kipwinger

I assume you're suggesting he did this all in an effort to make NY lose, considering they're a better team without Carcillo out there being a liability. Damn you Bettman, trying to stack the Rangers with garbage players by exploiting loopholes!

I'm clueless now? Well at least you don't throw a fit and call people names when they don't agree with you. And who could possibly argue with a stat that ranks David Booth above John Tavares and Mike Green above Ryan Suter. Rock solid.

Naw...Smith just needed to be gifted top pair minutes rather than having to earn them. Miller would probably look a lot better on Datsyuk's wing too, but it doesn't mean he earned it or that he belongs there.

Isn't Vancouver also asking an insane amount for Edler despite him coming off one of his worst seasons?

There was actually just a new interview with Commie posted today. Check the news feed.

Doesn't Edler shoot left?

Wasn't he drafted by New York where he was an AHL stud, then traded to Carolina where he put up six points in 38 games, not re-signed when his contract expired, and ultimately put out to pasture in Russia? Seems a little like Linus Omark to me.

I'm pretty sure they let him go because he was terrible and played his way off the team.

It's the cap era, nobody gives a s*** about his actual salary. It's Mike Illitch's money, not ours. Cap hit is all that matters, not salary and you know that. Again, you're just using that figure to try and win an argument. As for the rest... David Clarkson got a 2.6 million dollar raise. Clowe, 1.2 million dollar raise. Bickell, 3.5 (coming off entry level contract) Perry, 3.3 (elite player and Hart trophy winner) Parise, 1.5 million dollar raise Letang, 3.7 million Phaneuf, .5 million These are the biggest overpayments you can think of off the top of you head and they're still not nearly as big as the 4.7 million dollar raise you're saying Niskanen will get. If you're so sure he's going to get so hugely overpaid, or at least more overpaid than your list here, I just want to know why? What's so much more extreme about this year than all those you mentioned here? Remember, the Parise/Suter UFA class was weak too and they don't get a 300% markup on their contracts.

Ryan Suter is one of the premier two way defensemen in the league and his cap hit is 7.5 million a year, not 12. You're just jooking stats to make a point. He's getting paid exactly what he deserves and so will Niskanen.

Suter was offered that much money because he's a franchise defenseman on every team except the one he was already on. He was offered that money because he's one of the three or four best defensemen in the league. If you think Suter and Niskanen are comparable I don't know what to tell you. Edit: Ok, you guys have got to be kidding. 7 million dollars? You think he's going to jump from 2.3 to 7 million dollars a year? First of all, who even has 7 million dollars to spend on a second pair defenseman? We've got more cap room than just about any competitive team and we don't have 7 million dollars to spend on a second pair defenseman. Secondly, NOBODY...ever...in the history of hockey has made that much money with Niskanen's track record. Never ever ever ever. Why are you all so sure he's going to be the one to set some kind of overpayment record? It may come as a surprise, but there have been weak free agents classes before. It's not like the top UFA in each previous weak year signed contract out of proportion with all reality.

Nobody suggested he'd be a number one. Kenny said we need a right shooting top four defenseman. He didn't say we needed a franchise defenseman to build around for the next 10-20 years. And as I mentioned earlier, I don't know where this idea that Niskanen is going to get "paid like a great player" comes from. Nothing indicates this aside from pure speculation. Give me one example of a puck moving d-man who hasn't scored 50 pts. but makes 6+ million dollars. The reason why you probably can't think of one is because it almost never happens. Bouwmeester is the only exception I can think of. And I'm not sure why people would think Niskanen would get paid like Bouwmeester when he's far more comparable to Wisniewski, Ehrhoff, Bieksa, Vlasic, Hamhuis, Girardi, Johnson, etc. and none of them make first pair money. Niskanen isn't McDonagh, Pietrangelo, Doughty, or Subban. They'll get paid like franchise d-man...he won't. High end he'll get paid 5.5 million a year, and he's worth that in today's market. I wish. Well, except for Callahan. I love his attitude and all, but I'm not interested in spending that kind of money on a guy whose best qualities are his intangibles.

Could you link me to that article? I seriously hadn't seen anyone talking that high. I agree, if that's the asking price I'd pass too but like I said, I hadn't seen anyone suggest he'd make over 6 mil. Based on his numbers and comparable signings in recent memory I figured he'd get 5.5 at the highest and probably a little less if he got the right term (e.g. Wisniewski, Erhoff, Bieksa, Hamhuis, Girardi, J. Johnson, etc. etc. etc.). Not that I don't believe you, but I can't imagine why anyone would think he's make over six million dollars considering there's absolutely no precedent for someone with his age, history of production, and developmental ceiling, getting paid that much.

