kipwinger

Of course we do. Jesus.

In a vacuum I like him. On this team I don't. He's kinda slow, and not the toughest dude. He can score, so that's good. But I don't think he improves our "soft and undersized" dynamic too much. And unless we address that, we're going to keep having trouble in the playoffs. I think he'd be a good complimentary piece on a big team who needs finesse and scoring.

If Stralman signs before Niskanen, he'll get a little bump on his offer totals. I'm guessing that's why he's waiting.

A couple of these contracts have been bad, but not terribly so. As I already said, nothing like the Clarkson, Clowe, or Horton contracts of a year ago.

More than the one he had last year? He should be able to do that almost by pure luck.

Ah, ok. I know who he is now. He was good in "The Trotsky", for those not impressed with his work being "the other guy" in Seth Rogen films. He'd be cheap and sign short term is my thinking. And he'd still probably give you 50 pts. Anything too expensive would drop him down my list pretty fast.

Of the forwards still available, my list goes 1. Iginla, 2. Vrbata, 3. Vanek, 4. Moulson. Of the defensemen, I'll take 1. Niskanen, 2. Nobody.

Orpik to Washington should add a little spice to the Pitts-Wash games. At long last, he'll get a chance to hit Crosby.

Pierre LeBrun @Real_ESPNLeBrun The Habs need a new captain. Brian Gionta signs with the Buffalo Sabres.

I think that would be Jimmy-D. The loopy sidekick who says off-the-wall things.

Take Amtrak. It's much more pleasant.

He waived it.

Move to DC. We'll catch a game together.

It's like Luke and Yoda...accept less cool because in this scenario Holland is Yoda and he's slowly dying.

Because he'd be redundant on our team. He plays the same game as Nyquist, who we already have. But he's a good signing for Dallas.

I don't want him either. He doesn't fit here. We've got skilled, playmaking, forwards here. But he's a good signing in Dallas.

Anybody doubt that Nill being aggressive this year and last will make his team more desirable to free agents going forward?

Pierre LeBrun @Real_ESPNLeBrun Ryan Miller is a Vancouver Canuck

So far Dallas is having a good day. Spezza and Hemsky for prospects, picks, and cash. Not too shabby.

Pierre LeBrun @Real_ESPNLeBrun Ales Hemsky has agreed to terms with the Dallas Stars

Elliotte Friedman @FriedgeHNIC Dan Boyle also got a NMC from NYR... I think it goes without saying KH offered him one of these as well.

This is a very legit point. I have nothing to complain about as far as the Sheahan and Mrazek signings are concerned. If I'm going to criticize, I better be willing to complement as well.

I wish I had Tortorella handy to tell Brooksie to shove it.

It's a little much, but it's not like Clarkson or Clowe bad.

I don't know. What have other teams done to make themselves more attractive to free agents? It's not like we're the first hockey team in history to have this problem. Offer a little more money? Be aggressive in the trade market? Add a few legitimate pieces, make yourself more of a contender again, and then guys will want to sign good deals (or discounts) because they've got a realistic chance of winning? I imagine any solution is better than doing nothing and hoping the trend magically changes.