eva unit zero

You mean Tie Domi.

Most ignorant comment in the entire third period recap? The one about not knowing how Ericsson went last overall. Perhaps because he is much better suited to defense than he ever was to center, and he was drafted as a center?

The answer is obvious. Whoever is not Burke.

The Pens would be allowed cap relief for an amount up to and not exceeding the cap hits for Gonchar and Whitney for the days they were on LTIR. Effectively, this means they would be allowed to exceed the cap by that amount. For a real life example, take a look at the Wings and Jiri Fischer. The Wings exceeded the cap in 2005-06 and 2006-07, but due to the injury exemption granted because of Fischer's LTIR status, they were not considered to have exceeded the cap because they did not exceed the cap by Fischer's cap hit per day multiplied by the number of days he missed. If Gonchar were on LTIR, the Pens would be allowed to exceed the cap by the value of his cap hit per day times however many days he is out, which is a minimum of 24 if a player is actually assigned to LTIR. Whitney will almost certainly go on LTIR...so the combined 'cap hit per day, times days on LTIR' for each player constitutes the total cap relief the Pens will receive.

After the recent number of slams regarding my choice to use a different font (Book Antiqua) than the default (Verdana)...I have to admit the thought did cross my mind as well in addition to the expectation of the nameplate question.

Assuming Shero is not a moron; which for Pittsburgh's sake I hope not, as he is their GM; then Whitney will be on LTIR if they truly expect him out as long as has been reported. Which means he will not count on the cap until he is reactivated, but cannot be activated until 24 days after he goes on LTIR. If you assume that both go on LTIR, and come back as soon as possible, then that would clear up a total of just over $1.16m in cap space from both players. Combine that with the 1.5 the Penguins have available and we're now looking at about $2.65m in cap space. Sydor is the team's #7 defenseman, and makes $2.5m...so his departure to clear cap space, either directly or in a separate deal, makes complete sense if the team were to try and acquire Schneider. That makes $5.15m in cap space. Schneider makes $5.625, so the Pens need to clear up about $500k maximum on top of Sydor. But they wouldn't need to clear it up until trying to bring Whitney and Gonchar back. If you assume Gonchar returns after the 24 days, and that Whitney returns in December as has been reported...then Gonchar is out for 24 days and Whitney is out for at least 55. This would clear up an additional $667k just from Whitney being out longer; enough for the Schneider/Sydor trade with no additional cap clearing. In other words...if Gonchar is placed on LTIR, then the Pens have enough cap space to trade Sydor for Schneider, based on their own statements about when Whitney will return. It's not a matter of holding healthy players out of the lineup, as usually injured players are either ready later than the initially expected return date or they return before they should have. Let's see how Shero handles it.

No. I said that the idea that McCarty or Downey in the regular lineup in Kopecky's place helps the Wings more than Kopecky does is silly. That's not a personal attack; it's pretty clear cut analysis and on-topic.

It wasn't a shot to the head...The reason Carle was hit in the chin was the position HE PUT HIMSELF IN. If you are going to start penalizing players for not being able to stop their hits when another player moves into a bad spot, then just make it a no-hitting league and make the salary cap $10m. As far as pitching the ball..that would be an integral comparison, as that's basically what Carle did. Had Carle not dumped the puck, he wouldn't have been hit in the chin. It really is that simple. The way his position changed when he got rid of it caused the awkward position he was in when Kopecky made contact. Kopecky had initiated his hit before Carle moved to get rid of the puck, so it's not like Kopecky had any idea the puck would be gone. You know, resorting personal attacks because you don't feel like recognizing my VALID opinion are a pretty lame way of trying to hijack a discussion.

Didn't you say Bootland would have been better to keep than Kopecky?

