricted Free Agent and the New Club, which shall contain the "Principal Terms" (as defined below) as well as all other terms of compensation of the New Club's offer. The Prior Club, within seven (7) days after the date it receives the Offer Sheet,may exercise or not exercise its Right of First Refusal, which shall have the legal consequence set forth below. Once an Offer Sheet for a Restricted Free Agent has been received by the Prior Club, the Prior Club may not Trade or otherwise Assign its Right of First Refusal for such Restricted Free Agent. (b) If the Prior Club gives the Restricted Free Agent and his Certified Agent, if any, notice, in accordance with Exhibit 3 hereto, that it is exercising its Right of First Refusal (a "First Refusal Exercise Notice"), such notice to be substantially in the form of Exhibit 7 attached hereto, to the Player's and his Certified Agent's, if any, address or facsimile number listed on the Offer Sheet, if any, within the seven (7) day period, such Restricted Free Agent and the Prior Club shall be deemed to have entered into a binding agreement, which they shall promptly formalize in an SPC, containing: (i) all the Principal Terms (subject to subsection (e) below); and (ii) such additional terms as may be agreed upon between the Restricted Free Agent and the Prior Club. The Prior Club may not Trade that Restricted Free Agent for a period of one year from the date it exercises its Right of First Refusal. © If the Prior Club does not give the Restricted Free Agent the First Refusal Exercise Notice within the seven (7) day period, the Player and the New Club shall be deemed to have entered into a binding agreement, which they shall promptly formalize in an SPC, containing all of the terms contained in the Offer Sheet, and the Restricted Free Agent's Prior Club shall receive from the New Club the Draft Choice Compensation, if any, specified in Section 10.4 below. It goes on, but I think this answers the question at hand.

The Return of Lilja!

Oh, what if we sign Jagr for league minimum, and bundle him with Hudler in a trade to the Pens for a top level d-man!

By the end of today, no one will care about where Jagr ends up.

That's true. However I do think that Kronner and Stuie will still take their discounts. The end results will be higher than we were expecting due to the precedent this season. IOW, with the cap having gone up, what was a 6.5 will become a 7 or 7.5. Kron and Stu will still take less than what they would get on the open market, but that amount will be higher. If they would have signed for 5 this year, it will be 5.5 or 6 next year. The whole thing is like inflation. I paid $85 a month for my first apartment. No way I'm getting a price like that now. But if I had locked in on a lifetime agreement (and not moved, of course) I'd be sitting really pretty. What we're seeing here is a much higher adjustment than we've had in previous years. On the other hand, prices could spike this year, and next year could be normal and Kronner and Stuie might have that "dang, I missed out!" feeling you get when you fill your gas tank only to see the price fall the next day. And now, all of this talk of Apples, i or otherwise, is making me hungry. I'm off to the store for some fruit!

Has anyone else been wondering about the much-higher-than-average number of pick-for-negotiation-rights deals this year? Several days ago, we were all chortling at Koko for a 7th and wondering who would give up a pick when they could just wait a couple of days. Now we're all beside ourselves that Holland didn't arrange something like that. Is this a new trend, or is this something unique to this year? I've noticed that everyone who did exchange a pick for someone either signed the person or re-traded their rights. Is this a case of the teams asking the player, "Well, if we don't sign you, where do you want to go?" and then trading their rights? Once free agency starts today, and lesser players go for high contracts, do you think that the ones who signed early will have been paid enough of a lesser amount that players will be hesitant to do this in the future? In other words, is this a one-year thing due to a lack of talent, or is this the beginning of a trend? I think it's a one-off and next year will be back to normal, but that's just me.

Elliot, your posts are eloquent, well-thought, and intellectually sound. I regret that I have reached my quota of +'s for the day. I guess I consider this to be an over-pricing in an overpriced market. If Holland were selling, such as your example with Apple, I would consider it a good analogy. But Holland is the buyer, so to speak. Suppose you were a buyer for an electronics store. Over the years you had gotten great deals from the manufacturers, many of which involved long-term commitments to the product, in return for which you got a volume discount. In other cases, you got them by your reputation as a good client. You locked up many of your deals in advance. Sure, you had to let some go, but your company has a budget which you can't exceed. Now electronics are overpriced. You have to stock your store, but all of the other buyers are clamoring to stock their stores as well. All of the non-contracted companies know that this year there is huge demand over the supply. You are not going to get any deals, even if the products are not as good as what the suppliers have turned out in previous years. In the past, you have gotten contracts for iPads for an average of 6.02m/year for life, and you got a one-year deal on iPhones for 6.2 that they could easily have charged you up to 10 for. Now you have to take what is there. And that means iPinto for 3.25. Take it or leave it. Tomorrow someone else gets the contract and they might pay much more, leaving you to over-pay for the iEdsel. (Sorry, I don't know enough about electronics to continue the analogy.) Again, Elliot, thank you for your input. I may not agree, but it was a pleasure to read.