haroldsnepsts

I know what you're getting at, but you're comparing a 6 time Norris winner who's played with the Wings his entire career (16+ seasons) to a guy who played a total of 32 games in a Penguins sweater. There's getting attached, then there's getting attached. It's not really a similar concept. Like I said earlier, Wings fans here would likely be forming a lynch mob too if the situation was reversed, but I don't really think it's justified. Hossa was a deadline acquisition who took a one year deal to try and win the Cup.

True. But you gotta know that if the situations were reversed, Wings fans here would've been forming a death squad to take Hossa out. There were people already calling Stuart greedy and bitching about him before he even left. It was just on the speculation and mere thought of him going back to L.A. Turns out he took a discount to stay here, so he can live.

Didn't see this post. When you read the whole sentence, to me it's fairly clear they're talking about Lysenkov.

though it's in quotes in the subject heading of this thread, nowhere in the article does it actually say Fedorov was "humiliated by $2 million offer from the Caps." What it actually says is that Soviet Sports Pavel Lysenkov, who is hoping to lure Fedorov to play in the Continental Hockey league, is the one who thinks that the $2 million offer is humiliating to Feds. Though it does say that Fedorov is apparently seeking twice that amount. As great as he was, Fedorov is not worth $4 million.

Yes, he can teach them how to be overly dramatic about making calls and insert themselves into deciding games. McGeough is one of the only refs I consistently have a problem with over the years. He gets too caught up in the excitement of the game when making calls, and somehow he makes it all about him.

You didn't quote the best part!

I guess I'm that dumbs***. It is relevant. No it didn't make the injury go away, but it absolutely meant something to the team. Their captain just got rocked, and someone made him pay for it. Can you really not see that? Does no one remember the Wings players themselves saying how it makes a difference when someone has your back out there? Like when Mac put the beat down on Lemeiux. Did it help the injury? was it a deterrent? no. But it absolutely brought that team together. Fights like that one are not a deterrent, but they absolutely affect team chemistry. (pay special note in the video clip to all the Wings players standing and banging their sticks against the board).

Yes, it does. It wouldn't have been the same had McCarty gone after Laperierre after his hit on Lidstrom, and ended up getting his ass handed to him (I'm not saying that's what would've happened). Whereas Lappy turtled as Downey put the beat down on him. If fighting is part of their role, and it definitely is, then it matters who is better.

Downey provides more toughness and is a better fighter at this stage of his career. Mac is a better hockey player. Hopefully during the off season McCarty can continue to get back and shape and get stronger so he can be a little closer to the hitter and fighter he once was.

It's pointless for you to try and explain because you dismiss anyone who disagrees with you as being blinded by their hatred for Burke.

It depends on if we're talking about RFAs or UFAs here. I'm assuming your unproven rookie is essentially Penner. But as I've said, that's a unique situation. The unproven rookie is absolutely being overpaid because otherwise his team would match the offer and keep him. If you really want that player, you have to take a gamble, make it to painful for his team to match, and hope he eventually lives up to that salary. That's not a reflection of his market value. His salary is a reflection of what a GM was willing to pay to take him from his current team, which is also dependent on that teams cap situation. In other words, that contract was basically what Edmonton could manage to pay Penner and put the screws to Anaheim, who was having cap difficulty. Sort of like a poker match between those two teams. That's a long way off from what a players market value is. As for the guy who's been in the league longer, any GM worth his salt should be able to explain and stand firm on that distinction. If this player is a UFA, then his price has nothing to do with what happened to that rookie. If he's another RFA, maybe he could make that argument, but it's still a weak one. Lowe's move was a desperate gamble. That doesn't reasonably set the bar for what players should be paid because of all the unique circumstances surrounding it. The greatest influence on inflated salaries are 1) the cap going up. 2) GM's that still have not learned restraint and can't seem to resist bidding wars. 3) GM's that sign players long term, often overpaying them early in their contract in hopes that it will become a bargain in later years. It's a strategy under the new CBA. Lowe making two desperate offer sheets and overpaying one player did not lead to league wide inflation of salaries. Burke himself called it an act of desperation. It's not like RFA poaching will become widespread because most GMs aren't willing to give up all the picks and salary necessary to do that. And it would have to become widespread to have any real impact on players salaries across the league, because it has to be perceived as a real threat. EDIT: Besides, Penner put up 47 points with Edmonton this year. What would a 6'4" 245 lb 25 year old that put up 47 points get on the open market? In a season or two, this may actually be a decent deal for Lowe.

