eva unit zero

Jonsson is a pretty solid defensive defenseman. I would gladly give up Lilja and replace him with Jonsson, even for twice the price. Jonsson does everything much better than Lilja, and with Fischer's salary off the cap, there's room to fit Jonsson in unless Holland does something stupid and gives Manny 5m.

Malkin stands a decent chance of being traded, the question is if a team that could afford to post a few million for his transfer is willing to do so and has the assets. Malkin would likely be traded for a solid young forward and perhaps a defenseman. Toronto could hand over Stajan or Steen as well as Coliacovo or White to pick him up. Los Angeles would probably have to part with Frolov plus, Detroit would have to give up Datsyuk or Zetterberg and perhaps Kronwall. Philadelphia might have the necessary parts to complete a deal--Richards plus Rathje should certainly take care of it--but it's unlikely Pittsburgh would deal him to Philly.

It would be idiotic for another team to try and sign Malkin. Oh, yeah, we're out 25m AND we didn't even get the player because the Pens matched! Only way he goes elsewhere is if the Pens trade him.

Lindros for 750k? That's a good deal. Lindros will likely produce at or near a point per game pace, and even if he only plays 40 games, isn't 40 points worth 750k?

If Kopecky was placed on the line I suggested, it would be to take on a primarily physical role. In his career his role has always been the offensive player; the scorer. If his PRIMARY role was to fill a physical, grinding role, as it has been this season for the first time in his career--as you mention, he played o nthe third line with Bootland, a line used primarily as physical force and secondary support scoring--he would be SIGNIFICANTLY improved from his prior disappointing form. I am not expecting Kopecky to be a significant offensive force next seaosn, it's more of thinking along the lines of his physical presence carrying over and creating room for Datsyuk and Shanahan to put it in the net, something like the Drake/Turgeon/Young line from St. Louis where Turgeon had a huge year and Young scored 40 goals largely because Drake was a huge presence and could chip in goals himself. Bootland could probably fill that role also, but I think Kopecky would be a better choice given his higher offensive upside--if we can establish Kopecky as a second line physical winger who can score 15-20 goals, that would be a HUGE improvement from the near-bust status he had this time last year.

Kopecky seems more likely to me--he has more of a scoring touch than Bootland does, and while he's not the big time physical force Bootland is, he was consistently physical and aggressive this season which is a HUGE improvement over past years. I also felt Kopecky was more likely because without Grigorenko, the team doesn't have a physical scorer they were expecting, Kopecky is no Grigs, but he is physical and has offensive talent. Bootland would be best served as a 12th or 13th forward, while Kopecky could be put on the second, third, or fourth line and contribute according to the line's role. Given the removal of Grigorenko, I could see these as potential lines for next year; Holmstrom/Zetterberg/Samuelsson Shanahan/Datsyuk/Kopecky Hudler/Lang/Williams Maltby/Draper/Franzen

50 CENTS! Ok ok...40 cents...my final offer!

If Grigorenko isn't coming over, one wonders if that ensures Kopecky's spot.

Kindl will be back in Kitchener next season because he will not be 20 by the time the season starts. Depending on his season and the GR team, he might be up when his 20th rolls around.

Lang is not terribly quick and is not effective on the Wing. Gaborik is both of those things. That said, I don't think we will have the cap space to pick up Gaborik.

Manny hasn't earned a Cup. That has to be done between now and June. I picked Ozzie. In part because I prefer him and in part because it would put to rest any goalie controversy heading into next year without killing the cap.

A little clarification, since so many people seem to be confused: A player who is coming from a CHL team cannot play in the AHL during his CHL team's season until he reaches age 20. This is due to the old NHL Entry draft rules; originally, the draft age was 20 because of junior eligibility rules. When it was lowered to 18, rules were put in place that a junior player could not play for a minor league team until his junior eligibility was up. Those rules do not apply to non-juniors players, who can play in the minors at any age.

For NCAA purposes, CHL is considered pro.

Ok, so far Barry Bonds has not tested positive for steroids, and has admitted to using what he was told by his trainer was an arthritis creme. He has not admitted to taking steroids, nor have any tests shown him to be using them. At the very least, there is no actual proof Bonds ever cheated. So to label him a cheater who 'deserves what he's getting' is ridiculous.

Have been saying it for years.... Zetter is better.

