rick zombo

This is definitely the year San Jose win the cup. They are too big, too young, and too fast.

There will be plenty of man games missed due to injury. Having this kind of depth up front is pure gold. Plus it's a Babcock wet dream - so much competion for ice-time means he gets the most out of his guys or they don't play. edit to add: Remember last training camp when Babcock had Franzen skating with Homer and Datsyuk? I wonder if he'll try this again. Franzen - Datsyuk - Homer Flipper - Zetterberg - Hossa

1. Hossa (because it shocked the league) 2. Stuart re-signing (because it seemed unlikely) 3. Mclellan leaving (a loss) 4. Bowman leaving (Chicago. Gross) 5. Filpulla re-signing (important , but not a surprise) 6. Hasek/Drake retirement (foregone conclusions) 7. Lilja re-signing.

Gawd. The more I think about this the more it bites the clit.

Great, now San Jose and Chicago are both better, courtesy of the Detroit Red Wings.

ahhhhhh what a difference a year makes eh?

The point is, Lilja, while not a crowd pleaser here at LGW would have definitely made more money if he had of opted to test the market. Hell, the Leafs would have given him 1.75 or maybe even 2 M. We're talking about a defencemen who has been to at least the conference finals in both of his last 2 seasons and has a Stanley Cup ring. Holland signed him for depth, he could be a top 4 guy on a weak team. Also, he would have been able to choose his destination. Just because he's not a superstar doesn't mean you sign the guy to a reasonable deal then ship him off.

I would hope they can get Henrik signed for less than 8.7M per. 3.45M for Franzen may be reasonable if he continues to put up 20 - 30 goals a season.

suck so bad they won a cup. while Chicago rules so hard they've been playoff-less since when? on a sidenote, imagine how annoying these types are going to get when Chicago quickly turn into a worhtwhile franchise again? ed (grammar)

And the Flames stick with their game plan.

lol @ people ripping on Lebda. While Meech may end up being the better player, stop discrediting Lebda's effort. He was a solid #6. And his contribution was what it was: undeniable. So there.

It's all about Babcock. Pass or fail.

It puzzles me, with their billion dollar ownership, that the Sens won't spend to the limit. I could see if they are saving room for the deadline, but 48M? Seems strange.

Drake was hungry and cheap and physical. Shannahan is a 3 time cup winner, not cheap (even at a discount) and soft.

Lowe definately overpaid for Penner. And maybe Burke's pissed because that inflated the salary of, say, a guy like Perry. But come on, blaming the money that was thrown around by the league on July 1 on Lowe is pretty, well, Low.......... As Harold stated, Burke signed Bertuzzi to an 8M/2year contract before Lowe poached Penner. And look how that signing ended up. To reiterate: Childish.

Draper??? More like #1 Z - D - Homer Lids Raffi #2 Franzen - Hudler/Flip - Hossa Kronner - Sammy/Stu

I'm a little worried about Flip.

With the potential 09-10 cap issues Detroit will have, I'll tell you: Sundin for one year (and you know that's what he want's - one year) at 6M is way more realistic than Rolston at 4-5M for two years. Of the teams that Sundin could realistically go to, Holland is one of the few GMs that can afford to overpay for him. But only for a one year deal.

Peca could be a nice Dallas Drake type addition for Detroit this season. But probably too expensive. Gelinas would be cheaper, but he hasn't had much luck health-wise lately.

Ouch.

Jim Kelly's Mock Pick for the Wings is hilarious.

This team of softies will never winf the cup with guys like Lilja, and Sammy playing the point. Uhhhhhhhh...........wait..............

It was rumored that a big part of Ellis re-signing hinged on playing time in Nashville. With Ellis, mason, and Pekka Rinne, Nashville would have quite the log-jam. This trade seems like a pro-active move to clear the way for an Ellis signing.

Toronto have been after Mayers for years now. They tried hard to get him at the deadline two years ago.

If it was Kopitar and a 2nd overall pick, then I maybe believe this.