The only position I left for myself to mull over for the Predators this post-season is goalie. With just one decision to make, it doesn’t seem like such a big deal: either sign Dan Ellis before he hits UFA status in July or let him go. Simple enough, right? Well, not exactly…
After last off-season’s shocking trade of Tomas Vokoun to Florida, the team, coaches and fans alike looked to backup goalie Chris Mason to show himself worthy of the starter position he was (essentially) automatically rewarded. The Predators took their first step of faith by signing him to a two year, $6 million contract extension. And in the month leading up to the start of the season, Chris Mason looked as strong as he had been in the ’06 playoff run and the 2006-2007 regular season. His performance during training camp and the pre-season exhibition games gave everyone reason to hope that we could still hold our own, even without our beloved Czech in net.
Meanwhile, the backup netminder position, vacated when Mason was re-signed to the starter role was all but guaranteed to be filled by Pekka Rinne. The 6’5”, 207 lbs 25 year old Finnish goalie, a two time AHL All-Star for the Milwaukee Admirals, had been touted as the “future of our goaltending” by the entire organization since he was drafted into the system in 2004. With two AHL seasons as starting goaltender under his belt going into training camp, Pekka had every reason to feel confident that he would be seeing a lot of more of the NHL come October.
Enter the wrench. Signed as a free agent on July 5th, 2007, 6’0”, 185 lbs 27 year old Dan Ellis was more than likely signed to be Pekka Rinne’s replacement in Milwaukee. What no one expected, I suspect, was that Ellis would end up giving Rinne a run for his money. Before being signed by the Predators, Dan had played just one NHL game with the Dallas Stars organization; most of his time was spent with their AHL-affiliate in Iowa. Ellis had even been quoted as saying that he was ready to pack it up and head to Europe because it looked like his hopes to play in the NHL were slowly slipping away. In any case, whether it be through sheer luck or pure determination, Dan Ellis managed to snatch the backup goalie position right out from under Pekka Rinne’s skates during training camp and sent him back to Milwaukee for (at least) one more year. Elly then plucked Chris Mason from his lead role in net down the stretch in our push towards the playoffs and solidified himself as our new number one heading into the WCQF’s.
What we have here is quite the situation: (a) Chris Mason; locked up for two more seasons at $3 million a year, as he is/was the Predators starting goaltender (b) Pekka Rinne; who starts the one-way portion of his contract with the Predators at the start of the 2008-2009 season before becoming an RFA in the summer of 2009 and (c) UFA Dan Ellis; the no-name guy who first knocked out heir-apparent Rinne for the backup position and then stood on his head when we needed it the most and stole the starting job away from Mason.
And it’s this situation that has everyone scratching their heads trying to figure out how it will all go down. Truth be told, I have a soft spot in my heart for Mr. Dan Ellis so maybe my opinion doesn’t hold much weight. However, this girl’s got a dream; and in this dream she sees Ellis as the starting goaltender, with Pekka Rinne watching from the bench. Now I don’t want to say that we should just up and toss Mason away because he had a bad season. He has proved his worth in times past when called upon to take the lead between the pipes. But...how does one team handle the possibility of having three goalies on their roster who would all have to clear waivers to be sent down to the AHL? There are other teams out there fishing for a new goalie (Ottawa, especially) who might be more than willing to buy out Mason’s contract and give him a fresh start at being number one.
So the questions still remain: does this off-season bring about the changing of the (pipe) guards yet again for the Preds, with Mason out and Ellis in? Or do we let Ellis go to be a superstar somewhere else and take our chances that the right decision was made?
UGH...see, this is why my name is not David Poile.
My prediction: Absolutely no freaking idea. I wish I had a clue but I’m at a complete loss for any thought as to how this will play out.
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Decisions, Decisions: A Tale of Three Goalies
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Decisions, Decisions – Deconstructing the D-men
My first post about our post-season activity was dedicated to all the forwards in a RFA/UFA position come July 1st. It’s time to shift gears to the defensemen. Now, there might be less defensemen to ponder over than there were forwards but it certainly doesn’t make for less controversy. The obvious two players that are causing much speculation and giving some people bouts of indigestion are the youngsters Ryan Suter and Shea Weber. And honestly, I have NO IDEA what is going to happen in regards to either one. At this point, your guess is as good as mine but nonetheless I’ve done a breakdown and prediction for each one anyway.
