Buppy

I don't think Eaves has shown anything this year to earn top line time even if Homer has "tailed off" a bit in the last couple games. Try him in White's spot on the PP, and in Homer's spot when we want a defensive replacement. Then if he does well you can give him more. He also looks better with Miller and Emmy than Homer, Bert, or Bruno do. Flip-Pav-Homer(Eaves) Huds-Hank-Mule Abby-Helm-Cleary Miller-Emmy-Eaves PP1: Flip-Pav-Homer Nick-Eaves PP2: Mule-Hank-Cleary Nik-Huds Or for something outside-the-box we could try Pav or Hank (or both) on the point. Maybe that could somehow spark them and/or our anemic PP. Eaves-Flip-Homer Nick-Pav Huds-Mule-Cleary Nik-Hank Doesn't look very good, but it couldn't be worse than what we saw against St.Louis. (Though probably better to just hope Smith can come in and help.)

Well, I wouldn't want to bank on Parise for 10 years, but 6 or 7 would be nice, and that's plenty of time for the next generation to grow up. More to the point, yeah, market value is feasible, and looks pretty damn nice even: FORWARDS Zach Parise ($7.500m) / Pavel Datsyuk ($6.700m) / Daniel Cleary ($2.800m) Valtteri Filppula ($3.000m) / Henrik Zetterberg ($6.083m) / Johan Franzen ($3.954m) Justin Abdelkader ($1.500m) / Darren Helm ($2.000m) / Taylor Pyatt ($1.000m) Drew Miller ($0.837m) / Cory Emmerton ($0.533m) / Patrick Eaves ($1.200m) Gustav Nyquist ($0.875m) / Jan Mursak ($0.550m) DEFENSEMEN Ryan Suter ($6.500m) / Ian White ($2.875m) Niklas Kronwall ($4.750m) / Johnny Boychuk ($2.875m) Jonathan Ericsson ($3.250m) / Jakub Kindl ($0.883m) Brendan Smith ($0.875m) GOALTENDERS Jimmy Howard ($2.250m) / Backup ($1.000m) CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter) (these totals are compiled without the bonus cushion) SALARY CAP: $64,300,000; CAP PAYROLL: $63,792,044; BONUSES: $37,500 CAP SPACE (23-man roster): $507,956

You realize there is a provision in the charging rule allowing for supplementary discipline, right? You keep saying it was a charging penalty as if that means it shouldn't have been a suspension. You're right that you can't prove intent. However, you can infer intent by looking at the actions and the likely result. A hard hit on someone in a vulnerable position is reasonbly likely to cause injury, therefore it is reasonable to infer that intentionally hitting (hard) a vulnerable player is intent to injure. Regardless of what you or others think of the rule, the fact is goalies are not fair game. That means we can reasonably assume Miller did not feel (and should not have had) any need to protect himself from a hit. In my opinion, because goalies have that protection and therefore do not expect to be hit like that, goalies should always be considered vulnerable. So in my opinion, any hard, intentional hit on a goalie should be considered intent to injure and warrant a suspension. I understand that it is subjective and not everyone will subscribe to the same logic. However, remember that a lack of 'proof' of intent is not proof of no intent. Also remember that this is a hockey league, not a court of law. We're not talking about sending someone to jail. We don't need to meet so strict a burden of proof. This was a chance for the league to prove they are willing to suspend a star player (besides Pronger) as well as deter future actions they obviously do not want to see in game (goalies getting hit). In my opnion, Shanny missed on this one.

Wiz's rights went for a 7th rounder, Ehrhoff's for a 4th. Why would you think it would take a 1st plus players? Or do you mean as a deadline deal? They are still exempt and we'll have the cap space to add alternatives. Wouldn't surprise me at all if they both end up staying another year. If they play like stars the whole year in GR and/or they get called up here and make an impact it'd be a different story, but I'll wait until after that happens before I pencil them in to next year's roster.

Babs seems commited to playing both Flip and Abby on the wing, so that leaves Emmy as our only other center. Not that it guarantees him a spot, but I think he'd actually have to play poorly to be moved. (Though if we did land Parise it might push Flip to the 3rd line center...) Both Tatar and Nyquist will still be waiver exempt next year (as will Smith). Not sure any of them will be on the roster next year.

Aside from being younger, I don't see Gleason as much of an upgrade. Pretty similar players IMO. Really, aside from Suter I don't think any pending UFAs are a real upgrade. There's a handful of guys of a similar level, so I don't think it's a huge worry if we don't re-sign him, especially if Nick comes back again. Gleason would be a good replacement. Suter obviously. I also like Boychuk, Gorges, Beauchemin, and Zanon. I also like Wideman. Not a physical, stay-at-home guy, but in our system his puck moving and offense might actually produce better results. Plus, if Nick came back that would give us two excellent L/R pairs for the PP points.