I assume this is in reference to Niskanen, who's third best season (26 pts.) has only been bested by Kronwall and Quincey. We'd have killed for even that amount of production from out back end this year. Kinda hard to suggest he's not worth acquiring when his mediocre seasons haven't been topped by two thirds of our existing defense corps. I'm also not sure why everyone is so against signing a guy who's just entering his prime. It may come as a surprise, but our strategy of having guys who are too old to lead a team to the Cup augmented by guys too young to lead a team to the cup, is probably not going to work. We have no high-end forwards between Franzen and Nyquist, or high-end defensemen between Kronwall and Dekeyser. You can't win if you don't have any first rate players between the ages of 24 and 33. You just can't. And by the time all the young guys are ready to take over, the old guys will be WAY past it and it will be a wash anyway.

Personally I'd move Nyquist before Tatar, but I clearly agree with your general point. I just like Tatar's attitude better. Guys with that kind of attitude always seem to raise their game to the next level when you need it. Plus, I'm a firm believer that the Wings could use a little more attitude and a little less stoicism in the locker room. I know, and I can't stand Smith so I'm equally biased. But we'll leave that one for another time. I've probably beaten that horse to death anyway.

Unless it's the Wings I don't like teams flirting with dynasty status. As such, the Kings are winning just a little too much for my liking. It's a hard pill to swallow because I like the way they play hockey. So I'm going to pull for the Rags (can't believe I'm saying that) because I like St. Louis, Lundqvist, Nash and a few others, and at least they won't be a dynasty. Question though, if the Kings win what does that do to Babcock's status as "bestest coach eva"? I mean, it's getting to the point where a half dozen guys have done as much winning in the NHL as he has.

I'd be more reluctant to move Jurco than I would to move Nyquist or Tatar. He's big, not afraid to play the body, and is only going to get tougher to play against. Nyquist and Tatar are redundant. I'd prefer to lose one or the other of them rather than a guy like Jurco. Plus, upgrading the package to include one of the more NHL proven guys would likely make it easier for Vancouver to swallow Andersson as the third piece of the trade. Truth be told though, I'd rather it was Helm, Abby, or Smith than any of the guys mentioned above, but you can't always get what you want eh?

You almost got your wish. What a series though. First rate hockey. Glad to see the Kings win. Looking forward to the East/West SCF.

I've got to agree. Wishful thinking on McKee. Plus, while I've been clamoring for the Wings to get bigger and harder to play against, it was implied that the acquisitions actually be able to play the game of hockey. Sorry Mike McKee.

First, Lids/Rafi/Kronwall are not the best top three we've ever had. Not by a damn sight. In 1997 we had Lids, Fetisov, Murphy, and Konstantinov on the team. The three you mentioned are the best of the salary cap era...maybe. Secondly, you can confuse the story all you want with "possession this and possession that", but I wasn't comparing Brendan Smith's hit stats to some other teams defenseman...I was comparing him to someone on his own team (Kindl) and he's flat out soft. Same team, same system, same forwards. The fact that he's been in a couple of career fights doesn't deter from the fact that he finishes his checks less than everyone aside from Jakub "6'4 Europuss" Kindl.

Why does the author make a point of saying he's right handed if he doesn't score or play on the pp? Who cares what he shoots if that's the case. Also... 5'11 and 190? No thanks. I don't care how great his possession stats are, that would essentially give us the smallest, softest, weakest defense on earth. We already get steamrolled by strong forechecking teams as it is. I'll still take Niskanen, since he's about 20 lbs. heavier and scores every so often. Unless we swap Stralman for Smith somehow. He couldn't possible be softer than Brendan "I've got as many hits as Jakub Kindl despite playing more minutes in more games" Smith.

And for a taste of the absurd, Eklund reporting that Joe Thornton to Detroit is "heating up". How fulfilling would it be to call Eklund a "lying sack of s***" face-to-face?

Exactly. The log jam happens in two or three years as a result of the influx of too many NHL caliber prospects, not because of a free agent signing or two today. Even if Holland did nothing this year, three years from now we'd still have to trade quality talent away because there just won't be enough room. Trouble is, between now and then all our improvement would have to come from "prospects taking the next step". Which is a gamble. Probably better to trade a few of them off now. Gets you some proven NHL talent today, and relieves the logjam tomorrow. Win/win.

I get your point, and it's hard to disagree. But even if we'd kept Hossa and let Franzen walk, we'd still have the same problem. They're both skill players. One is clearly better than the other, no doubt, but but it's not like Marian Hossa is banging in rebound goals while Franzen exclusively plays outside.

Anybody else think the League Offices are salivating at the thought of a NYC/LA final? It's every professional league's wet dream.