stevkrause

I know I'm making a bold prediction, but I liked what I saw of Nashville last year and with the addition of Lombardi and a lot of young talent really getting a chance to blossom, along with the emergence of Rinne I think they're going to surprise a lot of people... just my prediction though, that and $5 will get you a Hot N' Ready

From a devil's advocate stance, you're dead on, I think the biggest factor in this is indeed how they play in camp... however, just from the time they've already spent in the system and the intangibles, I think it's already a pretty common belief that Ericsson or Kindl would need to play themselves OUT of a spot for this to ever be a possibility...

Agreed 100% - couple that with how much younger he is and I would take Meech over Lebda eve at the same cap hit...

no need to panic, we have Janik!

man, you're really reaching to prove me wrong... all I ever said, was that it was the similar in what it meant in terms of making the team, I never said anything about it's actual contractual, or monetary value and if you read what I posted without your head in your ass, it was pretty clear... pretty weak...

Go re-read the original post - I said more or less, because even though he already had his entry level deal, this is the same type of deal IN THE SENSE that it's a "show us enough to keep you deal"... Also, although it isn't REQUIRED, if you followed the way the Wings brass runs things, they generally don't sign players to their entry level deals, until they're ready to put them in GR... Keep trying though...

pretty sure all of it is... look for yourself - http://www.capgeek.com/players/display.php?id=297 He already had his entry level contract, otherwise, wouldn't have been eligible for GR, if Modano is added, there is a good chance that Ritolas and Miller battle for the final roster spot in camp and the loser of the battle gets traded, the other basically sits in the press box, unless they WAY outplay someone else or there's an injury. yea, no kidding... I feel bad for any d-man in the league making less than him, as it's got to just feel unfair to them - "why is a pylon making more than me?"

ding. ding. ding. That article is pretty ridiculous all over... I can definitely see the Blues improving, but they'll probably finish 4th, behind Detroit and... wait for it... Nashville... I'm calling it right now My prediction for Central standings right now: Detroit Nashville Chicago St. Louis Columbus

exactly - a high stick is only when the puck is redirected, if the puck never leaves the players possession, it is simply considered controlling the puck... that quote got me pretty pumped too, the best part is, that he hasn't stopped growing - he could conceivably be 6'3 or ever 6'4 by the time he gets here and will surely add more mass as well... could develop into quite the power forward...

more or less... he already signed his entry level deal to play for GR, but this is more or less an entry level deal, as it's either "make Detroit's roster, or bust"

Ritola has been signed for awhile..... all about retaining assets - good signing, he won't be on the team come end of training camp, but it's good to see us not just giving away assets...

wait... I got this one... "Where the f' are the rest of my teammates?!?!? oh yea, that's right, Atlanta or Toronto..."

Although it doesn't apply to real game action, it definitely serves its purpose - it not only develops forearm strength(strength on the puck), but (as you already touched on) hand-eye coordination as well... furthermore, it develops soft hands, which is crucial to not only stick handling, but passing and receiving passes as well... Although I agree why he may feel embarrassed, because he feels like he's showing off(so far from interviews, he seems relatively humble), I disagree that it's not meaningful, because it shows intangibles that are VERY hard to teach - soft hands.

this thread makes my head explode in every conceivable way... The OP had some lucid thoughts and at least was reasonable with his suggestions, but the fact it is Chicago-Detroit makes it moot... To the person who suggested Chicago buying out Sharp... go sit in a corner for 30 minutes and think about what you did.

I was referring to his offensive abilities and ability to QB a PP...

I agree, I wasn't saying it was likely to happen or even a reasonable scenario - I was just pointing out, that it wouldn't JUST be a case of Atlanta "helping out" Chicago if this DID happen EDIT - On second thought, maybe it's not that unlikely... what if his former teammates start recruiting him and talk him into it? It's supposed to be a great place to live, he'd be playing with familiar faces and wouldn't have to deal with the media BS he deals with in Chicago...

ding. ding. ding.

