YoungGuns1340

Well a top Dman for the Rangers is another story, where hes likely their number 3. But the Rangers have a very mediocre defense, so thats not saying much. And its more likely that hes a UFA in the season to come than a Rangers top Dman.

According to NHL Numbers, the Rags cap sits at 51.7, without Hossa, Callahan, or Avery being signed. But that number includes Shanahans bonuses, which can be deferred til next year. So, really they sit at 48.9 - so basically they have 1.4 left with 7Dmen, 2 goalies, and 10 forwards signed. Maybe theyre planning on making a trade, because I dont see how Avery is going to fit. On a side note, if NYR DOES defer Shannys bonuses til next year, theyre really f***ed.

Have you watched Malik play? outside of his OMGTHATWAZSOOKEWL shootout goal, which was hardcore overrated, the guy is a #4 on his best night and a good #6 the rest. He barely uses his size. Not only is he not "absoultely beyond 'decent,'" but "decent" is being nice. The guy has zero hockey sense. Potentially be a top defenseman??? When will he reach this potential you speak of? 35? Yeah. Drury only played on THE biggest offensive powerhouse IN THE NHL with players like Briere and Vanek and a supporting cast of Afinogenov, Connolly, Pominville, and Roy. ...and prior to that, he played with a few guys you may or may not know about (because Im not sure how you could forget where it all started for Drury). Joe Sakic? Peter Forsberg? Hejduk? Tanguay? Deadmarsh? Jagr, Gomez, and an over the hill Shanahan are the types of players Drury has been around for the majority of his career.

Rosizval is the only complete defenseman to speak of on the Rags. All the others are decent at specific things, but far from complete. I could post the same thing about Detroits forwards. Hank and Datsyuk are dynamite...the rest are good at what they do, in the process of developing, etc. Doesnt mean they form an imposing crew.

Terrible tactic for Yashin. Everybody around the league is laughing at this, no doubt.

Do you really think Babs is going to give all the PP time that went to Lang, Wiliams, Bert and Calder, to Hudler and Grigs?? Datsyuk and Zetterberg will get increased ice time now that Sammy has taken over Williams point position (opening up 1 spot down low) and Lang has left (opening up another spot down low). Im betting Hudler, Grigs, and Cleary see spotty PP time in the beginning of the year, and surely when a PP is crucial, Zetterberg and Datsyuk will be spending more time out there. Not to mention, Zetterberg, Datsyuk, and Homer will be together for an entire year barring injuries. Datsyuk: 33-75-108 Zetterberg: 51-47-98 Holmstrom: 26-22-48 Sammy: 21-21-42 Filppula:13-29-42 Hudler: 24-15-39 Cleary:15-19-34 Franzen:18-14-32 Grigorenko:14-16-30 Draper: 8-11-19 Drake: 7-4-11 Kopecky: 4-4-8 Maltby: 4-3-7 Lidstrom: 14-64-78 Rafalski: 8-55-63 Kronwall: 8-29-37 Lebda: 7-19-26 Lilja: 1-10-11 Quincey: 1-9-10 Chelios: 0-9-9 Hasek: 0-2-2 Osgood: 0-0-0 Goals: 277, 1.7 assists per goal

Of the goalies available, Kipper we cant afford, Kolzig loves the Caps, and we wont be in the market for a franchise goaltender. I also dont think we can afford Hossa or Heatley, but Rolston, Legwand, Fisher, etc are great 2nd line guys.

If Chelios is willing, Id take him back to split time with whichever rookie we'll have in the lineup at that point (Kindl?). The only way Osgood comes back is if Howard is ready to split/start. Hasek is gone for sure. Draper will likely come back at no more than 1M per year, and probably 3 years max.

Is it the 2.5M + 1.5-2M in bonus deal that was rumored? If so, thats a good deal.

