kipwinger

Over the years I've watched him pretty regularly. Previously, I had a roommate from Buffalo for several years and watched most games with him. I was always impressed by Stafford's willingness to play in the dirty areas and his ability to physically stand up to bigger, tougher, players. Because I was familiar with him, once I heard he was on the block I began to pay attention to him again and my opinion hasn't changed. He's got Helm/Abby levels of production this year, and is the primary offensive threat on his line. As a third option (behind Pav and Tats) on a line, I think he'd excel. He's still in his prime and is definitely more offensively capable than Helm. Nobody needs to agree or anything. I just think he'd help. Like I said, Pav's line is really good and all, but I worry that they're too one dimensional. I'd really like a guy on that line that can score in the crease. Stafford can, and wouldn't be too expensive.

I don't think it's going to happen either, and I'm fine with not getting him. But you consistently downplay how good he is. Keith Yandle is really, really, good. For exmaple, he currently leads the league in assists from a defenseman, with 32. You don't think that would help our struggling transition game considerably?

He plays exactly like Abby does and would be an upgrade over Helm on a line with Pav and Tatar. Plus, he's big and plays a physically strong game. Helm, while a hard worker, isn't big and strong, and I'm afraid in the playoffs that line will get pushed to the perimeter and neutralized because they don't have a banger out there with Pav and Tats. I'd do this... Tats-Pav-Stafford Gus-Z-Abby Weiss-Sheahan-Helm Jurco-Glendening-Miller Lean and mean baby.

Darren Eliot, while a much worse goalie, is significantly better than Ozzie in every single aspect of broadcasting. At one point last night, while describing Petr Mrazek's struggles controlling rebounds, Eliot suggesting that Mrazek reach out, grab the puck, and say "will you be my friend". I lost it. Edit: Spelling.

I've finalized my list of preferred trade deadline acquisitions, and I don't think either would be expensive or unrealistic. I want Cody Franson and Drew Stafford. With those two pieces, we win the Stanley Cup.

Denver isn't nicer than Detroit, it's wealthier than Detroit. Many places are wealthier than Detroit, but not many places are nicer. Detroit has better beer, better music, better food, nicer people, more moxie, and most relevant to this discussion...better sports teams. f*** Denver, and f*** any other place where people confuse having money with having heart.

I think our forwards are better now. But the defense is significantly worse...upgrading it would be the point of making trades I'd think.

Mauling the American league. I think the scientific term for what Pulkkinen is doing is "mauling". Nyquist never produced like that in the AHL. Neither did Tatar. 50 points in 39 games. Yikes.

I was just coming to say the same thing. He's definitely looked better with Marchenko IMO.

I'm confused by what you guys are talking about when you say 2nd tier. I assumed 1st tier meant closest to being in the NHL, and 3rd tier was furthest away...despite what you're projected to be. So a guy like Callahan, while not having the highest ceiling, is a first tier prospect because he's very close to being in the NHL (though only on the fourth line). Seems like you guys are saying a guy's only first tier if he has a star-like ceiling, in which case Mantha or Larkin would be the only ones. But that's a little tricky because those guys aren't even prospects in the same way a guy like Drouin, Ekblad, Reinheart, or Draisitl are. So are those guys A++++ prospects? I'm lost.

Followed immediately by an Instagram of Byfuglien shoving those same stacks up his ass?

Gotta agree. Strange group of players there. Jensen is at the top of the pack (in that he's going to be in the NHL one day and is close right now), Ehn and Turgeon I'd say are in the middle (just because they haven't had a chance to succeed OR fail yet), and Frk is about as bottom of the pack as you can get (slightly above Mike McKee, but still bottom bottom bottom). Which sucks, because I always thought Frk would make it. Soooo wrong about that one.

I suppose that's why we differ. I don't consider 5.5 million a year "big money". Premier defensemen make quite a lot more than that.

Where'd you see this rumor? Got a link?

What defenseman, in your opinion, is worth a 5 year 5.5 million dollar contract? I'm just trying to understand where you're coming from here.