The difference is, that teams that are bad for a LONG time, that start to have decreasing attendance (Islanders, Pittsburgh, Chicago) jump back and STAY strong as soon as they start to win again and it takes them 3 times as long of losing as it does of winning, for the numbers to drop again - But a team with in a weak market can win for a couple years, but as soon as they start to lose again, at all, they lose the fans just as quick as they obtained them when they were winning... and THAT is not viable to long term stability. By the way, Phoenix's population just had one of it's first drops this year after remaining flat since 2007 and I've had several friends that moved out there, that have since moved elsewhere, or moved back here because the job market there had flattened out and the opportunities weren't there anymore... hardly a booming area...

To even make the comment in bold is a joke - As I already said earlier, Carolina, Dallas, Tampa Bay, etc... are all non-traditional markets and have been very viable and I am of the mindset that Nashville is one that deserves to have it's growing pains as well, but 14 years is not a "give it a chance" scenario, or a "young" team... they made the playoffs in the 01-02 season and followed that up with the 2nd worst attendance in the league the following season... they also made the playoffs in 99 and followed that up with the 4th worst attendance in the league the following season... Expanding the game is ALSO about putting hockey where it can grow, not just "taking chances" and I would hardly say that qualifies in Phoenix... furthermore, to even state that the health of a team in Arizona would outweigh the negatives is downright laughable, as it is not even one of the more important markets in the US sports wise, let alone for the NHL... Completely separate, HOW is Philadelphia a "non-traditional" hockey market?!??!?!? He is indeed... Bettman's contract is still for a few more years anyway though, isn't it? I would do cartwheels in the street if this happened...

you're right, because 3mths of attendance, clearly is the constant and not the anomaly in a 14 year history of a franchise... A healthy team draws regardless of winning... as soon as they started losing again, fans would stop showing up and QUICK... that is not a viable market. EDIT - FYI, I was just going back through the numbers and they have consistently been in the bottom 5 in terms of attendance since their inception...

exactly.

Marketing is one of the biggest things to a sports league - look at the NFL, that should be number 1 on everyone's list of problem's with Bettman... this is what makes the league money, by making it a brand and having people talking about it year 'round. Phoenix has now been a franchise for almost 14 years and has been hemorrhaging money since day 1, they have gone through 4 ownership groups in that time and are a league leading low in attendance almost yearly - If this isn't "proving" it to you, I don't know what will - they don't care about hockey there. period........ Dallas, Tampa Bay, Florida to some extent and Carolina more or less have all at least been viable businesses, but to argue that "Phoenix just hasn't been given a chance" is asinine and they need to know when to pull the plug and admit they're wrong (something else Bettman has proven incapable of from day one) ESPN rights could have been GIVEN away, while still signing the deal with VS - Some major, national exposure is better than none... if they did not want to sign a deal with ESPN, why didn't they at least pursue at least another network which was in homes nationwide(TBS, TNT, etc...) for at least some supplementary exposure? As for the person that doesn't exist... how about some guy named Ken Dryden? Yea, he covers all those requirements.

The fact is, that all 3 of them took less here than they would have got on the open market and we should just be grateful we still have them, than nitpicking over small variances on the cap...

I agree he's a puppet and that the BOG still makes the final calls, but that is all the more reason that they need a strong leader who will actually stand up to them and tell them what is best for the league (and for themselves and revenues) once in awhile - A good commissioner isn't a doormat and will stand up to owners and do what's best for the owner's in the long term (not just the short - ie. the NFL's Roger Goodell) My biggest problems with the league currently are: - the horrible marketing and cross promotion of the league - poor product placement by forcing teams into failing markets after they've proven they can't survive there - lack of exposure in more traditional TV markets (VS can still be it's flagship station and I actually think they do a pretty good job, minus Renaugh and McGuire), but they should have had a secondary TV deal with ESPN, to at least have a couple games a month on there and that would have opened the door to ABC, instead of the atrocity that is NBC - absolute joke of disciplinary rulings (I know this is Campbell - but this is where the commissioner needs to step up, have the stones and make a difficult personnel change) What it really comes down to, is the NHL needs a firm leader and a REAL hockey guy who knows the game and will stand up for things when it matters, not a spineless, sniveling little doormat... I actually don't think any of these arguments fly - he's actually handled all of these issues BRILLIANTLY and is holding guys accountable... the off the field actions are more a result of the player's upbringings and where they come from, than the league they play in... as for the CBA issue they have now - I can guarantee it will get worked out... Goodell knows what he's doing and is the perfect example of what a commissioner should be in a professional sports league