kipwinger

Yes (see below). My point is, why bother? You just won a Cup with your EXACT same team...minus Hossa. So offer him a contract that leaves you in a good cap situation, and if he takes it great. If not, you've still got a team that just won the Stanley Cup. The fact that he didn't re-sign Hossa was probably not limited by Franzen's contract. There's always options. We had plenty of moveable assets going into free agency 2010. If Holland really though keeping Hossa was integral to team success, he could have traded Filppula, Hudler, Kronwall, Stuart, Cleary, Abby, Helm, Howard, Ericsson, Lilja. Or NOT SIGNED Bertuzzi, Miller, Eaves, May, or Williams. Remember that the difference between what Holland offered Hossa and what he took from Chicago was only about 1.5 million dollars. One or two of these players would have easily covered that. The likely reason he didn't re-sign Hossa is because Hossa wanted 5+ million for the next 12 years. Which Holland didn't want to do. How did it suddenly become and either/or scenario between Franzen and Hossa?

You're misunderstanding what I have against Edwards. I don't care if he likes fighting. But it annoys me when Jack Edwards manipulates his fans' love of fighting, in order to justify Boston douchebaggery (like the Chara punch after a Chara penalty). I don't care if Boston dives. But I DO care if Jack Edwards pretends that Boston players are all the remains between hockey and European soccer, just because he knows that message will resonate. I don't like that Jack Edwards has simultaneously never played hockey, and knows EXACTLY what is ruining/vital to the game, which happens to coincide with whatever his fans already think is ruining/vital to the game. He tells a bunch of idiots exactly what they want to hear. Which makes him dishonest, and more importantly, annoying. That's why he sucks. Because he's formulaic and fake.

So blame Holland, fine. I don't care. And I don't care that you think Hossa's better. He is. But I'm a little tired of hearing people ***** about Franzen as if he was supposed to voluntarily turn down the money. Or as if his contract hasn't been helpful. Or like his production didn't warrant 3.9 million a year. As for the second part, about either having one or the other, that's absurd. Here's a recent example: Boston didn't have a lot of cap space and wanted to keep Riley Smith and Torey Krug. They didn't have a lot of money. They convinced Krug and Smith to sign one year contracts below market value. Let Iginla walk (even though they didn't want to), and traded Boychuk. Where there's a will there's a way. You can argue all day that Holland made the wrong decisions, but he clearly thought that keeping Hudler, Filppula, AND Franzen was worth more to the team than losing two of those guys and keeping Hossa. And it's a little hard to blame him since he had just got done winning a Cup the year before with Hudler, Filppula, and Franzen...but not Hossa.

Doesn't the fact that he's largely stopped being so horrible only lend credence to what I'm saying about having standards? Edwards is a jackass. But if Boston fans didn't like idiotic jackasses, then Edwards would change or get fired.

Yikes! Think he'll be playing college hockey somewhere soon lol?

You said he should be signed to a long term, Zetterberg like, contract. If nothing else, that suggests a higher cap hit (since Zetterberg's cap hit is higher). They did EXACTLY what you said should be done. EXACTLY. Now you're against it huh? Give me a break. Your whole schtick is so phoney its surreal.

You didn't have to. You made a direct comparison between the two. The fact that you're reneging on it now doesn't change that. You compared them, probably for arguments' sake. That's fine.

Also, are you suggesting that he didn't do management a favor because he hasn't been good afterward? That's absurd. The twists of logic that people go through to demonize Franzen are getting outrageous. He's not a superstar, so what? He signed the contract that management (and everybody else) thought he was worth at the time, AND it was a contract that was favorable to management. And his contract had almost no impact on the Hossa negotiations. If anybody should take heat for the Hossa thing, it's Holland. Not Franzen. What was he supposed to do, turn down the money?

The deal was sweetheart because it kept the cap hit low, which is for the team's benefit only. He could have done 8 years at 5 million per, and it would have really put the crunch on management. Front loaded deals are specifically designed to circumvent the cap, which helps management, but does very little for the player. I know that it's passe to say anything good about Franzen these days, but here are a few simple truths. 1). He signed a deal specifically structured to help the team out (as is the point of the front loaded contract). 2) After the years he had in 2008 and 2009, he likely would have made more money on the open market. 3). EVERYBODY was for the signing when it happened (April, 2009). Nobody was upset, as it looked like we were getting a playoff monster and 30 goal scorer for 3.9 million (cap). 4) His signing had a negligible impact on re-signing Hossa. Likely, part of the reason why management wanted Franzen on a lower cap hit was so they could sign Hossa. 5) Franzen has not lived up to the potential he had shown for the two years prior to signing that deal. How that has morphed into "management signed a bum instead of Hossa" is beyond me.

Hey, if you think Mickey and Jack Edwards are similar that's fine. I disagree.