No s***. This guy is one of my favorite players in the game. Awesome character, tons of speed and grit, hes got scoring ability, isnt afraid of anything, awesome PKer, and is good for 20 goals every year. He reminds me a little of Mike Knuble, a guy I always liked. I heard a rumor from spectors that Heatley is likely gonna cost Ottawa 8M to sign, plus they have to re-sign Jason Spezza, so Fisher may be the odd man out. Itll take AT LEAST 15M to tie up both Spezza and Heatley. Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Homer Legwand-Filppula-Grigs/Hudler Franzen-Fisher-Cleary Maltby-Draper-Cooke Lidstrom-Kronwall Rafalski-Commodore Chelios-Lebda You dont find Hossa, Heatley, Fisher, Redden, Boyle, Cooke, Rolston, Kipper, Kolzig, etc exciting? Some of the best Dmen, goal scorers, goaltenders, and agitators are on that list.

Crosby gets 8.7, and Feaster STILL looks like a ****** bag for giving Richards 7.8 This is a hometown discount for the Pens for sure. But then again, you gotta wonder at what point does an extra 1.9 matter when your endorsements are only going to increase with more exposure.

Dallas Stars Ive always like Fridge, but how many times can you get your face broken in?

Dont you think the Sharks will still add a defenseman?? I wouldnt be surprised to see Markov, Sutton, or Souray in a Sharks jersey. All would be decent options, IMO. Bell sucked for you guys, and Guerin wasnt a reason you guys got to where you were in the standings, and certainly wasnt much in the playoffs. Maybe not addition by subtraction, but I think the only relatively big loss was Hannan. And there are still decent options through which to replace him. Wrong. The momentum shift we were never able to recover from was the tying goal with 47 seconds left in the game on a bulls*** call against Datsyuk. Bertuzzi made a cough-up nearly identical to that of Lilja in Game 6. So did Lang, but not against the Ducks. What Lilja did in the playoffs did a lot more in keeping us in the playoffs then pulling us out of the race.

People are still talking about the hit that Drake put on Lebda. That was last year. Granted it was a questionable hit at best, but at least we know Drake still goes after guys. I dont understand how a guy we signed PURELY FOR GRIT can be insanely bad when we're still talking about a hit he dished out 8 months ago.

If I had to take a guess, given that Holland said Markov didnt like the terms or the money, probably 1-2 years, 3M per. I wouldnt be surprised if the remaining teams who are looking to add a top 4 still - San Jose, Devils, NYI to name a few - are just waiting to see what happens with Souray. Then Im guessing Markov, Sutton, and possibly Vishnevski will be picked up. Too bad, because this defense corps would be the s***: Lidstrom-Markov Rafalski-Kronwall Chelios-Lebda Lilja-Quincey

I wouldnt be shocked if it had more to do with length of the contract. I dont see Asham signing for only a year, but I guess well have to wait and see. Hollands been pretty adamant about only handing out 1 year contracts.

I was thinking about this too. Why Holland didnt just go after Asham, that is. And the only reason I can come up with is that Holland wanted to add grit...but at a really cheap price and only on a one year contract. I cant imagine Asham taking a paycut from the 1M he made last year, so maybe Asham isnt backing down from a 1.5M long term deal.

Ohlund-Salo Mitchell-Bieksa Miller-Krajicek Luongo Thats one of the best defense groups in the NHL right now. But their forward group leaves a lot to be desired.

Personally, I never thought of Yashin and/or Forsberg as our "long sought after" top 6er. I thought of them as extra offense until we make a real move at the trade deadline. Thats why I dont like the idea of signing either guy to a 1) long term contract or 2) to a high paying contract. Im not set on either guy, but at this point in the game, they are decent options if they come at the right price. Once again, IF THEY COME AT THE RIGHT PRICE. They would only be good signings if they came at discounted prices. Ive always maintained that. Otherwise, Id just as soon see the Wings wait around and hope that a guy like Marian Hossa or Brian Rolston are available at the deadline. And in reference to Forsberg, like I said, Ive only come to like the idea because of what was suggested in the Free Press or Detroit News - cant remember which - about the Wings holding their breath to see if Forsberg recovers from his foot injury and signing him midway through the season where the money would immediately be halved, assuming we sign him around Decemberish. And you are right about Forsberg not being the player he used to be - hes not - but going from being "the best player in the world" to a pretty damn good player who still brings it all despite injuries is not a bad take at all.

