Canadian_Yzerman_Fan

Yes, it is. There are many players without contracts right now that are better than a lot of players being signed. They don't want/deserve to be paid minimum salary, and teams have spent too much on other players and can't fit these guys under the cap.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=334241 With this news, I can't imagine this whole hanging out at the Red Wings camp idea still happens.

Hossa HAS played during his contract... If he's game, then so are Z & Mule

I figured it'd be worth it to have a Modano example in this thread. This was in April 2010... so probably his most recent shootout attempt:

It'll have to be someone for under a million. If you give Abdelkader and Helm $900,000 each (probably fairly accurate), then there is about $700,000 left in cap space. Holland definitely wants at least $500,000 for injury call ups during the season, so the way this likely plays out is Meech gets traded for a low pick and a veteran D-man is signed for about $700,000-$800,000

the ducks signed wis. and then traded him to the isles

I for one am thoroughly impressed by what Steve Yzerman has done over the past couple of hours... - Mezsaroz contract successfully dumped for a 2nd rounder - St Louis extended at fair cap hit (5ish) - Dan Ellis - a great candidate to be a franchise goalie I can't wait to see what else he does. The roster still has a lot of openings.

"I wonder why I couldn't get a cab..."

Yeah I just read that too. This guy is so far out of touch with anything going on with the Red Wings. Yesterday he also said that Red Wings fans must be crushed that Lebda is now a Leaf. lol As said above, he would have to play for under $2M and that will so obviously NEVER happen. This reminds me of Eklund's reported rumor a few months ago that was a straight up Zetterberg for Luongo

If this is true NJ is F'd in the A. That puts them about $4M over the cap, they still need to add at least one more forward, and they'll have to move some significant $$$... Who is going to give them a fair deal in a situation like that? Options as I see: 1) Move Elias - he's probably more valuable playing then whatever return they can get for him. 2) Waive Rolston - $5M cap hit, and no production. No one else is going to take that in a trade. 3) Move BRODEUR - a bad move for the organization. Sure he could easily be traded, but it's a bad blemish on the Devils history if they go this way. I don't even understand why they needed Kovalchuk so bad in the first place. He wasn't that great in his few months with the team, and they already have a younger elite first line left-winger in Parise (who I think loses out the most with this signing)

I expect the conversation went something like: We'll give you a little less than you'll get somewhere else but you'll be our starter. After those two years if it's working out we will give you a nice extension an some bigger money. It also helps that the team is just about to round a corner into what the pens looked like a couple years ago - but with yzerman working things a bit more should be expected.

I think the idea of signing Bertuzzi is that he can move into the top 6 when needed to and it has proven to work. Also, it keeps competition for those net-presence positions on the PP. Franzen used to play that role until he got so damn good at sniping... now putting him in front of the net would be a waste of his skill. I've said it in another thread, but I think going after Andrew Ladd instead would be very worthwhile. Yes, we would have to trade for his rights, but he's at least as good as current Bertuzzi at everything he does, he's young, and he's not afraid to use his size, and he definitely has the offensive upside when called upon. Additionally, he could probably be signed for the same money but on a longer term, which I personally feel is win/win. Arguments against?

I like Asham too, but an even more appealing option (though maybe not for the price) could be ANDREW LADD. He's an RFA, Chicago can't keep him... maybe his rights can be had for the pick we got for Ville.

If they won the cup today... Chicago: Toews - runner up; Niemi Philly: Richards - runner up; Pronger Leighton has no business being mentioned here. He's got a nice story and his numbers are great, but he hasn't played enough games and the Flyers' team defense is responsible for a lot more than he is.

So will the stands in Tampa be filled with lightning #19 Yzerman jerseys?

I agree. This guy has been invisible. If only he'd score 3-4 goals within a 5 minute span. :siren: :siren:

I was watching the Pens/Habs game earlier, and while the constant CrosbyFest was going on I got thinking... Will Malkin ever get sick of playing second fiddle on that team? I know he's locked up for a lot of years still and is probably still humbled by his youth, but I'm thinking at some point he's either going to demand a trade take his opportunity as a UFA. As the title of my thread implies, we saw it happen with fellow Russian Fedorov when he realized he would always be in Yzerman's shadow. Maybe he's already sick of Crosby as much as people around here? (I'm not sure that's possible) What do you all think?

Could you imagine if the Wings signed him? We would never win a home game!

SJS/COL 4-1 CHI/NSH 2-4 VAN/LAK 4-2 PHX/DET 1-4 WAS/MTL 4-0 NJD/PHI 4-1 BUF/BOS 4-2 PIT/OTT 4-2 Western Conference Winner: Vancouver Eastern Conference Winner: New Jersey Stanley Cup Finals Winner: New Jersey

I'm wondering what people around here think of the Avs nowadays. The rivalry is very dead and the only guys they have remaining from it are Foote (will possibly retire after this season) and Hejduk (who wasn't a big part of the rivalry anyway). I used to loathe the Avs pretty hard, but I can't help but find this rookie loaded team to be exciting and fun to watch. Granted they still have a lot to prove (especially on defense), but they also have a lot of room to grow into being a powerhouse within a couple years. I'm glad the goon squad of the 90's is gone, because I think it would be a real shame to hate a team this good. Coincidentally, I think Matt Duchene may end up being one of my favorite non-Red Wings in the league. I can't wait to see what this kid can do with a little more size and experience, because he looks unstoppable on most nights as it is right now. So... are average Wings fans Avs haters for life as a result of one of the greatest NHL rivalries, or can a roster full of new faces and a different style help you ignore the jersey they wear? I can't be the only one enjoying watching these guys play.

WOW!!! This has to be by far the most positive thread regarding an opposing team that I have ever seen on this website. That definitely rings out of how much things have changed. I wonder if any other teams are held in this high of a regard on this board... I'm not sure I can think of any possibilities.... especially not in the western conference. Good on ya LGWers!

Any word on how he's been playing this year in the KHL? I haven't been able to find any sort of stats or news on him

Get there early and hang out by the will call office. It's no guarantee, but I've met several guys out there about 1.5 hours before game time heading into the building... including pavel datsyuk, gary roberts, mats sundin, ken holland, etc. edit: Tell Alex to slow down... he's killing me in my hockey pool and I can't seem to trade my entire team for him.