LeftWinger 4,934 Report post Posted July 2, 2007 ...ok, well, they were right. There was a flurry of action on day 1 of the UFA season. My problem is, really only one team did anything to actually better their chances of winning a Stanley Cup and that is the Rangers. Now don't jump all over me, sure there were some good signings throughtout the league, but for the most part, they were lateral moves or moves that really didn't make sense at all. Who do I blame? I blame the players for just signing where they can get the most money. Not many players made deceisions based on chances to win the Cup... 1. Drury & Gomez & the Rangers were the big winners on day 1. The Rangers are a good team, and they got tons better with these signings. The only thing that remains to be seen is if they can gel all that talent together to make a team. 2. Detroit pretty much made a latteral move with Rafalski. They lost Schneider and felt they needed to fill his void. Rafalski is younger and maybe a little better defensively, but for the most part, he and Mat are very much alike. 3. Anaheim actually took a step back, if indeed Neidermayer is retiring. But they needed to replace Scott and Mat obviously wanted to go somewhere near his home with a chance to win the Cup. This was a no brainer and was actually discussed a few weeks ago on this forum. ...these are the only three transactions that made any sense to me. Those players actually made decisions based on chances to win the Stanley Cup along with getting some cheddar to go with it... ...now, the rest of what went on made no sense what so ever, and I blame the players. Obviosly teams are looking for that missing link, but nothing else that went on yesterday did anything to improve their chances (teams or the players who signed) of winning the Cup... 1. Kariya signs in St. Louis. ROFLMFAO! Nice to see Kariya will never hoist the Cup at least until he goes somehwere for a little less money to actually try and win! St. Louis has to be one of the teams furthest away from winning and signing Paul doesn't get them any closer. 2. Ryan Smith signs with Colorodo. Another laugher! All about the Benjamins I guess! Colorado will not contend this season, much like last year. Smith will add some scoring to their team, but I think he will quickly realize that he made a mistake signing in Colorado. But he did it for the money so I guess if he is happy with the cash, he'll be happy in Colorado. No Cup though. 3. Daniel Briere in Philly. So much talent wasted. This guy should have been looking at the Rangers/Ducks/Red Wings or Senators. Maybe the Sharks. If Briere ever wants to win a Cup, he needs to get a different agent. Sure he got him a lot of money, but Philly? Come on Danny! They was a reason they were the worst team in the league, unfortunately the addition of you and Biron isn't going to help that much. He could've gotten $6.5MM anywhere else... 4. Jason Blake to Toronto. Well, for all the talk this kid gets on this forum, he hasn't made a good decision yet. Excpet where to get paid. Dude, if you wanna win, take a paycut. ...we will see where day two leads us, so far nothing huge or nothing to get excited about. After day one, the best got better or remained consistant and a lot of good teams got worse plus a lot of greedy players lost great chances to win a cup before they retire. Good for them, bad for the league and the fans... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kindlwillbegreat 0 Report post Posted July 2, 2007 ryan smyth took less money to play with the avs , i think joe sakic calling a few times to convince him to come sealed the deal , we should have lidstrom calling players to come here ( i dont think he will win a cup there unless they get a goalie) chris drury turned down more money as well to go play with his buddy martin biron , cant fault him for that Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LeftWinger 4,934 Report post Posted July 2, 2007 ryan smyth took less money to play with the avs , i think joe sakic calling a few times to convince him to come sealed the deal , we should have lidstrom calling players to come here ( i dont think he will win a cup there unless they get a goalie) chris drury turned down more money as well to go play with his buddy martin biron , cant fault him for that ...understood, but as long as these players are happy making decisions on the cash or friends and NOT winning a Cup anytime soon, then shame on them. Unless they REALLY do not care to win a Cup. I guess getting paid to have fun isn't that bad of a concept either, but eventually doesn't every hockey player want to hoist the Cup? Maybe I am wrong here... ...on a sidenote, I think I wouldn't have minded seeing Darryl Sydor in Detroit for the $2.5 he got from Pitt... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hank 0 Report post Posted July 2, 2007 (edited) ...understood, but as long as these players are happy making decisions on the cash or friends and NOT winning a Cup anytime soon, then shame on them. Unless they REALLY do not care to win a Cup. I guess getting paid to have fun isn't that bad of a concept either, but eventually doesn't every hockey player want to hoist the Cup? Maybe I am wrong here... ...on a sidenote, I think I wouldn't have minded seeing Darryl Sydor in Detroit for the $2.5 he got from Pitt... I might be out of line here, but I think there are a few players that go for money because they want to help out their fellow PA brotheren. I've heard players (Rob Blake,in the past, for one) say that they would have accepted less but felt they needed to get more so that the price was driven up for future free agents. It's also been said that some players in the union have given passive aggressive threats to some players if they even thought