Yeah. He lead all forwards on Dallas in PP time (4 minutes per) and couldnt even bank 20 goals. The guy brings absolutely nothing to the roster. Hes also ridiculously soft and wears pink T-shirts. He has no character and is famous for his playoff theatrics with that faux wrist injury.

Haha, thats pure gold. Drake laid him out good.

Well, considering Yashin is rumored to be asking for 4M, Im a little surprised to hear that he mightve been offered a 3 year/12M+ contract and still hasnt signed yet. And if this is the case, then I dont know why we are even having this discussion. I dont know ANYONE on this board who wants Yashin for more than 1 year - I certainly don't - and Holland will NOT sign Yashin or any other player to anything longer than a 1 year contract, unless they get their hands on some scoring youth a la Ryder or Penner - neither of which are going to happen.

Just because a player is injury prone doesnt mean they are washed up. Why do you think him signing in Nashville instantly made them cup favorites? Because the guy still has it. He was practically playing on 1 foot in the playoffs, against San Jose of all teams, and in those 5 games, he had 2 goals, 2 assists, and had 8 hits in his first game alone. That is hardly washed up. As for Yashin, clearly people will pay for a "lazy, unmotivated player with diminishing skills" because Chicago just signed Robert Lang - to a 4M contract nonetheless - which proves a ton about Yashin. Half the league didnt even blink about Lang being signed to a 2 year/4M contract, yet most people, who are mostly going by hearsay with Yashin, are up in arms about him ever playing in the NHL again. He is stigmatized more for being overpaid, and a sit out that happened nearly a decade ago, than for his actual play. No, hes not a spark plug, but under Ted Nolan, he had a very respectable showing in terms of work ethic. A coach like Babs could do the same for him. On top of that, he is playing for his reputation. And finally, I have yet to hear anybody say that they want Yashin OR Forsberg for that matter under any terms. For Forsberg, the idea suggested in the Free Press, where Peter Forsberg is signed midway through the season after given a clean bill of health is the only circumstance that intrigues me. And why shouldnt it? A discounted price for basically a prep trade deadline signing? Sounds like an interesting way to add talent while circumventing some cap issues to me. As for Yashin, I would welcome him, but on a 1 year, 3M MAX contract, preferably at 2.5M. Considering how Holland was able to sign Markov to a very reasonable contract late in the off-season last year, after a flurry of overpaid contracts to Defenseman, I would definitely be satisfied if he took the same route as Yashin AND still had cap space for the deadline to make additional moves.

Dallas Drake was signed to be a physical presence. In that respect, Drake is better than Calder.

Not even Steve Yzerman was the lone difference maker in a Stanley Cup Run. It always takes a unique combination of players, and theres no reason to ship off Grigorenko - a young guy with both skill AND grit - just because we dont know how hell pan out. Well see how much money the Rags have left after Lundqvist goes to arbitration. 2 back to back Vezina noms speak for themselves. Shanny wont play for peanuts. People get all worked about Yashin yet Detroit is CLEARLY adamant about only signing players to one year contracts and since the rumors are that Yashin is looking for 4M, then the Wings would already have signed him if they were willing to pay that. IMO, when the Wings are talking about waiting around for players to drop their salary demands, theyre mostly talking about Yashin. People think those of us who want Yashin think its a great deal at any price. IMO, I would like to see what Yashin could do here, but thats purely contingent upon a 1 year contract and $3M MAX.