eva unit zero

If that is accurate, then Burke has to trade him to get out from the mess. One other thing....The Ducks, including Bobby Ryan, are currently $3.7m over the cap. This is with 14 forwards, 7 defensemen, and 2 goalies signed. The Ducks intend to trade Schneider to free up his $5.625m in cap space and then sign Teemu Selanne; but they would also need to move another forward and add another defenseman. I will refer again to the trade suggestion I mentioned in the Gonchar thread; The Ducks could trade Schneider for Darryl Sydor. This solves Pittsburgh's offensive defense issue and the Sydor contract issue, whiel moving Schneider's contract but adding a top-six type defenseman to the Ducks. The Ducks can then waive Todd Marchant to offset Sydor's contract, and either lose him on waivers or send him to the minors. Teemu Selanne can thus be signed, and the team can have lines as follows: Kunitz/Getzlaf/Perry Ryan/Morrison/Selanne Niedermayer/Pahlsson/Moen Miller/Sutherby/Carter May Parros Niedermayer/Beauchemin Pronger/Huskins O'Donnell/Sydor Montador Giguere Hiller If that clause is inaccurate...then you can ignore my post.

Sammy is on this team because he is a good defensive player. He signed with the Wings as a defensive specialist. Any offense the Wings have gotten from Sammy has been a bonus; he came to the Wings as a defensive player. He has always been good defensively, and is better than most forwards in the NHL in that area.

That's the point.

The average salary of the slated 5th-7th defensemen for this season, before the Whitney and Gonchar injuries, is over $2.19m!! I mean, really? Seriously? Who thinks "I'm going to pay this much to expendable players who are easily replaceable." Maybe if Shero hadn't devoted so much of his cap to his depth players he would be able to pick up a guy like Schneider now that he could really use one. Perhaps Burke should offer him a trade of Schneider for Darryl Sydor. That cuts $3m off of Anaheim's cap, gives them a decent veteran defenseman to fill a role and allows Pittsburgh to rid themselves of an unwanted salary while bringing in a top end offensive defenseman at a reasonable price. Whitney is expected to be out 40-50 days. If Gonchar is expected to be out close to a month, then the Schneider/Sydor deal would open up enough space for the Penguins to bring Schneider in; not to mention it would make the Pens a much more dangerous offensive team; they would be trading their #7 defenseman for a top-end PP QB.

Incorrect. Two-way salaries have nothing to do with whether a player can be sent to the minors. The only thing a two-way salary does is determines if you make a different salary in the AHL than you do in the NHL; basically, it's a way for the NHL club to save money and motivate players who are in that 'maybe' group fighting for the last few roster spots by giving them a monetary goal saying 'if you earn your spot, you'll make a few hundred thousand more in the NHL.' providing an extra kick of motivation. Two-way contracts have nothing to do with whether or not a player counts on the cap.

Schneider would not be assigned to the minors on a conditioning assignment; he would be assigned to the minors period. If he were assigned for injury rehab as Mogilny had been, he would count against the Ducks' cap. But as Schneider is healthy, there is no point to that. Schneider has passed waivers, so he can be assigned to the minors if necessary. If Burke cannot find a trade partner or an alternative option, he will send Schneider to the minors. McCarty is the same situation, btw, except that he has yet to clear waivers. He will almost certainly be going to Grand Rapids, and will not be counting against the Wings' cap.

When did I say LTIR? I said minors. After a player clears waivers, there is a 30-day window in which he can be sent to the minors before he must clear waivers again. Burke said he doesn't intend to use re-entry waivers to dispose of Schneider's cap hit, but the timing of putting Schneider on waivers signals that he was keeping the option of retaining Schneider and banishing him to the minors for the season if he had to as a last resort. If the Ducks cannot find a taker for Schneider nor any other reasonable trade that clears up the necessary cap space, this is what will happen. As Schneider has already cleared waivers, he can be demoted to the minors at a moment's notice at any point from now until the start of the season (and well beyond) if necessary. The smart thing to do if they are so intent on dumping Schneider is shop Schneider around to all potentially interested teams and take the best offer for 'just Schneider' regardless of what that offer is. But knowing Burke, Schneider is likely to spend at least half the season in the minors before his name gets floated around midseason and then again at the trade deadline. Maybe he gets traded, maybe not. But his chances of seeing time in Anaheim this season are pretty slim.