I don't know about 'easy'. There's not a lot of good defensemen on the market. Defensively, he's been our 2nd best defenseman since he got here, and steps up his effort in the playoffs. I think some of us are too spoiled by Nick to appreciate his defense, and he'll always be vilified for game 7. That said, his lack of offensive acumen limits his value in our system. Ideally, Nick will come back and Kindl, Ericsson, or Smith will step up to take a top 4 spot, and we won't need Stu or any of the good FAs so anyone we do land will be like a bonus (or we can focus on fowards). If Nick retires I think we'll need a top FA, plus the kids stepping up, and either Stuie or another good FA.

While I agree that a goalie that far out of the crease should be fair game, the fact is, according to the rules of the game today, they are not. Therefore, Miller had no reason to expect he would be hit like that and no reason to protect himself from it. Lucic very certainly knows that rule, and so knew Miller was in a vulnerable position. Seems like a clear attempt to injure to me, and if it was my call Lucic would be sitting for a few games. I'd also suspend Miller for the attempted slash.

Broduer, Luongo, Bryzgalov, Price, Halak, Hiller, Remier, or Ward... Not sure why you'd have to take anyone off though, I don't think there's any rule. Also: great rookie season, fell off last year, great so far this year. I'd say he's a bit closer to being a 'star' than Kronwall is.

You have a very selective memory. In the Washington game, Hudler played a season high 22 shifts, all with either Flip and Mule or Pav and Hank. In the next two games (Columbus & San Jose), he played 29 of 36 shifts with Flip and Mule, one with Hank and Flip, and another with Pav, Hank, and Cleary (with the goalie pulled against SJ). The other 5 were with Helm and Abby. The next game, against Minnesota, he started with Flip and Mule again for 6 shifts, then 3 with Flip and Cleary. One with Hank and Abby, 3 with Helm and Abby, and one (looks like a rare 4v4 shift) with Helm the only other forward. So after 5 games without a point, 4 games without even a shot on goal, playing about 80 of 92 shifts in those games with some combination of Flip, Mule, Pav, Hank, and Cleary, he was benched. He came back the next game and played with Pav and Cleary again for the first 9 shifts (Flip instead of Pav for one, and one shift Helm and Abby replaced Pav and Cleary halfway through). Then he got hurt and sat out the rest of the 2nd period. When he came back in the 3rd he played with Helm and Abby, and has been with them for the most part since. So 5 1/2 games, 0 points, 1 shot, 5 penalties. Yeah, he was struggling before he got demoted. But I suppose you'll just blame it on everyone else. (Data comes from the TOI report for each game, linemates determined by who played the majority of the time Hudler was on. I didn't count players on for just a few seconds with him from on-the-fly line changes.) Cleary has not been any worse than Hudler. At least he shoots, plays solid defense, good speed, and works hard. Bert hasn't been good, but he's not getting top 6 time either, and has less than half the PP time of Hudler.

I apologize for using you as a focal point for the argument I was making. However, much of my post was based on logical inference. If you imply that Cleary is getting too much of a chance or Pav and Hank were together for too long, obviously you have an alternative suggestion, even if it's not very specific. Of course, you wouldn't have that alternative if you weren't assuming it would work better, and that by itself is fine. You just can't use that as the basis of your criticism. Let's wait a couple more games and see if splitting Pav and Hank really works, and then you can say he should have tried it sooner. Let's wait until Bert is actually getting top 6 time before critisizing Babs for giving it to him. Cleary scored 26 goals last year, he's at least shooting a lot this year. Who else on the team is playing so well that they deserve that role over him?

You're ignoring the fact that changes have been made. Lines have been juggled several times already. What you really mean is that you just want the team to win, and when they don't you shake your fist and say, "You should have done something different". Just because the changes aren't what you wanted to see doesn't mean there weren't changes. Also, you can't just assume that the changes you want to see would actually be better, and use that assumption as your basis for bashing the coach. You actually need proof that your suggestions are better before you're allowed to say 'I told you so'. Bert is 9th among forwards in average ice time, and has only played one game in the top 6. Cleary has struggled this year, but he scored at a 30 goal pace last year and at least he's shooting. Homer started on the 4th line, worked hard and was pretty effective so he got bumped up. Hudler struggled and got demoted, as did Filppula briefly. I'm not sure what changes you want to see. It's not like anyone lower on the depth chart has been playing so well as to command extra opportunities. Fact is, if we're going to be a contender this season, Pav and Hank need to be better. It's that simple. We can work through the ups and downs of the secondary players; not so much with the stars. If we need specific line combos or new players to make Pav and Hank better, we're already doomed.

You can be in the crease so long as you do not interfere with the goalie or block his vision. The part of the rule that seems to cause the most confusion with Homer call-backs is: "If an attacking player establishes a significant position within the goal crease, so as to obstruct the goalkeeper’s vision and impair his ability to defend his goal, and a goal is scored, the goal will be disallowed." 'Significant position' in regards to Homer seems to mean 'any portion of his body or uniform, such as a stray string from his sweater or the smell of his ass' and 'within the goal crease' means 'on the ice'. Also, any contact with the goalie in the crease (other than players whacking at loose puck) will get a goal waived off, and possibly a penalty. Outside the crease incidental contact is allowed (though not for Homer in most cases).

