stevkrause

I would love to see Sutton here...

I would still call this line faster, maybe not by much, but I think Helm is the fastest skater in the NHL right now and Eaves and Drapes are both fast as hell...

all your points were spot on though... he's not ready yet, he needs to get better defensively - my guess is that neither Meech nor Lebda will be here next year and we will roll with Kindl from day 1, with a defensive D man as our 7

thankfully they'll be split tonight...

this should actually be good for Lebda, Stuart will cover his poor decisions...

I agree on the bolded section above 100% - I guess we're just looking at this specific event differently, because otherwise I agree... I was actually blown away that they didn't call a penalty on the hit in the first place... I guess my biggest problem, is the lack of consistency by the disciplinary board and refs alike - they need to fix this and get continuity across the board, so players CLEARLY know whats wrong and not "only wrong if you get caught, it's late in the game, or the playoffs" and then are punished accordingly...

I'd say a less solid defensively, better fighting Lilja, with a LITTLE less of a step (and I emphasize little)

none of the above... just a stay at home defensive defenseman with a little bit of a physical side

I disagree - he could have thrown the fists/forearms to his chest, not his throat/face... and yes, I have lined up guys in open ice MANY times, successfully and unsuccessfully and I have made mistakes too and I threw a couple questionable hits as well that I would have taken back if I could... Sometimes decisions are poor in that split second and I'm not saying he could have avoided it 100%, but if you get in a car accident because you made a poor split second decision, but were still at fault, do they just not give you the ticket, because it happened so quick? No - you get the ticket. My point is, he COULD have done differently - it was not the end of the world and his suspension shouldn't be excessive, but the punishment should still be handed out.

I think it all comes down to the fact that Wiz did not need to throw that hit, just like knee-to-knees - out of position, give up the hit - simple as that. I agree whole heatedly that the intentional ones should be punished more severely AND(not to beat a dead horse) consistency needs to be there with the calls - They need to suspend fairly, evenly and for across the board, regardless of the player throwing the hit... I'm not sure who mentioned it as an example, but Richards should have been suspended for 5 games for his hit on Booth, whereas I would have been fine with Wiz only getting 1 game, but he still deserved one nonetheless. It all comes down to intent... and until the league gets a disciplinary board in there that isn't a joke and forces players to respect one another - all of these offenses (the minor and the severe) are going to continue to occur... as a side note... don't get me started on the shoulder pads.......

and this is my exact point - just like when a guy sticks out a knee and blows a guys knee out - this needs to be removed from the game and punished when violated.

I think politics should be banned from this board - regardless of which side you're on.

alright, so you have a clear understanding of the game and how it's actually played on the ice then, that's all I wanted to know - but in the same vein, can you honestly say that you wouldn't have a problem with a hit like this if it were on a teammate or yourself? I spent most of my 12+ years when I played(B, BB, A - I don't count adult leagues now) as a physical presence first and foremost and prided myself on my physical game, but also would like to think I always did it with respect... if a hit like that were dropped on a teammate of mine - I would have a serious problem with it. So really what it comes down to here, is the interpretation of intent... I saw this as an intentional elbow by Wiz BECAUSE he mis-timed the hit and rather than let up on it, he threw the elbow... if you did not see this as intentional, then by your interpretation, I agree - no suspension. The fact is, the respect in the game is disappearing and this is worrisome - there is very little accountability anymore and players are not learning at a young age to respect their opponents while still playing hard and that they WILL be accountable for their actions - also, players are not being taught well enough on how to protect themselves soon enough... but that's a whole different topic... really what it comes down to, is intent, which I think we can ALL agree, the NHL needs a better board to determine this and NEEDS to be consistent on the calls/suspensions...

honest question, did you ever play the game?

elbows clearly up, shot to the head - suspension. my only problem is, the league needs to stop being such a Mickey Mouse league and get some damn consistency... ALL players, stars or not, should face suspensions for clear head s***s and elbows... and to anyone saying that this is "part of the game" - bulls***. You can play hard, skate hard and hit DAMN hard while still respecting your opponent and not trying to hurt them... this cheapshot bulls*** is what has marred the NHL from day one...

exactly - his biggest problem is his durability, but with an expiring contract, if it doesn't work, let him walk at season's end... I think it'd be a safe, high payoff gamble to take if it worked... on another note, Biron would be a nice option as a backup as well...

I don't see any of those guys being moved... they're all thought of too highly on their clubs and would require more than we'd be willing to part with - the most realistic of them would have been Walker, but I'm not sure Holland would want a long term contract, esepcially with Kindl in the waiting...

he's been tearing it up over there, mentoring Hedman and Burke is on record as saying that the greatest move he made, was not trading Kaberle - he's not going anywhere....

there's also the case and argument for every Mason (who could still fall apart within the next year or 2) that there are several players who's development is rushed and they are ruined...

that's my understanding as well...

Lehtonen is on the last year of his contract...

realistic please...

for an expiring contract with the mindset that he's being brought on as a back-up and if he steals Osgood's job, then that just means he outplayed him - yea I'm on board with that... If he ends up working and we can keep him here on a discount after that too... that's a gamble I'm willing to take while McCollum develops (for the record, I don't see Howard being here by next years start) oh... and he won't be expected to play 70 games in a season here, if he does stay...

[sarcasm]nice job contributing to the thread with anything realistic...[/sarcasm]

and this...