Matthias was 19 and projected as a third line checking center when he was traded. The season after he was traded, he was called up for a brief stint and scored a couple of goals. He also scored better in juniors that season. But the unexpected flash of offense (2 goals against Washington) was a big part of what suddenly got people talking about him. His juniors season in 07-08 was not a huge improvement over his 06-07 season, and after 06-07 he was still considered a future third-liner at the NHL level. Perhaps his ability to repeat that season made it noteworthy...but again, he was 19 and 20 when he did it, not 17 and 18. It's a sudden appearance of scoring ability that wasn't there, and not even at a level that justify calling him a top-end prospect, that have caused all this Matthias hype. For instance...what if Matthias suddenly starts scoring the way he was three years ago again? Why did he start scoring more? Is it something he did? Is it someone he was playing with? Your numbers don't just change like that if you didn't do anything unless your luck changed; if he had the skill all along. If that were the case, he'd have been called a future top-six forward. I guess my question is...what is the factor that caused Matthias' sudden offensive explosion? Will it carry over into the NHL? Or does Matthias' stock drop back closer to where it was?

Kopecky had Carle lined up. Carle dished the puck off, watched his pass, and made a slight turn to the left. Watch the video again. If Carle just keeps on skating, Kopecky hits him in the chest. And ultimately, you can't penalize a player for not knowing when the opponent was going to pass before he did. That was a clean, hard hit. The reason Carle took such an effect from it was because he put himself in a bad spot after Kopecky had initiated the check. That's not Kopecky's fault. It's like Scott Stevens. If Scott Stevens hits a guy who has his head down, and the guy gets hurt because his head was down...that's not Scott Stevens' fault. EDIT: In the NFL, when exactly are we going to see a guy running up the field and then suddenly throw the ball away? Oh, and in the NFL, players get tackled, not bodychecked. So you would have seen Kopecky trying to wrap Carle up and bring him down, rather than knock him off the puck. Instead of putting as much force as he could into separating his opponent from the puck, the goal would have been to stop his opponent's forward progress. If you see a guy throwing shoulder checks in football, he doesn't need to be penalized, he needs to be coached on tackling.

So who wishes we had Nathan Robinson or Danny Groulx instead?

Whitney is out until December due to his injury and subsequent surgery...so that's at least $1.3m in cap hit Shero can expect to have cleared up. Combined with the $1.5m he has free and the $2.5m trading Sydor would free up, that adds up to $5.3m...almost enough for Schneider. If Gonchar has to have surgery, there's no question he'll be out long enough to clear that kind of space and then some. And trading for Schneider would allow the Pens to rest Gonchar and Whitney until they were fully ready to return rather than rushing them back into the lineup.

Flip would not be a better match in terms of skill. Hudler is a MUCH better offensive player than Filppula is. What puts them in a debate about who's better are Flip's non-offensive skill advantages (such as defensive player and faceoffs)...none of which make him a better fit for the second line right wing.

Downey wore 47 previously with Montreal and Dallas, and wore 44 in Chicago. 44 was taken last season by Mark Hartigan. Sheldon Souray wore 44 during his time in Montreal. Jason Arnott wore it in Dallas. St. Louis seems to be the only time he did not wear 44 that was not directly caused by another teammate wearing the number; he only played 17 games for the Blues. In other words, 44 appears to be his preferred number.

It doesn't matter how everyone else feels. Because they're wrong, and I'm right.

If he is truly intent on winning a Cup, then any team that has a roster spot for him can fit him in if he is willing to sign for the necessary amount of money. The Wings could waive Tomas Kopecky or Aaron Downey and sign Sundin at their salary right now if Sundin were willing. He could sign for the league minimum with any team of his choice if he wanted to.

Stuff like that on top of his all-around game is why Kopay has the 12th spot locked up, and anyone who thinks McCarty or Downey has a shot at regular time is just silly.

I thought I had read somewhere it was in like January or February?

Until the deadline passes for the PA to reopen the CBA, that is. After that, bonus cushions can be carried over if necessary, assuming the CBA is not reopened.

