stevkrause

Leino is not half the player Jokinen is... and TB was HORRENDOUS... bad comparison. Anything is possible, I could all of a sudden train insanely, work with a strength and conditioning coach and work my way to a walk on try out and in 4 years from now be a 32 year old rookie in the league and win the Calder... is it likely - not one freaking bit. Leino is not an NHL top 6 player, if he was, he wouldn't have needed to have been "given a chance" - he would have taken it. Save this topic as a favorite and I'll eat crow if I'm wrong and call you the all-being, ever genius, prophet. Leino will never be more than a 20 pt scorer in the NHL.

Leino will never be more that a 20 pt scorer in this league - and you can quote me on this... his work ethic and effort are just not there and I'd be surprised if he was even in the NHL in 2 years from now. On even a healthy Philly team, he's a bottom guy at best...

I didn't say that was my ideal roster, that's just what I think it WILL be...

I don't think most of us are... but I really think Holmstrom is gonna hang them up after this year... the toll on his body has been brutal, if he's still playing, replace Bert with Holmstrom in that scenario...

agreed. my projected roster for next year: Valtteri Filppula ($3.000m) / Henrik Zetterberg ($6.083m) / Johan Franzen ($3.955m) Todd Bertuzzi ($1.500m) / Pavel Datsyuk ($6.700m) / Jiri Hudler ($2.875m) Drew Miller ($0.750m) / Justin Abdelkader ($0.900m) / Daniel Cleary ($2.800m) Kris Draper ($1.583m) / Darren Helm ($1.000m) / Patrick Eaves ($0.800m) Mattias Ritola ($0.600m) Nicklas Lidstrom ($3.450m) / Brian Rafalski ($6.000m) Brad Stuart ($3.750m) / Niklas Kronwall ($3.000m) Andreas Lilja ($1.000m) / Jonathan Ericsson ($0.900m) Jakub Kindl ($0.883m) Jimmy Howard ($0.717m) / Chris Osgood ($1.417m) ROSTER: 22; PAYROLL: $53.663m; CAP ROOM: $3.137m BONUSES: $0.000m

luckily, he could always defect here, like he defected there, haha

When he plays the role of big body out front and waits for rebounds, he is the most effective at this point in his career, but he still has good hands down low as well... I just wish he wouldn't try to get so fancy driving the net, or coming into the zone - keep it simple there and get it on net, but down low, behind the net, etc... he should be allowed to use those hands and I could see him here for another 2 years, especially at that cap hit.

That was my understanding as well... for under a 3 mil cap hit, for 60 pts on a 3rd line and PP... yea, I'll take that...

The entire team completely collapsed from the end of the second period, until the last 5 minutes of the 3rd... I thought Ericsson looked good until that point and good once everyone picked it back up as well... it was just a horrendous effort by the team as a whole once they went up 4-0 to really put Edmonton away, they're lucky they won.

I'm fairly certain LTIR only gives a team "real-time" cap relief and only allows them to "relief" in the amount of the salary for the person replacing the LTIR'd player, and thus, I don't believe bonuses can be covered... it does get a little complicated when you factor in bonus' and LTIR's, but that's what I believe it to mean

good read

Shame... he could end up being another Lindros, only even younger when cut short...

never pick your poison. with the parity in the league and the tight race in the West, any team is as scary as the next and the Wings will need to play their game to win... with that said, I only pull for one thing - the least travel possible... the less West Coast trips we have to make, the better.

Ex-fing-zactly

not true, no moreso that almost every other team... Most of that East to West travel for the Habs is still less time on the plane than for current games that the play against teams of the likes of Atlanta, Florida, Tampa, Carolina... they actually travel about the same or less and face more Canadian teams - good for media. Also, as explained in my other post, they only play about 14 West Coast games under this format, whereas even teams that aren't in division, still have to play 10 West coast games... pretty even if you ask me... at least this way only 2 teams get a little boned, as opposed to the 6 or so now (also remember that they could give these teams scheduling leeway and send them out there for something like 3, 4-5 game trips - so it'd lessen the travel, then make other teams make at like 3, 3-4 game swings) basically ends up being the same - don't look at it so much like one way travel, as much as the overall travel each team will incur... only to an extent... once again, look at it from the broad perspective...

Chicago already makes all those trips with the current format... however, they would play the other divisions in conference more, and that would even it out - Plus, once again, someone is going to feel that they get the short end of the stick... As I already explained too, only 10 of their in division games would be against these teams and 4 more for the other conference, so that's a total of 14 West Coast games for them... out of a schedule of 82 (same applies to Montreal) - Under the current format, they play at least 16...

I honestly don't see one any time soon... Datsyuk or Z maybe if they get hot, but I still see it being unlikely... It goes back to the old question - would you rather have 5, 20 goal scorers or 2, 50 goal scorers? It all adds up the same... I'd rather take the depth and give us more threats...

I think if anything, it would just make the playoffs more even as well(parity), because neither conference would have an advantage in fatigue...

this may sound crazy... but I wouldn't mind seeing him getting a chance to play the point on the PP (not that Williams has done poorly actually)... he's incredibly defensively responsible, like you said, has a cannon for a shot and good hockey sense... oh... and that ever precious right hand shot from the left point that Babs loves so much...

I imagine travel costs bone a team like Columbus even more too, as they are not in as lucrative of a market as Detroit to offset the costs, whereas a team like Montreal, Toronto or New York could actually afford it quite a bit easier... like I said, someone is always going to feel they got the short end of the stick, but I think this system would level things out as much as possible... I can't imagine how much more the cost of operation is for a team like Detroit, Columbus, St Louis, etc... compared to a team like the Devils... gotta suck for those owners...

tonight will actually be his 5th in a row...

That's kind of what I was thinking too... but I wonder if a couple Eastern teams like Toronto or Ottawa would vote for it, as it would give them more marketability? maybe just a slight edge in a vote which could put it over the top?

Fair enough arguments, but I think only the East Conf teams would object... I don't think there's a single West team that would have a problem with it... if the league truly wants parity - it should be parity across the board... including costs of operation.

Most of that East to West travel for the Habs is still less time on the plane than for current games that the play against teams of the likes of Atlanta, Florida, Tampa, Carolina... they actually travel about the same or less and face more Canadian teams - good for media. The Rangers and The Devils would still face each other about the same and lets be honest, the Isles rivalry there hasn't been the same in a long time - new blood for that franchise would be a blessing... plus, gotta break some eggs to make an omelet, same thing with the Wings and Hawks playing less... but we get Toronto more... gotta take the good with the bad... Chicago would travel no more than they currently do. They're already screwed in the current format, at least this format strengthens match-ups as a whole.

good news, he's been such a solid addition this year... I hope he's here for the long haul...