Schneider's salary is still the Ducks' responsibility. However, if the Ducks cannot find a taker, as he has now cleared waivers, they can send him to the minors without concern as the cap deadline is within the 30-day window of his waiver date. So look for a Selanne contract soon, and if there is no Schneider trade, he will be sent to the minors regardless of what Burke previously claimed because that is what Burke has to do to field the best roster. He won't be called up and lost on re-entry waivers; he will play in the minors until the end of the season or until traded.

Jiri Hudler.

Either Luongo is hugely overrated, or Hasek's buffalo teammates were hugely underrated. People talk about how Luongo is always the best goalie or one of the best goalies in the league. Hasek was always the best goalie or one of the best goalies in the league as a Sabre. Hasek made the playoffs most years in Buffalo. Luongo has what, one playoff appearance? People talk about how Hasek had nobody to play with. Luongo has had some pretty darn good individual teammates in Florida and Vancouver. I don't know...I guess I am just sick of the massive love-fest for a guy who has proven nothing and done nothing, while other guys behind comparable or worse teams in the past have done better. Hell, Chris Osgood has never missed the playoffs and has started on worse teams than some of Luongo's teams.

You're right, he is American. My mistake. As for the NTC...I did not know that. That still doesn't prevent the Ducks from waiving him for the cap space.

The Astrodome is on the list. Kronk's Gym is on the list. Those venues are no more "active" than Tiger Stadium. Why not include the Silverdome while we're at it? It played host to the NBA Finals, Elvis Presley, the NCAA Tournament, The World Cup, The Super Bowl, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Wrestlemania, and even the Pope. That's better than a lot of what is on the list. In fact, it makes me wonder exactly how much thought went into the list at all.

I am simply responding with the same general point in all of the threads on the topic of 'roster stuff' or 'defensive logjam' or 'who's going to be traded' or similar threads that at some point ask the question of 'who's going to be traded or waived?' Is it the fact that I have been unwaveringly consistent in my posts that annoys you harold, or is it the fact that despite the fact I have limited the 'Lilja is going to be traded' posts to threads where the posts were on topic, they have still been posted in probably somewhere between 25%-50% of new threads in the GD forum in the past two months? I know that it's the second one that annoys me.

Schneider has not been sent to the minors. Re-entry waivers happen when you are recalled from the minors, if you are required to pass through them. The Ducks, given their cap space issues, do not consider re-entry waivers an option with regards to Schneider and do not plan to send him to the minors, as per statements made by Burke.

You could make that argument. However, Henrik Zetterberg is one of the league's top offensive players. He is also one of the league's top defensive players. The same can be said of teammates Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom. All three are among the best at both ends of the ice. Crosby and Ovechkin are not among the league's best defensive players; they are far from it, in fact. It doesn't mean they couldn't become such; just that they aren't. However, the list isn't about potential; it's about current state. And in his current state, Nicklas Lidstrom is the league's top player, by far.

McCarty and Downey are competing directly against each other for a spot. Helm is going to be in Grand Rapids. Leino has to prove he belongs on one of the top three lines to make the roster. If Kopecky starts the season on IR, then the possible outcomes are: -McCarty and Downey both on the roster until Kopecky returns This allows the Wings to replace Kopecky with someone who has a comparable cap hit. -Helm/Leino on the roster until Kopecky returns This allows the Wings to use a forward who is waiver exempt as an injury replacement for Kopecky, making Kopecky's return fairly simple. It would more than likely be Helm, whose cap hit is smaller, unless Leino really impresses in the next couple of weeks. I expect either Kopecky to start the season on the active roster, or McCarty in his place. Helm goes to Grand Rapids, Leino either to GR or Finland.

Reading comprehension is a valuable skill. I suggest you acquire it. I was referring specifically to the physicality area, in terms of a bias against Russians, as hockey publications often seem to term Europeans, and Russians in particular, soft and non-physical, regardless of their actual play. Datsyuk tended to receive a double-whammy in this area as he has won the Lady Byng repeatedly, another thing that sometimes earned a player a label as 'soft' regardless of performance. The bias comment had nothing to do with rankings on the list.