Kevin Klein (D) – RFA; Klein got pretty much no ice time all season and sometimes I found myself asking “who’s that guy out there in the number 8 jersey?” when he would dress for pre-skate. So yeah, basically we have an excess of D-men and Klein will surely be one of the first to go. I could be proven wrong though because people have said that Klein has the ability to play as a forward as well. However, I don’t see Poile clamoring to keep a possible forward on our roster when we have some bigger roles to fill offensively anyway.
My prediction: Signs with another team.
Ville Koistinen (D) – RFA; for a rookie year defenseman, Ville played pretty solid…when he was allowed to play. If Trotz hadn’t benched him for half the season, our power play might have looked a little better out there. Koistinen had definite chemistry when paired with Marek Zidlicky so it confounded me when he was consistently being scratched. I think he would be a good choice to keep around for his offensive-minded nature on the power plays but I’m not really sure about what will come of him.
My prediction: Maybe re-signs to a two-year deal?
Ryan Suter (D) – RFA; first of all, let me just say that I was shocked to discover that Ryan was playing on a two-way contract. I had absolutely no idea but anyway, that’s completely beside the point. Never was there another player all season who was on the receiving end of my sudden outbursts of frustration more so than Ryan. I think he played very inconsistently and maybe it was because of all the constant re-pairings due to our surplus of defense but man, this kid about gave me an ulcer with the way he played. The rumors have been swirling about what will happen with him since before trade deadline and it would take too long to try and sort out what truths were lying underneath all of them. I would think that David Poile is going to work to keep him around because he is a good defense player when things are clicking well. But rumors to the contrary, most specifically about his attitude in the locker room, have me doubting how much longer he’ll be around.
My prediction: If he decides that he’s not too big for his britches (so to speak), he’ll re-sign a five-year contract for at least $4 million/year. If he decides to go the divo route (as the rumors tend to lean towards), he’ll be picked up by another team in seconds; one who’s willing to pay out even bigger bucks.
Shea Weber (D) – RFA; yet another player I was shocked to discover playing on a two-way contract; and for bare minimum pay at that. However, unlike Mr. Suter, Shea was one defense player I could get behind all season. Well, all season minus that stretch at the very beginning where the poor boy went out with a knee injury. When he finally came back and hit his stride, I was quite impressed with his play and found myself noticing him on the ice a lot more than I ever had in seasons past. There’s a lot of talk surrounding how good Weber is and how much better he will be when he comes into his own and really matures as a player. So there’s no doubt in my mind (much like with Erat) that Poile will do everything within his power to keep the Dion Phaneuf of the South in the South.
My prediction: Re-signs to five-year deal for roughly $4 million/year.
Next week (the final installment): Goalies Galore; which could also be titled ‘Please figure out a way for us to keep Dan Ellis AND Pekka Rinne but maybe not so much Chris Mason. I know this is a rather large undertaking but I said ‘please’? Seriously…please?!’
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Decision, decisions - The Forward Edition
While I must admit that this year’s off season is drastically different than last year’s, there are still a lot of unknowns left hanging in the air. Who stays, who goes and how much are we willing to shell out for those key players that we just can’t live without? Predators GM David Poile is a man faced with a multitude of options and I would like to think that he’s more excited about the possibilities of what could be rather than nervous about who/what he has to lose.
We were fortunate enough during the season to lock up JP Dumont, David Legwand and Jordin Tootoo for a few more years. However, we still have a plethora of players that need to be either re-signed, traded or set free. I originally set out to breakdown all of the RFA/UFA’s in one post but after I realized that like HALF THE TEAM is one or the other, I decided to divide this up between the forwards, defense and goalies, with a new post each week.
So, here’s list of the forwards (in alphabetical order) with my predictions as to whether or not they stay/go/retire/fade into oblivion:
Brandon Bochenski (RW) – RFA; a trade deadline pickup but definitely not someone to write home about. Poor Bochenski though…he has been through it all with being placed on waivers (don’t even get me started on the poor plight of players when that happens), not being picked up off waivers, being basically handed to another team to just to free up some space on a roster and then being picked up by us at trade deadline with future considerations given to the Ducks later on. I think he might hold the promise of being a good player if given the chance to play more than a handful of games a season. I just don’t think he’ll show up on our roster again.
My prediction: Gets picked up by another organization or goes to play for the minors somewhere.
