Dabura

The one pretty legitimate knock on Nyquist is that he rode a ludicrous shooting percentage this season. What ended up being two shy of 30 probably would've been 15-20. So, his current trade value might be the best it'll ever be. ("This guy might score 40 goals next season on a contender! Look at Gaborik!") I don't like the idea of moving Nyquist. But if we're going to trade for a really good defenseman (and man do we ever need one of those), it's going to cost us. If we didn't have Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Franzen and - more to the point - Tatar, Jurco, Pulkkinen, Mantha, and the obligatory UFA (Alfredsson/Vrbata/Hemsky/Kulemin...), I'd be even less inclined to part with Nyquist. But, as it stands, I don't think Nyquist for That Top-Four Defenseman We Need would be a devastating blow that we'd live to regret.

To be clear...1) I meant Nyquist or Mantha. Not both. And 2) Shattenkirk is my guy *if it has to be a trade, as opposed to a signing*. If we're serious about getting a young, proven high-end defenseman who shoots right and can play a full season (averaging 20+ minutes a night) and play in all situations and score 10+ goals and put up 40+ points and run a power play and drive an efficient and effective transition game and is on a very agreeable contract (three years left on his deal, cap hit is $4.25M) and is only now knocking on the front door of his prime years and is, in many ways, perfectly suited for the kind of game we want to play and the basic systems we use and the personnel we have...Kevin Shattenkirk is my guy. I love Nyquist, but Nyquist for Shattenkirk, straight up? That would be incredibly tempting. It's not a knock on Nyquist. I just believe our '08 team - The Model - was as dominant as it was primarily because our top three was Lidstrom, Rafalski, Kronwall. Our top defenders were, together, the engine that drove our lethal attack. We're struggling to score these days because we've done nothing to compensate for the offensive prowess Lidstrom and Rafalski took with them when they retired. Shattenkirk would help that cause in a profound way, and we might actually have an outside shot at him because the Blues - who are no longer in our division and conference - need scoring depth and Euroskill and our guys are all very familiar with the Western powers, especially the Blackhawks, whose fans absolutely loved (hated) Nyquist in last season's seven-game series because he gave them fits. Kronwall Ericsson DeKeyser Shattenkirk Smith Marchenko But this is all unrealistic. So, whatevz. On a more realistic note - Cody Franson. Thoughts? Huge frame, shoots right, 26 years old, can move the puck, can run a power play, has a great shot, and he plays under Randy Carlyle (so he's probably better than he seems). Not the most mobile guy, and he's a work in progress in his own end - but, again, The Carlyle Factor looms large. Maybe Andersson, Kindl/Almqvist, and Legwand's rights for Franson and a pick? Kronwall Ericsson DeKeyser Niskanen Smith Franson Just spitballing.

RYAN: "You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." I can do those things, because I'm not a hero, not like Duchy. I lost the Minnesota series. That's what I can be. GENERAL MANAGER JOE SAKIC: No, you can't! You're not! RYAN: I'm whatever Denver needs me to be. Call it in. GENERAL MANAGER JOE SAKIC: They'll hunt you. RYAN: You'll hunt me. You'll condemn me, set the dogs on me. Because that's what needs to happen. Because sometimes the truth isn't good enough. Sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded. SAKIC'S SON: Ryan? Ryan! Why is he running, Dad? GENERAL MANAGER JOE SAKIC: Because we have to chase him. SAKIC'S SON: He didn't do anything wrong. GENERAL MANAGER JOE SAKIC: Because he's the hero Denver deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So, we'll hunt him, because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a two-way dynamo. A Lady Byng candidate. A Hard Day's Knight. SAKIC'S SON: That sounds like a lot of bulls***. GENERAL MANAGER JOE SAKIC: It is.

Nyquist has had one good season and Mantha's a prospect. Shattenkirk's 25 and his value is somewhat comparable to Kronwall's. We have a crying need for a Shattenkirk on our second pairing. I don't feel losing Nyquist or Mantha would cripple us. If anything, I just explained why Doug Armstrong would say, "No. Way."

Yup. (I was making a Weezer reference, ftr.) I've actually been needing a celloist for a few of my own recordings. I'll keep you in mind and nothing will ever come of it because I have a bad back and I'm lazy. In other news... NHL's West is best again in Stanley Cup Finals [Larry Lage, Associated Press] Mike Babcock, folks. He'll be here all week, hopefully longer.

I like that his release and skating are his biggest shortcomings (according to JF). Both are very teachable, improvable. I'm rooting for this kid.