Can someone please explain to me in direct, concrete fashion how Lowe making two offer sheets last season to RFA's (yes they were overpaid, but they have to be if you don't want the other team to match) led to a league wide inflation of players' salaries?

No. but I wouldn't be blaming that GM for the league wide inflation of salaries. has Burke not noticed that the cap is also going up? And that with the cap, a lot of teams seem to be signing players for longer term, where they may be overpaying them at first, but hopefully will work out to be a bargain during the later part of the contract.

someone "like" me? I'm one of a kind.

I think it's early to call him a choker, but he did have moments of brilliance, followed by some surprisingly soft goals. He's only 23. hopefully that experience will help him improve, and not just destroy his confidence.

If you're going to try and sign someone's RFA and make an offer sheet, you HAVE to overpay. Otherwise their team will simply match and that'll be the end of it. With the draft picks you have to give up, there's already punitive aspects to making offer sheets on RFAs. I don't hear Burke whining about the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round picks he got for Penner. And if he had made a better offer earlier to Penner, say the $4 million he threw at Bertuzzi, he likely wouldn't have had that problem. Lowe's offers on RFA's are not leading to increased salaries. Those are a very specific and isolated situation. GM's as a whole get out of hand with the UFAs. It's Lowe's fault Vancouver offered Sundin $20 mill for 2 years? Lowe didn't start this. The GM's couldn't control themselves before the lockout. Now even with the new CBA, many still can't resist overpaying for players, especially UFA's. Besides, Burke should still be thanking Lowe for letting Pronger fall into his lap and putting Anaheim over the top for the Cup.

I can understand them being disappointed at not getting him re-signed, though that was always pretty much a long shot for the Pens. And a little added salt that he went to the Wings. Still, the guy played 32 games in a Penguins sweater. He was a rental. It's not like we hit Mario Lemieux over the head with a sack full of doorknobs and threw him in the trunk of our car.

Uhh, sorry. Burke whining about inflating salaries doesn't mean a lot to me coming from a guy who signed Bertuzzi for $8 million over two years. And some players, defenseman in particular, were already going for what I think is overpayment even before Lowe poached Penner. For a GM to whine to the press about something like that is totally unprofessional.

Hey, thanks for the personal attack. I'm not saying I want Cujo here. I'm saying the Calgary series wasn't his fault. The only people who seem to think so are those who have some beef with him, those who have an extremely oversimplified view of the game, or both.

Umm, I just checked in the site and saw this, and all I can say is: HOLY F@CKING SH$T!!!!! I thought Hossa was one of those guys people would complain about Kenny not getting signed, much like they did Luongo. Seriously. Jaw dropping.

Actually it's the goalie's job to stop the puck. Did you even watch the series? He bailed the Wings out against Nashville when Manny faltered and played very well in the series against Calgary. Blaming him for the loss is a gross oversimplification of what happened, and letting a handful of star players completely off the hook for their inability to score. but if it makes your world simpler to just blame the goalie for that, to each their own I guess. As long as there's LGW, there will be irrational goalie bashers.

Agreed. A .939 Sv % in the postseason should be plenty enough to get by Calgary when your offense consists of Datsyuk, Hull, Yzerman, Shanahan, Lang, Zetterberg, and Holmstrom. The "outplayed by the other goalie" is such a ridiculous argument, because it's basically saying it's Joseph's fault that the Wings couldn't score on the opposing goaltender. Doesn't make a lot of sense. Especially when you consider that the Red Wings didn't score a goal for over 120 minutes at the end of that series. They couldn't register a goal in game 5 or 6, losing both 1-0, and that's Joseph's fault?? The guys shooting the puck got outplayed by Kiprusoff. Not Cujo.

As soon as I asked the question "who would be crazy enough to take Khabi and his salary" LA immediately jumped to mind...

I'm not sure what the Norris has to do with anything. The only way Lilja contributed to Lidstrom's Norris win was because people could look at Lid's stats and say "and think about who he was paired with!" You could pair me with Lidstrom and he'd still win the Norris, and I'd probably finish the season +10 just by standing there with Lidstrom on the ice. Lilja is effective in his role. 2nd liner is not that role.

Seriously. Even by LGW standards, I'm impressed. I wouldn't have thought that a thread about a 1 year signing of a backup goaltender could somehow turn into a debate about Hasek, especially AFTER he's retired. Nice work folks.