Bring Back The Bruise Bros

I think we were the only ones who thought it was a good idea to go after him. Still holding out hope for Jim Vandermeer or Jason Strudwick!

Sucks that Jay Harrison re-signed with Carolina

Yes, it gets aggravating. I used to try to reason with him, but I choose to just ignore it now. Anyhow, how about Hudler to Edmonton for Theo Peckham?

Ryan O'Byrne is a RFA for the Avs. If they choose not to offer him a contract, does that make him a UFA July 1st? He would be a good replacement for Ruslan Salei. In turn, Salei is a former Ave, I wonder if they'd want him back? Ideally though, Salei must be looking at San Jose, Los Angeles, or Anaheim to be closest to his family.

I don't see us letting Eaves walk. As much as i'd love to have Prust here, the Rangers would be silly to trade him away. John Madden has already stated he will retire if Minnesota doesn't want him back next year. His family lives in Minnesota. I'm hoping we stay away from Zherdev and Jagr, possibly Kenny could possibly acquire a top 6 guy via trade? Not likely, though. I think Matt Greene would be a great fit here. A local Michigan kid, fits the bill for a young shut-down defenseman. Won't be looking for a ton of money. Jim Vandermeer comes to mind as another shut-down defenseman, at the right price of course.

Maybe 15 years ago Jagr would be okay with me. I'm not a fan of the idea of Zherdev, either. I think Scottie Upshall is a decent option. I'm not sure if he wants to stay in Columbus or not. As much as i'd like Laich (lol) here, there are too many teams that have tons of money to toss around for us to compete, in my opinion. I wouldn' be surprised if he went to Edmonton, he's got family in that area. The more I look at it, the more it seems Hudler may be dealt, especially with teams struggling to make the cap and looking for any hope of offense, they will be getting desperate. I like the idea of signing a 4th liner or two. If Matt Hendricks is available, we should definitely go after him. Extremely underrated. As far as defense goes, I'd like to see us let Salei go in favor of a younger, more physical guy like Matt Greene. James Wisniewski is my choice to replace Rafalski. Hopefully Ericsson bolts for more money elsewhere, and we can get a guy who plays physical on a regular basis and is less of a turnover machine.

Anyone like the possibility of acquiring Scott Hannan? He's 32. He's a good shut-down guy. Not quite as physical as he used to be, but he's younger and more physical than Salei anyhow.

Cody McCormick Brooks Laich(Unlikely, I know) James Wisniewski Matt Greene

That would be a good start to the offseason.

I don't feel Zherdev is defensively responsible enough to play here. He is far too inconsistent offensively. If I remember correctly, there was a stretch where he was a healthy scratch for the Flyers this past season. He scored 22 points in 56 games last season. I don't feel he'd be a good investment, especially for his price tag.

This guy has so much left in the tank, there's no way it is time for him to hang them up Welcome back, Nick.

You make a good point, sir.

You completely missed the point of the post... I never said the meaner a team plays, the more successful they are...

Classic examples from this past season include Edmonton and the Islanders. The Oilers have promising young guys like Hall, Eberle, Paajarvi. They've got plenty of big guys around them to handle anyone who's gonna run at them. Steve MacIntyre, Theo Peckham, Jim Vandermeer, etc. I'm sure Edmonton will keep MacIntyre around next year as well. The Islanders have promising young guys like Tavares, Grabner, Moulson, Parenteau. They surrounded them with guys to handle all the rough stuff. Trevor Gillies, Zenon Konopka, Matt Martin, Michael Haley, etc. If the Isles don't keep Gillies and/or Konopka around for next year, rest assured they will get guys similar to them to protect the youngsters. Yzerman had Probert, Kocur, Gallant, etc. Gretzky had Semenko. It's always been the case that promising young players are protected by "enforcers".

As much as I'd like to see him here, he seems to be comfortable with Weber in Nashville. He seems to get along with the coaching staff. I don't think he's going anywhere. If anything, he may take a cut to stay in Nashville.

Not sure how defensively sound Matt Carle is. Haven't really watched him enough.

Broke his hand a while back didn't he? Messed up his thumb as well. Played in 16 games this past year. He's only 26. Hopefully he finds a home this summer and rebounds next year. On a separate note, I'm personally pulling for Brian McGrattan to get a spot on an NHL roster next year. He had a great year in the AHL last year in Syracuse (Anaheim's AHL Affiliate). Got to meet him and talked with him and he said he was pretty confident he could find a spot somewhere in the NHL next year. His skating has improved quite a bit and he showed a touch of offense in the minors last year. Hopefully he returns

Yeah which is why Laich won't work here either. If I had my choice, i'd take Upshall, though. I'd prioritize on solidifying our defense before looking at forwards. Shut down defenseman for less than a mil, and a replacement for Rafalski (Bieksa, etc.).

Fair enough. Jokinen's the ideal shootout specialist, which wouldn't hurt us at all. I think our main focus will be on defense this summer, though. I don't really foresee us actually doing too much up front. Maybe a bottom 6 forward. I hope i'm wrong, though.

Tanguay is far too inconsistent and injury prone. Plus, Calgary has stated they'd like to keep him. Cole has quite the injury history like you said. Ryder's really expensive. Not saying Hartnell is the best option, it was just something I tossed out there. Jussi Jokinen is interesting, but he will have a lot of offers, and we both know Kenny won't overpay. Yup, he's got a ton of potential and that physical edge many (including myself) feel we need.

That's a good point, sir. I'd be happy with us snatching him up, but I bet Toronto is going to make a push for him.

Still didn't get any names from you, as to who is a good idea...

It would be silly to pay Laich 4 mil or more. Someone will, though.

Anyone else disappointed with D.J. King? In the first couple years coming out of the lockout, he was arguably one of the better scrappers in the NHL. He looked like a shell of his former self this past season. I doubt Washington keeps him around.

29 years old. 24 goals, 25 assists, 49 points in 82 games. What do you suggest, Mr. GM?