StevieY9802

http://nhlnumbers.com/ Best site ever for this. Here is a post from another board I posted about the Hawks and their signings. "This is why I think the signing of Hossa and Kopecky, they were a packaged deal I'm sure, was stupid. They would have plenty of cap space, $6.5mil about, was it not for those deals and still been a good team. Now they are gonna have to trade away guys who helped out the team last year. Why mess with chemistry? I know people will say well Hossa is better then them. My response is "so?" This team was a young team on the rise. You wouldn't want to try one more year of it? They've got enough talent there to win without Hossa, they proved it this year, they just needed to get some experience. I also hear the response that this team is more talented now and all you have to do is look at Hossa's last team, actually last two teams for that response. Pens were more talented in 08 than in 09 and yet they won the Cup in 09. Wings were more talented in 09 and won in 08. I sure hope the Hawks don't regret this. "

We hear this a lot. Sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't. If he was gonna do that I don't think he would have filed for arbitration.

You are correct sir about the going over the cap this year. So there is NO WAY they all sign by Jan. I didn't even think about that. There will be guys traded, no matter what. Whether it's Sharp and guys like that or whoever. Either way they'll be some major changes.

Yes Wings fans are so jealous of the 0 Stanley Cups in 47 years. I would totally want to be the Hawks this year and give up 4 Cups, 6 Finals and 8 WCF's to be a Hawks fan THIS year. You are so right. Second how do they get rid of those 2 players? You can't just dump players. Sopel is possible he'll only have one more year on his contract after this season, even though he is overpaid. Who is gonna want Campbell and his 7 more years and almost $50mil.

Damn right. I would give up Hudler or even Franzen or Cleary until December if it meant a Cup right now. Just as I'm sure Brent Gilchrist has no regrets missing the majority of 2 seasons because of playing on that injured groin to win the Cup in 98. I'm with you on all of that. I'm really with you on the conference thing. It had tradition and history tied to it. The names of the conferences is not gonna draw people in. If people liked the sport they would learn the names of the divition/conferences later.

I was just thinking, I wonder if this is the NHL getting back at Burke for the hissyfit he through when Kevin Lowe said if the Ducks didn't want Bobby Ryan that the Oilers would take him. Again the fact that the NHL looked into either situation is quite sad. Tampering is not saying you think a guy is good or you wish he was on your team or if someone hit the market you would have gone after them. Players call other players all the time well before July 1st and say stuff to pending FA's. Hell Cheli said he had guys talking to him during the season and the NHL is looking at this? Come on.

Wonder how long he played through it. Amazing what hockey players play through.

Still stupid, both situations. So tampering is now the Leafs saying they had a plan for free agency and the twins were #1 on the list. They were planning on going after players?!?!

according to the website I found for re-entry waivers both the Hawks and the claiming team both take half the cap hit and half the salary.

if a player is claimed on re-entry waivers it's half the cap hit for both teams. So whoever picks him up picks up 3.5mil per on his salary and the Hawks would too.

Brouwer will be making $1mil also. I didn't see him on your list. And you may very well be under-estimating the new salaries of Kane, Keith and Toews. Granted if so only by a little bit. I also read an article, can't find it right now, that the cap could drop even more than $2mil. So again Hawks fans still waiting on how you think he will get it done. Not a "he just will" respsonse.

This is so stupid imo. All he said on the radio was that if the twins had hit the market they would have gone after them. OH NO!! He said what every f'in person in the media was saying that the twins could end up back with Brian Burke.

Yeah but next year they will have about 12mil coming off the books while other teams, Blackhawks I'm looking at you, will have big problems when the cap goes down. And this team is still more talented than a lot of teams in the league. I don't agree with you too often but I agree with you 100% here. All the guys you mentioned got crucified on this board time and time again and how they should be gone. Well people, you got your wish. Now if any of the things you mentioned above happen the same people will come in and call Holland useless for letting those guys go and not getting deals done for them. As far as lines go... I dunno. The top two could be any combination of guys really. Do you put Hank and Dats back together or do you keep Franzen, Cleary and Hank together? They had a good playoff together. Franzen - Zetterberg - Cleary Filppula - Dats - Homer Hudler - Helm - Leino cheap UFA - Draper - Maltby As for the UFA... who konws. Maybe it's a tryout guy or something I dunno. But Abby will start the year in GR. He would be gettig 10 minutes here or 20 minutes there. I know people think he should be here but I would rather have him playing big minutes. on D. Lids - Rafalski Kronner - Stewie Big E - Lebda Who knows what happens with Lilja so thats still very much up in the air.

yeah thats my question too. I'm not trying to start a fight I am REALLY asking the Hawks fans here how he pulls this off. You ain't trading Brian Campbell, no one will want him at 7mil and what 7 years to go? Sure can't buy him out cause the caphit would be huge so you might as well keep him. You can't trade Huet now because he's your only NHL goalie at the moment. Barker just got a huge raise and Versteeg hasn't signed yet. The cap will go down next year, some people say by a lot. If Barker is getting just over $3mil Keith will be getting huge money next summer like around 6mil I would think and Kane and Toews around the same. So that would be about 14 or 15 players signed for well over $50mil. THEN the next summer Seabrook will need a raise. Good luck.

totally that change helped too. Bylsma and his system seem like the perfect fit for them. He actually has some class too. Amazing how I can respect someone who isn't an a$$ hole.

i think that did hurt them, until Guerin and Kunitz stepped in. Shero went from a total moron to genius real quick last season.

Right on for both of you. The Wings don't need someone who wows anyone. If they sign Hudler they'll need a 3rd/4th line guy. I love how a lot of people are so worried because the Wings lost a few free agents. Could they struggle a little bit? Maybe. Will guys need to step up? Totally. But lets not forget they have Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Cleary, Franzen, Filppula, Helm and Holmstrom. Not including everyone else. And yeah the Wings made some good late signings a few years ago and guys on tryouts. And for the guy saying the Pens are signings free agents?? You mean the whole 2 guys they signed who were already there and neither who were going to get huge money, like Hossa, on the market. Guerin and Fedotenko signed for a total of 3.8mil. They lost Scuderi which will hurt them. I'm not worried at all because Holland's mistakes have been few and far between. And Holland has done nothing?? He signed Zetterberg and Franzen to contracts worth much less in cap hits than they would get as UFA's. Those were his two free agent signings.

Yeah a lot of people around here thought Fil was gonna be gone and the Wings got it done. I will continue to think that until Hudler is signed or is gone. I think Kenny finds a way to get this done.

I don't question him going there I question Chicago signing him with some guys getting big money the coming years.

Right on. Hank - Dats- Homer Franzen - Fil - Cleary XXX - Helm - XXX - Draper - Maltby thats roughly what they are looking at before signing Leino or Hudler. Then you have Abby in GR.

Yeah Wings have quite a bit of contracts coming off next year so it'll be easier to adjust things next offseason.

Looking at the cap situation there they ahve $28mil committed for next year. Even minus Huet and you are at 23mil. But Hossa, Kane, Keith and Toews will all take around 6mil each at least I woudl think so 47mil or so for 10 players? Good luck Chicago you are gonna need it.

CBC is reporting it as well.

Wow. Take him and have fun next year Hawks.

I still think he ends up in Montreal or New York.