under_par_00

A 4th line of Abs - Helm - Eaves looks pretty sick. Are we only allowed to keep 1 extra forward on the roster? There is no way that Homer, Eaves, Cleary, Franzen, and others will play a full season, so it would be nice to have Draper, Ritola, and Miller to fill in. Are we only allowed a 13th forward, then any extras will have to play in GR and get called up?

Ahaha J-Rok. I don't think the Americans will get this. I doubt that Trailer Park Boys is popular over there?

Yes she is!

I don't think that is the place. Here are a few pictures of the castle in Trencin, and Hossa's wedding: Haha, and of course, Kopecky the flower girl:

It has probably been posted in this thread, but there was an article a week ago on NHL.com that said Modano is going to wait until August to decide. He is starting some skating training around August 5th, and will decide his future shortly after he starts skating again. If he decides to play more NHL hockey, you've got to think that it will be with the Red Wings.

Haha, actually Hossa was just married last weekend as well. It was a private wedding at the castle in Trencin, Slovakia. Not quite the 3 day shindig that Zetterberg had. Maybe Z tried to crash Hossa's wedding, so him and his buddies Hudler and Kopecky returned the favour?

I agree. I feel like Stevie is getting a crazy amount of man-love on here for every move that he makes. He could trade Stamkos for Hal Gill and get praised for it. Yes Gagne is a good player, but it is a huge risk. Does he feel like playing a full season this year, or having some strange injury to allow him to sit out 40 games? Also trading Mezaros was not a good move. Sure he cleared like 4 mil in cap space, but Mezaros was a great young, up and coming defenceman. Imagine how he would be received if he were traded to the Wings? Stevie is sure banking on Hedman to finally perform this season.

Datsyuk is good. I like this one.

Saskatchewan and Siberia are similar? Haha what? Maybe the climate, but that is about it. They probably couldn't be any more different!

I would like to see anyone not eat solid food for a month or so and try to play professional hockey in the NHL! Cleary is one hell of a player! I am so excited to see him 100% healthy, and motivated for the upcoming season!

Ohhh, that is a beauty. Bound to start some s*** on here though Nice work!

Haha that's a great article on NHL.com. Hurry up and sign already Mike!! Hudler - Modano - Cleary

Yes, I felt that he underperformed at the World Juniors. This was during the time that he was burning out from the grind of the AHL season. This kid has all the talent in the world. Definitely my favourite prospect

Tatar was clicking at a point per game pace at the beginning of the season, for the first 20 games or so. I read that he was the Griffins best forward during that time. He started to slide towards the second half of the season. Look for him to maintain a PPG next year. Hopefully he has been working hard in the offseason.

I have to agree. Babs seems to be too stubborn to mess with the Lids-Rafi, Kronner-Stuart parings, however it would be good to see Big E and Kindl get to play along side any of those vets. Hopefully this year it will happen. I have read that Lids and Rafi will not be getting as much ice time during the regular season as before, so hopefully this means that we will get some new pairings to spread out the time and give the young guys a chance. Lids-Kindl (this guy can bring the offensive game, let Lids do the shutting down) Kronner-Big E Stuart-Rafalski Those are some dynamite pairings if you ask me (not necessarily in order of line 1, line 2, line 3)

I really want Modano to come to Detroit next season. A 3rd line of Hudler - Modano - Cleary would be dynamite. This also leaves Abdelkader to the 4th line with Helm and Eaves/Ritola. I do not think that Abdelkader has nearly the offensive ability yet of Modano, and would not work as well with Cleary and Hudler. Please Kenny, offer more $$!!

Yes please! I want a 3rd line of Hudler - Modano - Cleary!!!

But they will have to compete with other teams offers, so Chicago should be able to get some decent return. It is their cap issues that they have to address, so they cannot trade for anyone with any sort of cap hit. Chicago is seriously handcuffed by the cap if they do not move Huet or Campbell.

Knowing what these players come from in countries like Slovakia, it is no wonder that Tatar has a strong desire to play in the NHL. He will work as hard as he can to achieve his goal. That is the difference between Tatar and Smith, it is their upbringing and how that effects their attitude. It is players like Tatar that, once they reach the NHL and become dominant players, you need to watch out for them slacking off. I think a player like Gaborik is a good example of this, he has his big money contract, his new lambo that he drives around in Slovakia, so what does he care if his team makes the playoffs? We can only hope that Tatar will turn out with a true work ethic and drive to be the best similar to Datsyuk.

Kane will probably throw a hissy fit if he gets shortchanged, and doesn't get the cup second. I can see Campbell, Kane, Keith, or Hossa getting handed the cup from Toews.

Remember when Lids had his balls ripped apart, Dats had a sore foot, and many other injuries? Yea, let's start the finals 2 days after the Chicago series. Last year, correct me if I am wrong, but we beat Chicago in 5, and Pittsburgh beat Carolina in 4. The finals start 2 days after game 5 between Detroit and Chicago. This year, Philly beat Montreal in 5, and Chicago beat San Jose in 4. The finals start 5 days after game 5 between Philly and Montreal. Nice work NHL!! Maybe the Eagles were playing a few shows at the Joe, thus needing to start the Stanley Cup Finals immediately.

There is no way that Hossa can avoid winning the cup this time. Neither of the teams in the East can compete with the way that Chicago has, and will continue, to play.

I've watched quite a few of the Flyers games in these playoffs. I have been watching Leino especially. No, I am not bitter at all, he was not working out in Detroit and I wish him all the best elsewhere. I am glad we were able to get a 5th round pick for him! He is terrible in the defensive zone. Watch him play! He loses many battles along the boards usually because he is not quick enough on his feet to get into good position. I played competitive hockey for 10+ years growing up, so yes, I do know what a winger's job is. Maybe you should give your little speech to Ville*. I know they don't "scrum in front of their own net", and that is exactly why I mentioned that in my post. Please don't insult my intelligence like that again. He seems to have loads of offensive awareness though, and he is great at cycling the puck, seeing the ice, and creating chances. When he needs to get down and dirty in his own zone, he is lost, and unwilling to expend the energy required to make defensive plays. *This is sarcasm, please don't reply and attack this sentence.

Leino looks great offensively with the Flyers. In the offensive end, he is great at cycling, setting people up, and shooting. However, pay attention to #22 in the defensive zone, and the neutral zone. He is just plain awful in the defensive end, and he cannot skate nearly as well as an NHL player should. He looks like a chicken with his head cut off when playing defense, and usually just resorts to standing in front of his own net, because he is not quick enough on his feet to play defense. He relies on his teammates to bail him out of the defensive zone almost every time. EDIT: Just looked up that he is a point per game player in these playoffs. 2G 7A in 9GP +2. That's pretty good, but I'm sticking to my story.

Playoff hockey is getting me by until the World Cup starts. I'm so excited for the World Cup. After that I'm off to Europe, so no withdrawl symptoms for me. I was really down when they lost last year to the Penguins, but this year it was obvious that they lost to a better team*, and expectations were lower anyways. I'm pumped for next season though! *The reffing did not help though, and kind of ticks me off when I think about it. I've just blocked it from my memory, and convinced myself the Sharks deserved to win.