Martin Erat (L/RW) – RFA; got a terrific start to the year and then a couple of minor injuries sidelined him for small stretches of time mid-season. Even though he had a career year for goals scored (23), I think he lost a little bit of himself with all the line changes and injuries that took out key players on his line(s). There’s no question whatsoever that I want him to be re-signed and the Predators organization should be actively pursuing whatever it takes to make it happen. Both David Poile and the ownership group have been quoted on more than one occasion as saying that they will make sure to lock Erat up before July. I couldn’t imagine this team without him so let’s hope those quotes ring true. I think he will really start playing to his full potential when Coach Trotz can find the right fit for a finisher on the line with both he and David Legwand.
My prediction: Re-signs to three-year deal for at least $3.5 million/year.
Update (5/12/2008): It was confirmed this afternoon that Erat has signed a seven year, $31.5 million contract with the Preds. I guess I was a little off! Who cares?! We've got him for seven more years and that makes this girl very happy.
Martin Gelinas (LW) – UFA; acquired during the off season last year; missed remainder of the season following an ACL tear that required immediate surgery in February; a good veteran player who brought more to the table than I ever expected; also a great guy to have in the locker room as a mentor for the younger players. I would like to see him stick around for the locker room factor alone.
My prediction: Gelinas retires (he IS 37, people) or re-signs for one year.
Jan Hlavac (LW) – UFA; who knew he would be this season’s trade deadline pickup surprise hit? For his short stint with the Predators after being traded from Tampa Bay, he was quite impressive as the replacement for the injured Martin Gelinas. All comments about him as a player were some of the most complimentary I had ever heard come from our coaching staff so I wouldn’t be too surprised if David Poile decided to add him back to the lineup next season. And if he can play center or winger, I could see him replacing Mr. +/-31 Radek Bonk for a few games.
My prediction: This one’s a toughie…maybe a one-year deal?
Darcy Hordichuk (LW) – UFA; Darcy had his moments of above-average play in a few games but he knew what his role was on the team; he was the enforcer…even though we already had one in Jordin Tootoo. While Tootoo stepped up his game this season and had a career-year all around, Darcy managed to score just one goal all season, ending a scoreless streak that started in November 2006. I was more than a little upset that Trotz played him more than Jed Ortmeyer during the first half of the season because at least Jed had good penalty-killing instincts. I hate to say it but I would almost bet we keep him around just to have extra players to “sweeten the pot” should we make a trade next season.
My prediction: Re-signs for one year.
Rich Peverley (C) – RFA; while Rich wasn’t an “official” part of our team all season, we called him up so much that he might has well have been. He played more games than some others who didn’t have a two-way contract. At first I didn’t care for him as a player all that much but on his second call-up of the season, he really stood out to me and I began to see that this kid was definitely NHL-ready. Unfortunately, I think his NHL career will only start with us as he’ll surely be picked up by another organization this summer. With all the injuries healed, Pev would end up being just another scratch every night; and he’s way better than to be stuck in that situation.
My prediction: Signs one-way contract with another team. [single tear]
Next week: Dissecting the Defensemen
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Too hot to blog, but...
it's only 108*F (42*C) outside... *rolls eyes* ick. Good news is, it's supposed to cool down tomorrow - back down to 100*...
I was hoping the extreme heat had made me go into some sort of heat-induced halucination. Not so much. Turns out Bill Guerin is (for reals) an Islander after signing a 2-year deal.
Ok, Sharkies... When are you going to, oh, i dunno... sign someone other than Thornton? (who, btw, wasn't even a UFA!) How about some D? Maybe a Patty Marleau (or two)?
I can't get any more worked up. I feel like I'm coming down with the vapors... (either that or I'm turning Japanese....)
EDIT: And NOW... The Islanders announce the signing of Mike Comrie. Watch out, Ladies, Ted, Garth and Chuck mean Biz-nass and they're out to steal your players!
Sunday, July 01, 2007
The End of the Gomez/Rafalski Era
{Cross-posted to Interchangeable Parts}
As a fan, this always sucks. Always.
We are not idiots — we understand there are a ton of reasons we don’t want to consider that go into choosing to sign with a different team when a player reaches free agency. Obviously there’s the money. We’d be fat-faced liars if we said we’d turn down, say, $6.5 million over 8 years in favor of $4 million over three years. Yes, rationally, even the lesser amount is more than enough money to live quite comfortably, but the bigger contract is, well, that much more comfy. Again, we’re not dumb. Also, there are considerations about the personnel on teams, the geography, familial pressures, future plans, blah blah blah. But all we see, as fans, is that the player who’s signed with someone else has rejected our team. And rejected us. And it sucks. So with that caveat, we present IPB’s take on the Rafalski and Gomez signings.