Coney Island is on the list...and Madison Square Garden is not. WTF? Do they really think THAT highly of hot dog eating? Rangers, Knicks have won many championships in that arena. A lot of HUGE boxing matches have been fought there. Hard to argue the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest is more important to sports than all the history at MSG. Not sure how they get away with including all kinds of fluff on the list and then not including viable locations such as MSG, Tiger Stadium, and others.

It's like I always say...they are very similar level players, and very close. Hank has a clear edge in goal scoring, Dats has a clear edge in playmaking, and other than that they are very close in most skills. They may go about it differently, which results in some of the debates, but the overall effectiveness is a similar level. But neither of them is the best player in the world or on the team. The best player in the world right now is Nick Lidstrom.

My point is that Dats as a physical player, regardless of the hits stat, was a sudden change in recognition that was recognized during the Cup finals; but it was a gradual change in his play. Zetterberg has typically been the one considered the more physical player. If not for the Roberts incident, it would likely still be the case because wouldn't have that defining moment that many people looked to where Dats 'said to Hell with the Lady Byng' and fought back. I think the two of them are basically even when it comes to physical play. Zetterberg was typically given the edge as a matter of bias against Russians more than anything else.

The argument 'Dats is more physical than Hank' would not exist if the Wings had lost to the Stars, and Dats had never had the opportunity to punch Gary Roberts in the Cup Finals. In other words, it's an argument that is hugely based off one incident. Until this past playoff run, Zetterberg was considered the more physical player. Zetterberg is the best all-around forward in the NHL. Datsyuk is probably second on the list.

The Wings are currently, including all 25 players who are not waiver-exempt, over the cap by about $1.373m. The 25 players are 14 forwards, 9 defensemen, and 2 goaltenders, and the Wings intend to cut that down to 13-8-2...so the two players who have to be removed will be one forward and one defenseman. But the average cap hit of the two players must be above $686,500...meaning that the combination you posted is one of a few that would keep the Wings above the cap. It's actually quite simple who must go when you break it down. We'll start by breaking down the defensemen, and who they could be paired with. Derek Meech, $483,333. To reach the magic number, Meech would have to be paired with Johan Franzen, Jiri Hudler, or Mikael Samuelsson. Any forward making more than those guys is too valuable to be waived just for the cap space or traded just for picks and/or prospects. Any forward making less doesn't make enough. Kyle Quincey, $525,000. Brett Lebda, $650,000. Quincey or Lebda could be paired with Kirk Maltby as well as any of the above mentioned forwards. Andreas Lilja, $1,250,000. Lilja is the only defenseman in the 'moveable' group who moves the majority of the overage. As such, he is the only defenseman who can be moved alongside one of Darren McCarty or Aaron Downey, the only two players on the Wings' roster who would clear waivers if Detroit were to attempt sending them to the minors. Ultimately, the waiver concern, combined with the fact that Lilja is the only option that removes only players over 30 who are 4th line or below forwards and 3rd pair or below defensemen makes trading or waiving him by far the most appealing option.

Burke would probably look to bring in his own starting goaltender. Other than that, I think he'd stick with what was left in Chicago and not make any major deals.

Sammy is not one of the higher paid forwards on the team, and he is one of the best bargains in the league. He's actually the 8th highest paid. He's a top-six caliber forward capable of playing the power play and the penalty kill who is paid like a third liner. Leino is a one-dimensional prospect who might challenge for a spot and is probably behind several other prospects who are at camp in that regard. If the Wings open up a spot on the roster for a prospect forward, Leino likely doesn't have first dibs. Given that Sammy is a top-six NHL forward, while Leino has yet to prove he is an NHL forward at all...I am not sold on your 'younger, cheaper, better' comment as anything more than whipping the whipping boy.

Sammy Pahlsson Elite defensive forward, plays on third line, cap hit under $1.5m. Swedish. Todd Marchant Good defensive forward, plays on fourth line, cap hit over $2.5m. Canadian. I wonder what the deciding factor is that makes it Pahlsson that Burke is rumored to be looking at trading?