about giving a hometown discount to their current team. I don't blame Gomez for moving on as I would sitout if I had to play for the Devils (everything about that team is boring). And I guess a player like Briere wanted to play with Biron and I'm sure all the talk of Drury being the Sabres #1 priority probably upset him somewhat. But I think someone like Drury could have stayed for less. Buffalo is so close - or at least closer than the Rangers - at winning the Cup. It still amazes me at the amount of money and years that are being tossed around. In a way, the CAP has actually driven the price up for the elite or higher-end players. There's fewer of them around and teams figure they can fill out their bottom half of the lineup with rookies and prospects. That $2M that used to go to vets on the 4th line is now going to a top 6 forward while that 4th line spot is reserved for guys like Darryl Bootland. I think Hollands doing a great job so far. He's keeping our home grown talent in house and will pick the guys he wants at his terms. I hope we can resign Bert but not if he thinks he's worth more than $3M. I'd rather give that kind of money to Guerin or Kozlov. Edited July 2, 2007 by Hank Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kindlwillbegreat 0 Report post Posted July 2, 2007 ...understood, but as long as these players are happy making decisions on the cash or friends and NOT winning a Cup anytime soon, then shame on them. Unless they REALLY do not care to win a Cup. I guess getting paid to have fun isn't that bad of a concept either, but eventually doesn't every hockey player want to hoist the Cup? Maybe I am wrong here... ...on a sidenote, I think I wouldn't have minded seeing Darryl Sydor in Detroit for the $2.5 he got from Pitt... hey who's to say they cant win a cup ?? im sure none of us thought carolina or tampa bay would win the cup last few years and they did , you never know what can happen ........and as for sydor id pass , i want a physical defensemen in the back who can knock guys around Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JayUp88 1 Report post Posted July 2, 2007 hey who's to say they cant win a cup ?? im sure none of us thought carolina or tampa bay would win the cup last few years and they did , you never know what can happen ........and as for sydor id pass , i want a physical defensemen in the back who can knock guys around Agreed i wouldn't have thought the cans were going to take it. tampa bay i knew had a good team when they wont it but the cans came out of know where in my mind. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henkka 0 Report post Posted July 2, 2007 3. Daniel Briere in Philly. So much talent wasted. This guy should have been looking at the Rangers/Ducks/Red Wings or Senators. Maybe the Sharks. If Briere ever wants to win a Cup, he needs to get a different agent. Sure he got him a lot of money, but Philly? Come on Danny! They was a reason they were the worst team in the league, unfortunately the addition of you and Biron isn't going to help that much. He could've gotten $6.5MM anywhere else... Just adding Biron and Briere? Haven't heard about Timonen, Hartnell, Smith and Lupul ? Philly was the worst team at last season, but definitely isn't in in the future because of these additions. ******************* I think Kariya signed to the Blues because his younger brother Steve signed there earlier. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LeftWinger 4,934 Report post Posted July 2, 2007 Just adding Biron and Briere? Haven't heard about Timonen, Hartnell, Smith and Lupul ? Philly was the worst team at last season, but definitely isn't in in the future because of these additions. ******************* I think Kariya signed to the Blues because his younger brother Steve signed there earlier. ..the trade came AFTER the signing. Sure they did get better from last season, but Lupul never panned out in Edmonton, Smith is mediocre. Timonen is good and Hartnell, well can be good, can be a detriment. I hope they do get better, I have always liked Philly as a secondary team, and hope they do better this year, but we'll see... ...ok, how bout the team to fair the worst so far this off season? Buffalo & Nashville. Looks like it'll be a one team army in the Central this year. Nothing like being able to pad your point total... They should rename it to the Wings Division! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hank 0 Report post Posted July 2, 2007 Exactly; what LeftWinger is forgetting is that the Flyers are slowly building a team that'll make the playoffs, & may do some damage. I agree! Philly's going to be MUCH better this season and will only get better with each year. Last night I took a look at thier roster and I believe 5 of their top 9 forwards are 25 or under. (Hartnell, Upshall, Lupul, Carter & Richards), and 8 of their top 12 forwards are under 30. That's a pretty sparkling future there. I know that Lupul struggled in Edmonton but Kevin Lowe himself said that the Oilers style of play didn't complement his game. I think he's going to have a heck of a season in Philly this year. If he doesn't suffer any injuries I think a 30 goal season wouldn't be out of reach. P.S. I think it's kind of cool how half a lot of Philly's top young players were on Team Canada's 03-05 junior team (Upshall, Parent, Carter, Richards, Lupul...) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WhiteLightning91 105 Report post Posted July 2, 2007 I think Kariya signed to the Blues because his younger brother Steve signed there earlier. It was Martin Kariya who they signed. Steve has been playing over in Sweden. I would be surprised to see Martin play in even half the 82 games. