Feldmarschall

I hadn't known of him losing his mother like that. Really a bad deal. I didn't much like Meech last season or during his limited stints earlier this year, but he showed a very sound game while everyone was hurt. Here's hoping he can turn it into something more consistent.

Just another bunch of stupid behavior from this goon. Hopefully next time somebody of similar caliber just runs in with a stick to Tootoo's face and preempts the whole thing, since the league will never muster the balls to put an end to this.

What the f*** was Woywitka thinking? That's just garbage.

Nobody has to be waived, rosters can be any size after the deadline. All of those players are staying up, it's just a matter of who plays and who does not. And the proven roster players will most likely get the PT. Meech, Ericsson, and then one of the three main #6 guys will be in the press box depending upon the opponent and the play. Lilja's a virtual guarantee, he's not sitting.

You aren't the only one. It's the first time I've ever seen this guy's name. I really hate football.

I think sirdrake somehow managed to hack Andy Pred's account. This is rather uncharacteristically stupid.

I read that the Jackets are shopping Klesla. I'd rather have him, but his contract has some term left on it. Gill would be nice if Babs can bring out a bit of a mean streak in him.

Absolutely correct. I think it has a lot to do with his comfort level and the incessant pressure to never take penalties in the playoffs. He's a much better player with the physical element, that roughing call was complete bulls***. I hope Babs and Co. continue to build on that part of his game. He looks very competent in his own zone, and it's only a matter of time before his decision-making skills hit the NHL level. I think he'll eventually surpass Lilja in terms of overall skill and physicality.

Lackluster effort by our forwards, but the kids showed up and did a reasonable job playing defense, all things considered. Howard had a good show even if the stats won't agree. I thought Stafford was good too, he makes decisions at NHL speed. Quincey was great, very physical. Ericsson was solid also. The corps just gave up too many odd man breaks, but none of them got undressed one-on-one, which is promising. Massive thumbs down tonight for Sammy, Datsyuk, and Lebda. The three combined for more giveaways in this one game than I'd expect the team to earn in ten games. It is very sobering to see just how much of our team offense relies exclusively on Lidstrom and Rafalski.

I think he's pulled some highway robbery with his roster moves this season and really jerked the system around without any interference from the league, but it's a one-time thing and I highly doubt that his team has a guaranteed future as a perennial number one candidate. That said, I really can't stand the son of a *****. I hate how he looks, even.

This should be one hell of a deal if Hunter gets back to form he displayed earlier in his career. And you're absolutely correct, it's a good omen for Cleary. He could take a similiarly underpriced contract with some term, given that he's finally found a team that he can stay at.

Undersized forward, number seven defenseman, and two draft picks for the guy that is the cornerstone of their franchise? Not likely. Olli Jokinen is a top-tier player and he'll command a high price.

Hartigan's deal is two-way, so he can be sent down later without clearing waivers if the team makes a deal. No delay, whereas otherwise there is a wait until roster space can be cleared.

"You see this!? RIGHT IN THE *******!"

I'm gonna buy you a sarcasm detector.

Unless it was a particularly spirited rivalry, Probie wasn't a dick to people. I recall him patting Marty McSorely on the head after their epic bout, and he wasn't one to throw punches once his opponent was down, either. There's a lot of stuff that goes on for the average fighter. A guy like Laraque or Probert doesn't have to oblige his opponent, and they turn down just as many challenges as they take. Probert was usually kind enough to fight the rooks, he didn't get full of himself, and he never pulled a Tootoo sucker punching anyone before the gloves were off. Enforcers aren't mean unless they have to be, although there are a few exceptions. And at any rate, what the hell did you expect him to do? Drop them before the puck dropped and get booted for the game?

Losing games and adding players - Burke's cardinal mistake was interfering with the team's chemistry. Some of it was unavoidable. Some was. Either way, this is not the same Ducks squad that beat us last year, and it's showing in a negative way right now. Will it be the same a couple months from now? Who knows. But they are in a bad position, and I personally hope it continues.

Didn't we get Draper for a dollar? That's pretty bad, but I think the Lindros trade will go down in history as the worst ever, barring some sort of madness in the near future... and given how dumb GMs have been getting lately, I'm certainly watching carefully.

All salaries taken on at this point would be prorated for the duration of the year, giving us the ability to add payrolls totaling more than our actual cap space. Picking up a five million dollar contract would incur a cap hit of less than half that.

Anaheim got better, and so did we. Anaheim is still almost at parity with us and have no further room to improve. We do. With the proper moves, we can secure an advantage over them, although it won't be decisive. The most important factor in a series between these teams is the one that can't be bought - luck.

Like any young-ish player, Kopecky is struggling with consistency. There are nights that he is piss poor, and you can tell he still gets nervous when he handles the puck sometimes, but in general I think he's a good bottom six winger and he's progressing nicely. Probably not worth second-line icetime though.

I agree that Nill is their best bet, but I'm sure he'd have the same reservations that Scotty did when they first approached him - total control over the club isn't going to happen, so what's the point?

Hence the comment about ending up in the press box.

Any other team and he'd probably be getting less money, but Phoenix needs him badly and he needs them too. Good deal for both sides as long as he maintains his production.

I like most of our guys just fine, but here are my standouts on either extreme. Top: Zetterberg Lidstrom Holmstrom Datsyuk Cleary Chelios Bottom: Samuelsson - Bad mental game Hasek - Cringe whenever he handles the puck Drake - Invisible most nights Lilja - Softer than he should be and turnover-prone Meech - Bad mental game That said, all this hate for Hartigan makes no sense to me. What more can we expect from a career reserve forward? He does a fine job.