kipwinger

Montreal skated and checked their way to a win last night. They got to every single loose puck. If they bring their legs in game 7, they're going to be hard to beat. Oh, and Max Pacioretty is awesome.

I totally agree, but when you hear KH talk about "not wanting to be a developmental team for league management" you've got to think there's more to it than just wanting to wait until after the rebuild. Then again, that's speculation, so what do I know? My whole point was just to say that if Babs getting extended was a done deal from both sides, then why isn't it a done deal?

Awesome, that's almost as bad as when Mickey tries to say T.J. Galiardi's last name. "That's a real nice hit by Googlimoogli, who's always a ball of energy playing for his hometown Calgary Flames".

At the trade deadline there was much talk of it. Supposedly he had a list of places he'd accept a trade to, and Detroit was on that list, with Pittsburgh and Anahiem purportedly offering the best packages. Here's at least one reputable source, but there were others at the time...http://www.cbc.ca/sports-content/hockey/opinion/2014/03/30-thoughts-canucks-brass-must-resist-panic.html? Edit: And another: http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=445193

Totally agree. It will be a distraction. But if he's not re-signed the culpable party is the more interesting point of information. If he's offered a contract but doesn't balks at negotiating, then you know Babs wants out. If he's not offered anything, you know Holland is hedging his bets...likely becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy in itself.

For those in favor of trading for Spezza, can I ask why you'd rather have him than Kesler? I'll give you a quick rundown of why Kesler makes WAY more sense than Spezza. 1. He plays the wing as well as he plays center 2. He's faster and more physical. 3. He's demanded a trade, so chances are MUCH higher that he moves. Spezza is purely speculation. 4. He's cheaper. 5. He's already said he'd wave his NTC to come here. 6. It would take fewer assets to get him because he's demanding a trade. 7. He's under contract longer than Spezza. 8. He's better defensively. 9. He's younger. I wanted to come up with another reason to make it an even ten, but I couldn't. Still, it makes WAY more sense to go after Kesler IF you're going to trade for a forward. But if you do that you HAVE to sign your top four defenseman or promote from within. Can't trade for both a top four dman and top six forward...even with our deep talent pool that's too big of a blow. One or the other but not both. Edit: Ha ha! Reason 10.) Ottawa likely doesn't want to deal a star player to a division rival. Kesler would be moving from one conference to another.

I don't really have any interest in bashing or defending Babs as a coach. My feelings on the topic are well known. My point was to suggest that it's entirely possible that Babs doesn't return next year, not because he chooses to walk away, but rather because the organization doesn't want him back. Any professional sport is a "what have you done for me lately" sort of business. And our team isn't competing for Cups. So far its been easy enough to blame injuries and roster turnover for our fall from Cup contention. But if the team struggles to make the playoffs or loses badly before the conference finals next year, and we stay largely healthy, I don't think it's unrealistic to imagine organization going in a different direction. You've got to figure they're not hanging onto Blashill just for the hell of it.

I get it. I'd just rather spend the money/assets on a top line winger. I feel comfortable going into the season with Dats, Weiss, Sheahan, Helm, and Glendening. Bringing on another center just bumps everyone down a notch and moves one of Helm or Sheahan onto a wing...when we could/should have just acquired a wing to begin with.

No thanks, we don't need another center, we've got about 200 of them as it stands, and unlike Nyquist, Franzen, Abby, etc. etc., Spezza has never played on the wing as a professional. I'd rather not give Babs another guy to stick in an unnatural position on a line that doesn't matter.

Maybe Pittsburgh can trade Letang for Phaneuf straight up and then each team can gauge (first hand) how stupid the other's signing was. Just a thought.

Is it really so hard to believe that Babs could be gone at the end of this year? I mean, regardless of who you blame, he hasn't made it past the second round since 2009. If the Wings totally s*** the bed in the playoffs next year wouldn't you be tempted to let Babs walk and bring in your superstar AHL coach if you were Holland? Everyone keeps looking at this like it's Babs' decision and he wants to stay, but maybe it isn't. Maybe the organization isn't too thrilled with being bounced early and might want to go a different direction. Lord knows the coach always gets the axe before the GM. Maybe they're waiting to see what he can do with a (hopefully) healthy roster next year before deciding to commit to him.