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LeftWinger 4,934 Report post Posted July 2, 2007 (edited) P.S. I think it's kind of cool how half a lot of Philly's top young players were on Team Canada's 03-05 junior team (Upshall, Parent, Carter, Richards, Lupul...) ...that should mean they shouldn't have a problem gelling as a team. That is pretty cool, it's kinda like they all moved on together. ...anybody interested in Brad Stuart over Dany Markov? ...I am surprised Souray hasn't gone anywhere yet. Maybe he is asking too much? Edited July 2, 2007 by LeftWinger Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hank 0 Report post Posted July 2, 2007 ...that should mean they shouldn't have a problem gelling as a team. That is pretty cool, it's kinda like they all moved on together. Nights out with the boys should be interesting too. LOL. This is too funny. I guess Braydon Coburn will be the hub to introducing new friends. Team Canada Flyers: 2005 - Braydon Coburn, Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, Alexandre Picard, 2004 - Braydon Coburn, Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, 2003 - Braydon Coburn, Joffrey Lupul, Scottie Upshall Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Superman54 91 Report post Posted July 2, 2007 St Louis was pretty good at the later half of the season once they got Andy Murray. And Colorado was 1 point away from making the playoffs. They also just got a lot better.....I don't see how they don't have a chance this year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hank 0 Report post Posted July 2, 2007 St Louis was pretty good at the later half of the season once they got Andy Murray. And Colorado was 1 point away from making the playoffs. They also just got a lot better.....I don't see how they don't have a chance this year. Outside of Phoenix and Chicago, there won't be any easy games in the West. Even Columbus will be stronger because of Hitch. I'm looking forward to renewing the rivalry with the Blues. I hate them. But I hated them more when pencil-neck-Pronger was there. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Superman54 91 Report post Posted July 2, 2007 Outside of Phoenix and Chicago, there won't be any easy games in the West. Even Columbus will be stronger because of Hitch. I'm looking forward to renewing the rivalry with the Blues. I hate them. But I hated them more when pencil-neck-Pronger was there. Me too, It helps us in the playoffs to be facing tougher teams in our Division before hand. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest jaytan Report post Posted July 2, 2007 Of course, you have to make the playoffs for that to help.... Not saying the Wings won't next season, but eventually it's going to happen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NeverForgetMac25 483 Report post Posted July 2, 2007 Of course, you have to make the playoffs for that to help.... Not saying the Wings won't next season, but eventually it's going to happen. Blasphemy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
redwingfan19 293 Report post Posted July 2, 2007 i am starting to get nervous eklund has dom going to either detriot or LA. Why is it taking so long to sign Dom, eklund was actually right about Rafalski and a few others yersterday BEFORE TSN even had it mentioned. Im getting worried... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Viperar 16 Report post Posted July 2, 2007 hasek and his agent have specifically said there is nothing to worry about, theyre just waiting to see how things unfold. I dont think theyd flat out lie about it. who knows though, money works wonders Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
redwingfan19 293 Report post Posted July 2, 2007 hasek and his agent have specifically said there is nothing to worry about, theyre just waiting to see how things unfold. I dont think theyd flat out lie about it. who knows though, money works wonders ya but this is Dom were talking about, you never no what the hell is going on in his head Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RockyMountainWingGal 108 Report post Posted July 2, 2007 ryan smyth took less money to play with the avs , i think joe sakic calling a few times to convince him to come sealed the deal , we should have lidstrom calling players to come here ( i dont think he will win a cup there unless they get a goalie) Apparently he's made some phone calls to players in Sweden..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NeverForgetMac25 483 Report post Posted July 2, 2007 i am starting to get nervous eklund has dom going to either detriot or LA. Why is it taking so long to sign Dom, eklund was actually right about Rafalski and a few others yersterday BEFORE TSN even had it mentioned. Im getting worried... When you cast thousands of nets you're bound to catch atleast a couple fish. Dom isn't leaving Detroit for any other club (especially LA). Sidenote: If I were you, I'd be more concerned with the fact that you're listening to Eklund than Dom signing elsewhere. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Superman54 91 Report post Posted July 2, 2007 Hasek is 100% not leaving Detroit. Who you should be worried about is Bert. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
redwingfan19 293 Report post Posted July 2, 2007 (edited) ya i guess i should stay away from eklunds site lol and yes I am VERY worried about Bert I really want him to stay Edited July 2, 2007 by redwingfan19 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ltgator333 3 Report post Posted July 2, 2007 I'm hoping we can retain Bert too, the wings need a second line. It's been hard to keep up with all the movement this offseason, it's been fairly active. Apparently GM's are getting comfortable with the way things are again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