Way too early to predict. We have like 4 months to see how guys like Flip, Huds, Mule, Bert, Homer, & Cleary are really looking, and how the kids (Helm, Abby, Emmy, Mursak, Nyquist, Tatar, Kindl, Ericsson, Smith) are progressing. If the deadline was tomorrow, we'd look for a forward. Kindl and Ericsson are playing fine right now. But in 4 months, god knows. Injuries could be a factor as well. Also, if something doesn't change soon we may see a trade sooner.

Flip - Pav - Homer (Cleary/Eaves/Miller shifted in for defense or if Homer isn't working) Mule - Hank - Hudler (Cleary/Eaves/Miller) Abby - Helm - Cleary Nyquist (or Tatar) - Emmerton - Eaves (or Miller) I think Flip being bumped to the 3rd line is maybe to try to get more offense from that line. But that's what kids like Nyquist and Tatar are for. Let them play against other 4th lines and 3rd defense pairs and provide a spark rather than be pressured to score against better players. If they do well there, then try them in the top 6.

I have to disagree about 'needing' a sniper. Yes, the offense has been stagnant the past few games, and the PP has sucked most of the season. But in the first five games we scored 18 goals, putting us near the top of the league. Last season we were 2nd in the league in GF, only 1 goal less than Vancouver (and that with Datsyuk missing time, and Mule, Huds, and Flip having sub-par seasons). It is far more likely that the first five games are much more indicative of our offensive capabilities than are the last four. Acquiring a good sniper would certainly be great, so long as we don't have to give up too much to do so, but it's not really needed. We have 3-5 guys capable of 30+ goals, plus another handful capable of 20+, and several defensemen that can generate offense. We could easily end up leading the league in goals this year. I think you expect far too much from Kenny. Since the lockout we are the highest scoring team in the league. And that's with a down year following the loss of Steve and Shanny, and the injury plague in 09-10. Kenny has done a fantastic job, not just in helping us stay a contender every year, but doing so without mortgaging the future. Despite the lack of any top picks in recent memory; we are still a contender this year, AND we are in excellent position in regards the to salary cap, AND we actually have a pretty solid prospect pool. Of course our roll won't last forever. It may even end sooner rather than later. But to say the organization should have done a better job, or even could have (without both the ability to see the future and employ mind-control on other GMs) is pretty ridiculous.

They were split up when Emmerton was out, but together most of the time elsewise. Personally, I think Bert looks out of place on that line. 3 goals in 9 games certainly isn't bad for a 3rd line, but I think they'd be even better without Bert. Hank-Pav-Homer (Homer has looked good the past two games) Huds-Flip-Mule (4 games without a goal, but I still think they can work) Abby-Helm-Cleary (Maybe that will spark Clears) Miller-Emmy-Eaves (Solid defensive line)

He does not have to clear re-entry waivers due to his two-way contract. Re-entry waivers are only for players making over a $105,000 in the AHL.

No Fedorov?

Murph (I think) said Babs likes Flip on the wing because he shoots more. Mule can be as good as Flip defensively when he tries, and having Flip on the forecheck (as he's been the last couple games) could also help him to be more aggressive offensively. Flip should definitely be taking the faceoffs though.

Teams that figure to contend for the Cup don't just swap players. You either add something or do nothing. The last three years we haven't had any cap room to add anyone. That doesn't mean Kenny isn't willing to make moves. We may not add anyone, it depends on who's available and at what price. We'd have the option of keeping pretty much anyone, so it wouldn't necessarily be a rental. The biggest problem really is that we just don't have that much worth trading.

You have to read them in order.

"Dumb" depends on the situation. Trading him right now for anything other than a better top-6 forward wouldn't make much sense, sure. But after another 30-ish games if we need to open a roster spot for Mursak, who knows. Maybe Hudler will have 40 points and look like an all-star, maybe he'll have 10 and be a healthy scratch half the time. We don't yet know how Hudler will perform. We don't know how guys like Emmerton, Brunnstrom, Miller, Eaves, etc. will perform. We don't know what our team needs will be, or if we'll need to open a roster spot. Speculating that Hudler might be a good trade candidate in 2 1/2 months is no more "dumb" than speculating that he'll still be a top-6 forward at that point.

Kind of proving my point here; instead of re-signing Hudler you upgraded. That defense is pretty suspect. Boyes is more of a project than a true top-6 forward at this point. Maybe he'll rebound this year, but I wouldn't invest much into him until he does. Better off using that cap to upgrade Janik to a real defenseman and adding Nyquist. Then depending on cap remaining you can look at upgrading Flip.

As it stands we have around $28.5M in cap space next year (using this year's cap number) with Nick, Kronwall, Stuart, Commodore, Bert, Homer, Hudler, Abby, Helm, and Conklin to re-sign or replace. $10M or so to re-sign Kronwall and Stuart, $4M for Helm and Abby, $3M for Hudler, add Smith and backup goalie for $1.5 and that leaves $10M. You are not going to add two top-6 forwards and either Nick or top-4 d-man for that.