The difference between Rodman and an enforcer though? Rodman, or more recently Ben Wallace, was a rebounding maniac. He would come down with the ball most of the time at either end of the court, which led to either stopping the opposition's attack or continuing his own team's possession. He also was a starter, and was the best in the league at what he did. A good analogy for Rodman or Wallace in the NHL? Tomas Holmstrom. His actual offensive skills are mediocre, but his ability as far as causing net-front havoc and the ability to deflect pucks, corral rebounds and create chances from them, and other such crease-related activities? He is simply the best. One of, and possibly the best the game has ever seen with regard to that particular skill, although many other players who were great at that talent were not such one-dimensional players as Holmstrom. Phil Esposito, Dino Ciccarelli, Ray Sheppard, Ryan Smyth, and Dave Andreychuk are all good examples of players who were not as good as Homer in front of the net, but were famous for their abilities there; those players were all much better players than Holmstrom because they were all considerably more skilled in other areas. For example, Ciccarelli in his prime was a very quick skater. Sheppard is one of the best puckhandlers I have ever seen. Andreychuk had an extremely strong and accurate wrist shot. Esposito was a complete and well rounded player who used his size, strength, and hand-eye coordination to score goals in front of the net as well as from range. Homer, unfortunately for him, is a poor skater, average defensively (the worst defensive forward in the Wings' top 12), the accuracy of his wrist shot and his passes are average at best. What Homer does have? A bull's strength, good hockey sense, and excellent hand-eye coordination. He used these limited natural abilities and a strong work ethic effectively to become as valuable to his team as he can. Just like Rodman and Wallace were not 'natural' stars but both were considered among the best players in the NBA at their position simply by working hard on what they could do well, and outworking the opponent during games. Homer is considered the best at what he does because he has worked hard at it so that he can do it well. And enforcer like Downey, McCarty, or Laraque could never have the kind of impact on a hockey team that Rodman or Wallace had on the Pistons. An enforcer might be your Corliss Williamson or Lindsey Hunter...but that's it. More than likely the enforcer is your Darko Milicic. You know; the coach won't play him?

The Wings got in a logjam on defense by resigning two players this summer to fill the same role; #4 stay-at-home defenseman, physical player, PK and shot blocking specialist. One was signed in case the other didn't, and will almost certainly be the defenseman moved to rectify the problem that his signing caused in the first place.

It's Babcock's best attempt to create two DZH lines. Hudler was the closest thing to Dats that he had. Franzen was the closest thing to Homer. Hossa was the closest to Z. Dats, Z, Hossa, and Hudler are the team's four most offensively talented forwards, and Franzen and Homer are the two best net-front players. It's a no-brainer if that is the line chemistry you are going for, those are the guys you use. The actual composition is the only decision that needed to be made.

As I said...Shero trades Sydor for Schneider. That combined with the LTIR relief clears enough space for Schneider. Burke gets Sydor to take Schneider's placce, waives Marchant (who makes the same basic amount as Sydor) as he needs to drop a forward to get Selanne, Miller, and Ryan into the lineup anyway and it's ridiculous to have a fourth liner making that kind of coin. Both teams' issues are solved. Schneider is a UFA at the end of the season, so Pittsburgh has no problem if they don't want to keep him. His cap space would be used up for Malkin's extension; but if he were willing to stay, the Pens would likely be willing to keep him on for an amount under $2.5m for one year at a time.

Gonchar and Whitney will both be out injured for an extended period. Their combined cap hit is $9m. If they are both out 40 days, which is quite possible given the nature of their injuries, then that would clear up the necessary cap space to acquire Schneider if Sydor were the player traded. Basically, if the two of them are expected to be out long enough in such a way that either one or both of them would create enough cap relief ($2m) on LTIR to bring in Schneider by trading Sydor, then it is a move Shero should try to make because it means his team will be short one or both of their top defensemen for an extended period.