That's exactly the point. You like something, and then after it's gone bad you don't. You don't like something, until it works. You say so many contradictory things that you'll always be simultaneously right and wrong. I assume that's the point for you. But spare us all the "I told you so" crap. You liked Franzen, and you liked the signing. Three months later you changed your tune. Which is nothing new with you. You did the same thing with the Quincey trade until we dug up what you said about that at the time.

I think they will. No need to trade for a goalie unless Mrazek struggles. But it seems pretty clear that Holland and co. are set on letting him carry the load until then.

I'm not going to personally attack anyone. Or even allude to it. What I will say is, there are plenty of dips***s holding the "Boston point of view", and it's because of people like them that Jack Edwards calls games the way he does. If fans held themselves, and their home announcing teams to a higher standard, then Jack Edwards would be in Southie, drinking himself silly after a long day in the garbage truck, bitchin' about the smarty pants' with their fancy math stats, and the decline of the enforcer, and the overall pussification of America.

So why don't you blame Hudler and Filppula for not being traded? Why does your ire fall on Franzen? He signed a sweetheart deal three months before Hossa left, and it's a "choice" between him and Hossa? Why don't you ever, EVER, present "the choice" as being between Hossa and Filppula, or Hossa and Hudler? I'll tell you why. Because it's not as easy an argument to make, that's why. Because, in hindsight, everyone agrees that Franzen has been underwhelming. Not worth his contract. So you parade yourself around here, acting like you "knew it all along", because saying "Franzen sucks" is easy. And people largely agree with you. But you didn't know it all along. Ooooooh no you didn't. Just like everybody else, you thought the signing was good. You advocated for it. And why not? Franzen had just had two MONSTER years. It WAS a good signing at the time. It all went sour AFTER he didn't perform up to snuff. Which is all you need to say. I'd kiss your ass right now if you'd just once tell the truth..."I, Leftwinger, liked the signing when it happened. However, in hindsight, it didn't work out for the team". That's the truth. But instead we'll hear endlessly about how "you knew better". You didn't. That point is fraudulent. You were just as fooled by Franzen's two good years as everyone else. If you're a prophet, you're a false one.

I don't really have a problem with Edwards' homerism. He's not a national announcer, there's no need for him to be unbiased. I do, however, have a problem with how blatantly, and non ironically, he panders to the lowest common denominator (read: Bruins fans). It's like he knows all the worst things about sports fans, and targets those things in the dumbest possible way. Fans don't like refs? He'll ***** about the officiating endlessly. Goal waived off? That's precisely the one that changed the course of hockey. Don't like rats? They're ruining the game (except the ones employed by the Bruins). He specifically targets the dumbest, most ill formed, laziest, points of view, and then repeats them back at a higher volume. In short, if you like Jack Edward's act, or agree with the things he says, you're stupid. And it's because you're stupid that he's saying those things.

Franzen signed first, to a sweetheart deal, well below market value. Given how Ken Holland works, you really think he would have traded Franzen three months after Franzen did management a favor and took a lower cap hit? C'mon.

We'll see. We will just see about that!

Would that work for Smith as well? Could we sell them as the next Weber-Suter?

Well, we'll see how much Mr. Rocket likes the ICU when I smash his face into next Tuesday. Bruin-bear strong! Rawr!

But surely a smaller guy could channel "the big bad bear" and board him, right? That would be sooooo cool and tough. I mean seriously, if Chara wants to go all big, bad, bear, bruin, on people, they should be allowed to injure and maim him in response, right bro? f*** yeah! I'll board the s*** out of him AND his widow right freakin' now! You think I'm afraid of a dead guy and an old woman? I'm Bruins' strong. Find a person smaller and weaker than I am and I'll smash their face into a wall anytime I feel like it. Punk.

Because "The Choice" single handedly destroyed Detroit hockey and created the Chicago dynasty. If not for Ken Hollands idiotic bumbling, Hossa would have brought at least two more Cups to Detroit instead. Just like he did in 2009, back when he was playing with a much younger, better, and more effective Datsyuk, Zetterberg, and Lidstrom. Oh, and having Hossa, Zetterberg, AND Franzen on long term, front loaded, contracts wouldn't have screwed us at all. Nope. No way. It would have all been roses.

Good point. I guess we'll have to wait for Looooooooch to board someone and punch them with his glove on before we can celebrate the rebirth of ye olde tyme hockey.

To be clear, you're talking about buying out the EXACT contract that you were in favor of offering him in the first place right?

We draft really well. That second round pick is worth a lot to us. I can see Ken Holland using it in a trade, but not for a #5 defenseman. Plus, the rumors I'm reading now are saying that Holland wants someone "long term", and "not a rental". As such, I don't see them targeting Petry until the off season (if at all).

No doubt. If not for Chara's selflessness, honor, and decency, Gary Bettman would already have taken boarding and gloved punches out of the game. What's next, no more slashing or slew footing? Maurice Richard is turning over in his grave.