T-Ruff

Tootoo-Emerton-Eaves was so good down the stretch, why not keep them together.

 

The Ducks are certainly better than I thought they would be (i.e. more depth and better D and goaltending) but if the Wings play like they did down the stretch in must win games, they can still take it.

Eklund's gained credibility over breaking this new offer is actually more interesting than the offer itself lol.

It's nice that this will lead to a deal but it's annoying that everyone involved knew it would probably be January till a deal was done pretty much right from the start. We as fans cannot let the owners/players forget about this BS lockout, not for a long time.

Actually thats not true.  The NHL saw that this time around the fans were more on the side of the players, so they (the NHL) went out and hired a high priced spin-doctor to try to shift the PR "war" in their favor.   This just happened a couple days ago.

You're in the minority there I think, the player's initial offer was just as laughable as the league's, and everything I've read/listened to/talked to repeats the rhetoric that most fans weren't on either side and they saw the attempts from both sides to reach out to them as pathetic and disingenuous. Most fans were on the Fan's side this lockout i.e. "Just get it done and stop disrespecting us".

The NHL certainly has gained some PR from this offer, but that's only because it actually is substantial and not just more empty words.

The owners love him and he's doing a great job for them increasing the value of the league so much over the past bunch of years so he isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

That said, I think Burke's refusal to sign long term contracts and stuff like that is an indication that he wants a clean record because he wants to be commissioner one day.

Great call Matt, I never like the mega threads like the one discussing all summer signings, its the off season the big ones like Karlsson, Harding deserve their own threads and it probably stimulates more discussion and activity that was as well.

Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk 2

Now lets hope we get to watch these all and on time

I might be upset if I thought the Wild had any chance whatsoever to sign him. Or any top free agents for that matter...

I wouldn't dismiss them so easily, especially in Parise's case since he is from Minnesota. Aside from that they have one of the most modern and loud arenas, and the most consistently sold out arena in the US. If I'm a UFA Minnesota is always one of my top 5 destinations.

Good move for PIT.  I guess Vokoun will have to play the backup role after all.

Don't put it past Vokoun to steal the starting job. Fluery has been great at times but he's still defined by his inconsistency. Meanwhile Vokoun was one of the better goalies in the league before his off year with the Caps. I'd bet Vokoun is the starter by playoff time.

Is it just coincidence the amount of crap Timmy's gotten since making his political affiliation known?  I think not.

It's not a coincidence because one caused the other but it also has nothing to do with his political affiliation.

Taking out the politics this is what he did: Made a controversial decision becoming a distraction for his team and justified his decision with public statements. He later refused to comment on these public statements, not helping the media distraction factor. Now he wants to sit out a season and it will cost the Bruins $5 million on the cap even if they suspend him (source) or send him to the AHL because of his contract.

So again, people aren't hating on him because of his politics, they are because he's a ****.

EDIT: as the original source says they Bruins will have the choice of "tolling" his contract making them owe them one more year if he does return, but in that case his $5 million will count against the cap in both seasons [source]

But I wouldn't say he's good for the game.  Aside from locking the players out twice during his tenure and losing a season and a half of hockey, he also denied for years that clutching and grabbing was out of hand during the dead puck era.  It wasn't until the lockout and the competition committee's involvement that they made adjustments to the game to allow skill players to play without getting mugged.

I would submit that Bettman is also the biggest reason we still have fighting in the game and we don't have shootouts in playoff overtime. You know the NBCs of the world would love to not dedicate so much extra prime network time to a triple OT, but Bettman is a traditionalist in many ways. I'm sure that conversation already happened and Bettman wasn't having any of it. As far as fighting goes there are individuals and groups that are actively trying to eliminate it from the game but Bettman has consistently defended it on record.

Are you kidding me? It's absolutely absurd that anyone is "upset" by this. We sure are bored, it's nothing more than a comically weak excuse to hop on the  Bettman hate train.

It could probably be argued he's done a lot of good for hockey. But regardless, Bleacher Report doesn't have a shred of credibility or respectability so anything coming from there isn't going to be taken seriously.

Nice threads, like having one for each series

Lets go Cats! They are in tough though, New Jersey finished very strong, Florida is playing with house money though, no pressure, hopefully they can get it done

Yeah get rid of division winners 1-2-3. This year it's going to be really bad. Pittsburgh and Philly will have the #2 and #3 records in the East but play each other 4 vs 5. It's also possible that New Jersey finishes higher than Boston landing in #6 despite having the 4th best record in the conference. Madness!

Uhh Minnesota would be an unreal team to play for... One of the best crowds/fans/arenas in the league.