Aw man. I would love to show but I work Sunday and start moving to a new apartment Friday, so it's a double-whammy.

lots of times the 1st pick turns out to be a bust look no further than Patrik Stefan Sidney Crosby, Alexander Oveckin, Rick Nash, Ilya Kovalchuk, Vincent Lecavalier, Joe Thornton, Ed Jovanovski, Mats Sundin, Mike Modano, Mario Lemieux, etc etc. Lots of busts there. Going by this list, which is subjective, only four #1 overall draft picks are listed as busts. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NHL_Draft_Busts Hmm...their definition of 'bust' is "a player, usually a first-round draft pick, who has failed to live up to the expectations levied upon the player when he was drafted by the organization over a period of time." So why is Daigle listed, yet Lecavalier is left off? Lecavalier was given better circumstances than Daigle yet did only marginally better offensively for the first five seasons of their careers. Hard to make a case for Lecavalier as less of a bust than Daigle, when Daigle was put into the second center role initially because of his size compared to Yashin's, and never quite got the ice time Lecavalier was just handed no matter how bad he was. Especially since Lecavalier received just as much hype as Daigle--Daigle was very hyped by the Canadian media and especially Quebecois, but not even a consensus no.1 pick. Lecavalier was the outright top pick in everyone's mind, and was being called the 'Michael Jordan of hockey.'

That's unlikely. He'll probably play with one or the other, but with Hank's emergence as an elite level center, it just doesn't seem like the wisest idea to keep him stuck on the left wing where he can't be as effective. More likely we'll see a return of the Homer/Hank/Sammy line--ain't broke don't fix it. Shanahan/Datsyuk/Grigorenko could happen, with Draper either moving to Yzerman's spot with Lang or moving back to center, with Cleary, Franzen, or perhaps Hudler/Kopecky/whoever moving to Yzerman's wing spot alongside Lang.

I wouldn't be shocked to see him in Grand Rapids. There's a pretty good chance Lebda will be on the big club next year after his showing this year, and Meech's development seems to have stalled, though I doubt he's plateaued. Kolosov on the other hand has really been climbing, the Wings will want to get him playing against the best competition he will actually get a solid number of minutes against. Helmer is gone next year, that's one spot. Lebda makes two. Kolosov could take either of those spots and get a solid 17-19 minutes.

Kindl will spend a year or two in GR no matter when he leaves GR. Even Fischer and Kronwall spent time in the minors...and as good as Kindl might turn out, he's certainly not at the level Fischer was coming out of juniors or Kronwall from Elitserien. He should be a good one though.

Legace will get at least one huge offer, especially if he ends up as a Vezina nomination which, although unlikely, is possible with his solid numbers. Liv is easily the most NHL-ready goaltender the Wings have in the system. If he's not the backup, that means either Howard is starting or we have two vets on staff. The only way the latter happens is if both goalies return. The only way the former happens is if Howard proves he's ready beyond a shadow of a doubt. There's no need to rush him into the job, so why should it be done? I'd be perfectly happy keeping Osgood and Liv as the tandem, and using the savings to get the defensive upgrade that has been needed since Fischer went down. Even with big bodies like Kindl and Kolosov in the system...there is nobody who can replace from within everything Fischer brought to the team. At the top of that list, naturally, are Redden and Chara. Especially in the event of a long run, I'd gladly lock up as much of the current regulars, minus one or two easily replaceable players, as well as obviously those who retie if any, as possible before July, sign all prospects who still hold solid value and are nearing deadline and/or have a good shot at being on the team next year, and see where the payroll is and what holes need filling, and go from there.

For reference, Jiri Fischer was 6-5, 210 at draft and his most recent listing is 6-5, 229. Also, remember, Chris Pronger was 6-5, 190 when he was drafted. He is 6-6, 220 now. Kolosov will likely fall somewhere in the 6-5, 215-220 range by the time he finishes growing.

Thank you...that first sentence is the statement I have been trying to make for 8 years, to no avail.

Awesome, in that those watching him were awestruck by the fact he could suck SO BAD defensively.....

Though your argument supported by PAST facts is good, and is full of information of Osgoods PAST, it doesn't prove that he is good now. Yes, he WAS a great goalie, but is he now. He obviously has done something bad to get a bunch of people rattled about his abilitys of goaltending. I don't really read the statistics of Osgoods season so far, but I have watched pretty much every game this year, and he's had some good games, and his bad games like anyone else. But so many of the goals this guy lets in makes me want to puke. Like the second Edmonton game, first goal. That one stands out in my mind. If he had done nothing, the goal would have gone over the crease completely to the other side of rink, but he dives and it banks off his head into the net. And even though in 1998, he did in fact come in 2nd in the Conn Smythe trophy voting, lets not forget those center ice goals he let in, one which was going wide in OT V.S Dallas. He also lets out big rebounds, though he does make amazing saves some time. I can't call him a terrible goalie, but considering his experience, i'm sure Ken Holland can trade him for someone decent, and hopefully, he finds a better and more consistent back-up. Umm... Wasn't I responding to a post about the 98 Cup run? Why do I need to based an argument about 1998 on NOW instead of 1998? And it's true, you can't just disregard the center ice goals. But you have to remember--Osgood posted HUGE games afterwards, was second in Smythe voting in SPITE of those goals and their high profile. Oh, and also...Osgood was a Cup winning goaltender in 1998...so those single moments of penetrability can't have hurt the team too much.