Brian Rafalski
As full-fledged members of PaulieMartinNation, we’ve been counting on Raffie signing elsewhere since the end of the season. With two big RFA’s to ink to long-term deals, we felt it was necessary to avoid paying top-dollar to Raffie, a moderately offensive, moderately speedy d-man/PP-quarterback. But then Raffie, through his agent, said he’d be willing to sign for less to stay with the team. Since there’s a precedence for key players to sign for less to stay with the team (Marty Brodeur, Scott Stevens, Jay Pandolfo, and others), we stupidly believed it was true. It wasn’t. If you’d asked before that article was printed how we felt about Rafalski, we would certainly have said we’d wouldn’t be too upset to see him go. But since that article was printed, we’d be lying if we didn’t say we don’t feel slighted. A lot of players say they’ll sign for less, then don’t. But factor in the history of the Devils, and in light of the money and fame sacrificed by some of the organization’s biggest and most important players, and you’ve got a recipe for some bitter, bitter fans.
Raffie’s a great pick-up for Detriot, and an improvement on Schneider. We think the Wings fans will love him, and we think he’ll be a good player to bridge the gap between the classic Lidstrom and the youngish rest of the d-corps. But as far as we are concerned, we say thanks for the Cups, the memories, and thanks for helping youngsters Martin and Greene hone their games. We wish Raffie good luck in Detroit but will most likely never forgive him the slight of saying he’ll sign and then leaving for more money than he’s worth.
Scott Gomez
When we first heard the rumor this morning that Gomer was going to the Rangers, Boomer said, “Doesn’t he realize he has to stand there in that asinine sweater and salute the stupid fans? God, the money’s got to be good if you’re going to do that.” Now, we never honestly expected for the Devils to re-sign him, but we hoped he’d have learned something from Bobby Holik and at least gone somewhere other than New York. This is so staggeringly repulsive, such a blatant “f**k you” to the Devils organization, that Gomer is now more officially “Dead To Us” than any NHLer has ever been.
We realize that we’re approaching this as fans, and we can’t expect the players to feel the same way about rivalries as we do, but this rivalry is so intense our GM and star player both admitted beating the Rangers in the playoffs in 2006 was worth not winning the Cup. And now Gomer’s going to be wearing the Rangers logo. It’s so intensely dispiriting to know that players Gomez has historically had a ton of respect for (Bobby Holik, Marty, Johnny Mac, Stevens, Pando, etc.) don’t have enough influence over him to convince him winning with honor is more important than pocketing some extra change and getting some face time in the corner pictures of the Post’s sports page. And winning with the Rangers after winning 2 Cups with the Devils is not winning with honor. And we can only hope he enjoys playing in a market where the fans and media will actually get on him for his inconsistency, spotty work ethic and defensive weakness, as opposed to playing in Jersey where we all just shrugged and said, “Yeah, that’s Gomer for you.”
Summary
While we’re truly sorry to see two lifetime Devils gave up the chance to retire having only worn one sweater, we’re also thankful that Lou didn’t give into the pressure to sign two players for more than they’re probably worth. We may change our tune depending on what happens with Zach Parise, Paul Martin and, well, the rest of the off-season, but for right now, we’re wallowing in bitter self-pity which is also tinged with a hint of “Well, at least our GM isn’t overspending on second-tier players.”
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
*dingdong* Candygram.
"Candygram my foot! You're that clever shark, aren't you?"
The past week of my life has been filled with working through the 5 steps of grief in reaction to the end of the NHL season.
Denial - There was no cup awarded, they're just taking a break before the series starts up again, this time between the Sens and Sharks, so either way, in my eyes, there's no bad feelings.
Anger - But it's PRONGER!
Bargaining - Ok, God, if we re-wind and let the Sens win, I will um... Well, I already go to church, so how about I'll start going to church with (my husband) Mike Fisher?
Depression - There was a reason I spent the weekend in the Emerald City, folks....
and finally, Acceptance - There's always next season.
With Acceptance comes a report on the status of my team and their UFA's.
I'm satisfied with the announcement that Ron Wilson will be back behind the bench. I think he needs to give his players a little more room on the leash to be more aggressive, but all-in-all, I'm ok with him getting another chance to lead the Sharks.