You don't think Blash has the requisite level of astuteness to ride Nyquist into the playoffs, then change up all the lines and render his offense without teeth, and then lose in five games? I hope you're right.

Not true. He's really good at "an integral part of the game", as fight fans will tell you ad nauseam.

Pure f****** Class. Per Malik: "On Wednesday May 7th, 2014, Kelly Rothe, made it know about her surgery she was about to undertake, the following day the Detroit Red Wings organization brought Kelly and her family down to The Joe for a special private dinner. There she was surprised by local Detroit band, Kaleido, who gave her a private acoustic set. Then they took her to the Red Wings locker room where her favorite player was there waiting to surprise her." My grandmother is a breast cancer survivor, and my aunt passed away from breast cancer. It's absolutely mind-blowing how difficult the decision to have this procedure must be. Especially for a guy, like me. So to see her choke up and say "you don't even know" when they ask what the Wings' gesture means to her...Jesus Christ.

I get it, you don't think Burke is any good. I honestly don't give a s*** about this debate. I'm not the guy's best friend or anything. I said he's good, not great. You disagree. Woowee.

Well there you have it folks, any idiot can do what Burke does. He's just a stupid, old, brainless, fart and all of his accomplishments across a long career were the product of pure unadulterated luck. Just lucked his way into an NHL executive job. Lucked his way into a Stanely Cup. Lucked his way into an Olympic Silver. Luck, luck, luck. We should all be so lucky.

Well, everybody knows my position on fighting...but having said that, if you're going to spectacularly disappoint your fan base each year the very least you can do is let them watch Orr and McLaren beat people up. So we'll call that a net positive for Burkie despite it's having exactly zero effect on winning games. p.s. I also want to add that I'm in no way trying to make Burke into some super hero. He's a good GM, but not a great one. However, he did have them moving in the right direction and history has shown that he can put together a winner if left alone. Since giving the team to an inexperienced knuckledhead you've seen the results...and TOR can expect the same under Shanny considering he has ZERO front office experience was well.

Ericsson is nasty along the boards, but I'll agree with Dickie (first?) that he's not a big open ice hitter. However, to say he isn't physical (as someone else implied) is untrue. Exhibit A: Last year's Chicago series. See below:

Jesus I hate the Toronto Maple Leafs. These dumb bastards don't know which end is up. If they'd just left Burke alone they wouldn't be in this mess and they're too dumb to know it. All he ever did was bring the entire nucleus of their team together...including Kessel, Lupul, Van Riemsdyk, Phaneuf. They were trending upward too, then they fire Burke and they've had two fantastically massive implosions in a row. f*** the Maple Leafs!

It's hard for me to comment negatively on this because I don't want Vanek and agree with you in spirit...but Datsyuk's two best years were both played with Holmstrom PLUS a highly skilled winger (Zetterberg in 2008 and Hossa in 2009). I know you're going to say, "Zetterberg plays like a power forward" or "Hossa's a big body"; and you may actually believe that but they're not power forwards. Van Riemsdyk, Pacioretty, Carter. Those are power forwards. Zetterberg works hard, and is physically tough, and Hossa is a large dude, but neither play a power forward's game. Let's be honest. Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Vanek would score...a lot. I just don't want Vanek because the cap hit and term on that guy is going to be nuts. Oh, and because we could get just as much production out of Kesler for less (just sayin').

Like he did last year with Nyquist and Tatar instead of Cleary, Sammy, or Bert? Regardless of how you feel about this coaching, it's kinda hard to ignore the fact that Babs leans heavily on his veterans. The chances of a vet losing a job to a rookie in training camp are pretty slim.

Yeah but how do you feel about Brendan Smith?

Right, because Roberto Luongo signing a 12 year contract as the age of 32 is totally comparable to Jimmy Howard signing a 6 year contract at age 29. Totally.

I know it was popular to think so after the Boston-Detroit series, but the truth is the Bruins are not some super team or "the best team in recent memory" as some were suggesting. Apparently they're perfectly human if you don't make dumb personnel decisions and actually execute a game plan.

I'd just like to see Emelin sit Lucic on his ass with a nice, big, clean, hit. No dirty stuff, no suspensions, just step into him in the open ice...hard. Emelin's a good hitter, he can manage it. Then again maybe I won't have to worry about it if Boston doesn't figure out some way of stopping Subban from carving them up.