Here's a quick breakdown of Toronto's salary structures. They already committed prime time money to crappy players. Which is why they can't afford to keep Frason. Toronto is paying Kessel, Phaneuf, Lupul, and Clarkson more than Chicago gave to Toews, Kane, Keith, and Hossa on their last deals (the ones they cleared Ladd et. al. to keep). They're paying them more than we paid Lids, Z, Dats, Franzen when we lost Hossa. They're paying them nearly as much as Chara, Bergeron, Kreci, and Rask. Kessel: 8 million cap hit Phaneuf: 7 million cap hit Lupul 5.2 million cap hit Clarkson: 5.2 million Van Reimsdyk: 4.2 million Bozak: 4.2 Gardiner: 4 Robidas: 3 Komorov: 2.9 Kadri: 2.9 Bernier: 2.9 Polak: 2.7 Reimer: 2.3

Ok, let's be more systematic about this. What holes do you see in Franson's game that make you think he's not worth that kind of money and term? And can you think of any comparable defensemen/comparable contracts that you think are more realistic for a guy like him?

Agreed. Plus, I think it's understood that if we signed a guy like Franson long term, we'd probably be letting Quincey walk after next season. Just a guess, but seems like a reasonable one.

James Wisniewski isn't worth his contract? He's a top four offensive defenseman and powerplay quarterback. Since he's been with Columbus he's scored 115 points in 199 games. He also averages over 20 minutes a night. He's been top ten in defense scoring twice in the four years he's been there, and has contributed 14 powerplay goals and 47 powerplay points since then. What would he need to do to be worth his contract if he's not doing it already? Learn to fly? Do the team's taxes as well?

Right, because trading Phaneuf and his massive (and undeserved) contract will be super duper easy to move. I'm not sure what's so hard to believe here. Toronto mismanaged their team and now can't afford to keep a good player? Good teams do it all the time, why is it so hard to believe a bad team (Toronto) couldn't do it too? I'll give you examples: 1. Boston couldn't afford to keep Iginla or Boychuk, but they aren't bad players. 2. Chicago couldn't afford to keep Campbell, Versteeg, Ladd, or Byfuglien, but they aren't bad players. 3. Detroit only offered Marian Hossa 4 million dollars to stay, but he's not a bad player. Sometimes, cap constraints mean you'll lose guys (or lowball guys) that you'd prefer to keep. It happens...a lot. Get over it. He's a good offensive defenseman. You don't have to like him. You don't have to want him on the team. But your continued insistence that he must not be good because the Toronto Maple Leafs organization can't retain him (at market value), is absurd. Completely and totally absurd. Is it really so hard to believe that that Maple Leafs are wrong? Or stupid? Or poorly run? They've been wrong, stupid, and poorly run for the last 65 year!

Toronto does everything absolutely backward. If they aren't giving a guy a contract, that's almost a full fledged endorsement. Seriously, if you use Toronto contract offers (and their worth) to form your impressions of players, then you'd have to conclude David Clarkson and Dion Phaneuf are REALLY good, and Cody Franson is garbage. The actions of David Nonis should never...ever...be a guidepost for accurately formulating opinions. Ever.

Do you find it even remotely ironic that the guy who supposed wants to "pretend the horrible Choice never happened" is also the same guy who won't shut up about it?

Good point. f*** this guy. He sucks.

Ok? Why would their free wheelingness be used as an excuse for why Franson scores, but overlooked when it becomes clear that nobody else on their team scores much? If their freewheeling offense inflates his numbers, why doesn't it inflate anybody else's? I'm not sure why everybody is trying to hard to make the guy out to be worse than he is. He was a good offensive player with Nashville (a non freewheeling team) and he's a good offensive player with Toronto. AND, not surprisingly, he's getting better with age. There are probably some reasons not to like his game, but suggesting he's not good offensively isn't one of them.

He plays on their second pair and runs their second power play. The EXACT same things he'd do here. I'm not sure what you think he does for them/what you think he'd be doing for us? If I'm following you correctly, you're suggesting that Cody Franson's points MAY be inflated because he gets powerplay time and plays with an offensively gifted player (Kessel). That's reasonable. But then it stands to reason that if powerplays and better offense inflate stats, his number would be better in Detroit...since we've got a better powerplay, better team offense, and a (currently) better individual goal scorer than Kessel.