e_prime

IF the price were right, I might take a chance on Perron. (I know, I know. Concussion issues.)

$6,500,000 to be exact. Backloaded two year deal. $5 million cap hit.

MacT has said he's willing to make some trades: http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=454926 Who from that team would make a nice addition? They could use a guy like Kindl or Lashoff, right?

...and I thought the ROR saga wouldn't get any messier with Feaster's bungle last year... In case you were unaware, I'm a fan of this guy.

Oh, I understood your point. You didn't need to continue to flog the dead horse for my benefit.

To your first point, absolutely! Being a GM isn't just flipping picks, prospects, and players. The things that happen behind the scenes, on phone calls, on trade calls, etc. aren't transparent. They can't be. To your second, having no expectations is a great way of going about it. The likelihood that Ken Holland is going to do what any of us want/expect is very, very slim. I have my opinions and I know what I'd like to see, but I'm not all doom and gloom just because I KNOW he's not going to do ANYTHING or WHAT I WANTED! ...but what is obvious that he needs to admit?

You can't give the Conn Smythe to a trade deadline acquisition! That would just drive future prices through the roof!

That's because Dean Lombardi is well practiced and getting what he needs when it comes to trading. Ken Holland maybe not so much.

Wow. ******* shivers everytime that Cup gets hoisted.

Martinez with the WCF series winning goal... and now a SCF series winning goal in 2xOT. ...and they have Justin Williams. That's just not fair. Doughty's gotta be the MVP. EDIT: WOW! WIlliams. I'm surprised. He totally deserves it, but I swear to gawd I thought it was going to be the crowning of Doughty.

That's it. The L.A. Kings are your Stanley Cup Champions.

CROSSBAR

Making an offer sheet or a trade offer has nothing to do with being nice. You make up your mind on what you're willing to "pay" for a player and you either stick to that plan or you adjust it based upon your needs and/or counter-offers. You weigh the pros/cons. It has nothing to do with being nice. As someone mentioned earlier this week; Just because Ken Holland isn't making the decisions and choices you like in the frequency and type you'd prefer... doesn't mean that he isn't making decisions. (Just for clarity, I don't specifically mean you Rich.)

Not to add any support to anyone suggesting that we offer sheet P.K. Subban... but I think the only time an offer sheet has actually worked out for a team is when San Jose made an offer to Hjarlmramadamason, Chicago matched, and then San Jose was able to grab up Niemi because Chicago was in cap hell. So... let's offer sheet Weise, Eller, and White... MTL will match and not have money for Subban. Right? Oh wait. They're not in cap-hell. ...and we don't really want/need any of those guys... NEVERMIND. /comedyroutine. Is that all?

I'm with Flashy. Trade down. Our first for 2 of Buffalo's three second rounders. Giving them two first rounders this year. Three next year. Holy crap!! That's a lot of first round picks.

...Richards? ...Brad Richards? Have you watched any Rangers games lately?

Not saying it's not true. It is their MO. ...but if the Bruins had said, "Oh, that Detroit series... *pshaw* we weren't worried about that in the least. Sure, they'll make the playoffs, but have you seen their team lately?" Anyway, I thought it was an interesting quote on a "slow news days." He certainly could have avoided bringing up "the team, their captains, their leaders" and just said, "Once we won that first game of the San Jose series, we kind of had a feeling we were going to come back and win that series. We felt we could do it and we want to make sure we give the Rangers no such feeling."

So, you guys are all cool with someone who's your rival essentially calling you "scared?" Questioning your abilities by saying you could read it on your faces? That your concern is so obvious? Okay... I'm sure if this quote had come up during the series, it probably would have been great bulletin board material for the Sharks locker room. Maybe lit a fire under some asses.

Hrmmm. *scratches head* This could be a game show!!! Does anyone have a dozen or so models and Howie Mandel's phone number? I kid. I kid. At the right price I wouldn't say no. Last year his cap hit was $4million, salary $5.5. At 28 y/o, I'm guessing he'll be looking for a similar number. He's a lefty, but he's better than K or Q. The real question is who else wants him? Who will we be bidding against? Can Boston re:up with him while keeping Bartkowski and Krug? I have no idea if the aforementioned have waiver options left. If they send Miller back down to Providence they've got: Chara-Seidenberg-Boychuk-McQuaid-Hamilton I don't think Boston even needs him. He was acquired for solely for depth when Seidenberg became unavailable. Would he go back to Philly? Everybody wants a puck moving defenseman, no?

Agreed. He's a phenomenal player and would be great on this team, but he doesn't fit our needs. Surely we can acquire a winger for less than the asking price of Spezza. You mean we can't just send them some odd parts for the other guy who's been the other face of the franchise for a decade? How about Weiss for Spezza?

Depending on who's available and if it comes with making a trade... I think we sh(ou)ld.

Well would ya look at that.

According to media reports and rumor sites, Tallon has said that Florida has received exactly ONE worthwhile offer for the 1st round pick. I'm certain it wasn't from Kenny Holland. Florida sh(ou)ld keep it and w(ou)ld benefit themselves greatly by taking Ekblad.

When you say Niskanen wants a monster contract are you talking money or term?? or both? Reality: Boyle is going to want just as much cash as Niskanen (5 Million +) As far as term goes think about it this way: You sign a 27 year old defenseman who's finding his groove in the NHL to a 5 year contract. Guess what? In five years he'll still be a year younger than Kronwall is now. (...and at that point Kronwall is 38 and we'll all be calling for him to retire.) I'm all for taking the 27 year old for 5 years who can grow and bolster our future over a 38 year old stop-gap. Acquiring either Niskanen or Boyle in the over-priced auction known as Free-Agent Frenzy (yes, they're both up for auction) would NOT hinder us from bringing up XO. Trading Kindl. Duh?! I don't think W4tC06 was suggesting that Niskanen is comparable to Suter. The thing that is essential in comparing those two: Niskanen won't command the $$ that Suter was able to. Acquiring Niskanen via Free Agency only creates more depth at defense which isn't a bad thing. What's the worst thing that happens? You trade some defensemen. Niskanen is an NHL proven defenseman. Sproul/XO/Marchenko/etc. excellent prospects, but unproven commodities. $5mill for 6 or 7... sure. or $5.5 for 5. While I'm not on board with signing Boyle, I'm willing to give Boyle the benefit of the doubt that he's better than Quincey. Boyle over Quincey would certainly help our defense in the department that we need most... puck-movement that leads to scoring.