I have a hard time believing Letang's trade value is anything less than superb, even with the health scare and scary contract. They may need a couple good wingers, but even on that front, I'm not really convinced. Dupuis was a huge loss, but he'll be back (I think?) Kunitz had a career year. Neal is one of the more lethal scorers in the game. Sign, say, Pouliot and Setoguchi with the funds you save by not re-signing Niskanen (who, from what I'm hearing, is probably going elsewhere, for big money). What you have then is, I think, a very competitive team, one with a #1 defenseman in his prime. Dunno why they'd move that #1 defenseman, unless they're getting something great in return. (Kesler?) You can't win the Cup without a Kris(topher) Letang, and they don't have another Kris(topher) Letang on their blue line. Not that acquiring Shattenkirk is any less implausible. Just saying. I like Shattenkirk a whole lot and I think he'd be a perfect fit as a really good second-pairing guy who could transform our transition game. We can't offer a legit top-six center, but, like you said, we have a number of sexy wingers on cheap, early contracts. The Blues need scoring depth, badly. Maybe Nyquist would interest them? Mantha?

I've decided we should do this: Kronwall Ericsson DeKeyser Niskanen Smith Marchenko I'll have a change of heart tomorrow, of course.

http://instagram.com/p/pOhHeAxI1Y/# Jello, baby.

I'm thinking this kid, if he's as good as advertised, might be the real reason why Kenny was willing to part with Jarnkrok. Sounds like he gives us a reasonably high-end natural center in the pipeline and he sort of recoups the lost second-rounder. Also makes me wonder if David Pastrnak - who I love - might be our first-round target in the draft.

Sounds like Jiri is very high on this kid. "I hope he’s going to be a strong two-way center that can play against top opposition and handle the big forwards on other teams and take faceoffs in key moments and help on the PP" is pretty heavy stuff.

Nosek ready to 'get a shot' at NHL [Red Wings Central]

Psh, I'm so over Girardi. (It was always an act. I did it for the money.)

Crazy upside and potential, IMHO. I feel like he could be a superstar on a more skill-based team...like ours. Really big body. Sick puck skillz. Defensively responsible. I'm just pipedreaming here, because we're not adding a 2C, let alone one we'd have to pay out the ass to acquire (Berglund probably fits that mold, hence me saying this), but...the thought of Zetterberg and Berglund on the same line, and it's our second line, and Mantha's a 30-goal-scorer on the first line, on Datsyuk's right wing...oh man. While I'm pipedreaming about Blues players, let me say that Shattenkirk is probably #1 on my list of desirables. I'd even take him over Wayne Simmonds.

Rinne's probably my favorite goalie. I hope he can bounce back!

Hadn't thought of it that way. Huh.

http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/final-thoughts-from-the-stanley-cup-final-it-wasnt-even-close/ Ouch.

http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/final-thoughts-from-the-stanley-cup-final-it-wasnt-even-close/ Drew Doughty is out. of. con. trol.

I wouldn't mind his cap hit if the term is right. $7M x 3 years would be tempting, and I actually don't think it's all that unrealistic.

It's official.

FWIW... Report: NHL revenues to hit record $3.7-billion [The Globe and Mail]

If there's one team we could really help, it's probably the Caps. They lack quality veteran leadership. They need a few good two-way forwards. (This piece touches on it.) I think we have a number of assets that would suit them well (e.g. Andersson). What they might lose in firepower, they'd make up for in better two-way play. The issue is, they're going to want an NHL defenseman, and that's just a starting point. I wouldn't move Smith for possibly only one season of Green. Maybe they like Kindl, but then we'd probably have to go big on the forward and/or the prospect(s), since we'd obviously be skimping on the defenseman. Green's their one big tradable asset and he's part of their core, and their lethal power play (the only reason they have any success these days). So they'd likely want quite a bit.

Maybe for the fans and community, on some emotional level. But would it give us a better team than we'd otherwise have? Would it give us a competitive advantage? I'm not trying to be a debbie downer. I just think, at this level (the AHL and NHL), that kind of thing is mostly arbitrary. At the end of the day, you're trying to put together the best team you can. Yes, there will be leanings, like a skill team favoring skill players and a big, physical team wanting big, physical players - but that's what should be happening. That's how you shape your team. You don't set a quota for local guys just for the sake of having local guys. The thing with the Wings' Euro-love is there was a good reason for it. They saw a way to get ahead of the curve and gain a competitive advantage by exploring and exploiting avenues other organizations weren't all that interested in. That set the foundation for the next 20+ years. But now that competitive advantage is largely gone. People know gems can be found in obscure Scandinavian towns. People know skill and puck possession are paramount. For this reason and others (e.g. the rise of USA Hockey), I think we're going to see things even out a bit more in terms of our Euro-NA ratio.

I think that's kind of a false dichotomy. A Cup-winning team is loaded with individual talent that's put together to play a system and style that suits the sum of the parts. The individuals are mixed and matched with certain other individuals for various reasons, and the lines and pairings are always changing. You hope "chemistry" develops, and you're always looking for it, but, ultimately, it's skill, talent, ability and strong goaltending that's going to carry you. "Chemistry" - if it can be quantified at all - just helps the cause, a lot. Look at the Olympics. Canada's always an all-star team, whereas some of the lesser teams are really close-knit but not nearly as talented. Look at the '02 Wings - no one was picking them because of any perceived team chemistry. They were just obscenely deep.