Sharks - Solitary hunters, ranging the oceans in search of food. Ferocious preditors of the sea capable of mass carnage.
San Jose Sharks in the playoffs - closely resembling "Bruce" from Disney and Pixar's Finding Nemo. Reserved and Reformed. "Wings are Friends, not food."
Not good, my dear fishies, not good.
Let's start with the UFA's before I slip backward in my grief progress.
Honestly, they have the money to sign all 4. Will they? Cheah.. right... an monkeys might fly out of my butt.
Mark Smith (C) - Small, speedy, irritating. Crazy hair. With 13 points this season, 41 games played and 43 PIM, would he really be that big of a loss? Probably not. Will he be back? All speculation points to no. Would I be disappointed to see him on the roster next year? No - then again, we all know how I feel about guys in rock bands...
Scott Tarz-Hannan (D) - The long-locked Kelowna, BC (my FAVOURITE city in all of BC) native has spent his entire career with the Sharks and has been one of the top physical defensemen. He feels like he's given his best to the team (has he? yeah.) and wants to be compen$ated for it. Offers were made througout the season to no avail. Whispers around the Shark Tank are that he'll be swinging on his vine to another team, leaving room on the roster for another top D man *coughDrurycough*.
Bill Guerin (RW) - Acquired at trade-deadline from the Lou for added umph for a run swim at the cup. Ok, so it didn't pay off, but at least the Sharks HAD a post-season. A veteran presence on and off the ice and what can I say? I heart the guy! All signs point to RW&DW doing what they can to keep him, but honestly, they probably wont offer him enough. Please stay, Billy! Please? I'll show you my.... *humph* might as well not even offer. I mean, they really are spectacular, but I'm really trying to not get my hopes up.
Craig Rivet (D) - If Hannan is gone, I'll keep Rivet. We got him from the Canadiens for a reason, right? Not just another 'rental' like Guerin? I think they'll sign him. Especially if Tarzhannan bolts.
Rumors Du'jour!
Drury.... It seems as if Lauren "Who's Laughing Now" Pronger has sparked some other NHL wives into relocating to the Golden State. And really? From Buffalo? Who could blame her? Especially the Bay Area. Not to hot, not too cold, all you need is a light jacket! We'll see if this one actually materializes, but it sure does have all us little Sharkies all a-buzz.
Then we have Mr. Mark Bell. After his DUI/Hit&Run party, he could be spending some time in the big house... Most likely he'll just be speaking at a lot of High Schools and community centers preaching the evils of drinking and driving, but then again, that Pretty boy could be asking his agent to find him a soap-on-a-roap sponsorship.
GoalieWatch 2007: Toskala Vs. Nabokov.
Here's the thing, with sharing the #1 position this year there was ample time to tell that both goalies could handle the job, however, Vesa being young, he still has yet to play a whole season as #1. Nabby's contract is worth a lot more and he's had more playoff experience, so there are your pros (and possibly a con) with trying to shop him out to other teams. I vote to keep Toskala. He leads the two with wins (26/38 to Nabokov's 25/50), has the most kick-a mask in the league and who doesn't love those chipmunk cheeks?! Plus, with Nabby gone, that gives room in the cap to sign the Rumored Drury, which let's face it, we'll probably need.
The Free Agents Who Loved Me
Not even gazing into the eyes of Rick DiPietro guarantees that St. Ryan Smyth will sign with the Islanders.
I don't think St. Ryan Smyth is going to re-sign with the Islanders. I never have. Do I think he could do well on the Island? Do I think they would go so far as to re-create the team in his image? Do I think he could be comfortable here, grow to love us, and recognize that certain areas of Long Island can double for the rural parts of Canada where Smyth is from? Yes. Yes. A thousands times yes. Per capita, Long Island probably has more mullets there are at most skating rinks on the prairie. Also, Long Island has about 4 country clubs to every 8 people, and I hear Smyth likes golf. But, I don't think St. Smyth is going to re-sign, so I'll let it go. An alarming number of Islanders are up for new contracts. I'll just introduce the ones that are weighing on my mind the most.
Jason Blake #55 W- St. Jason Blake is all things to all Islanders fans. Pest, sniper, Speedy Gonzales. It’s like Martin St. Louis, Sean Avery, and an Albino had a baby, and that baby was traded to the Islanders. Blake loves being an Islander, and Islanders fans love St. Jason Blake. When St. Blake scores, all hell breaks loose in the Mausoleum. The Islanders can’t afford to lose both Saints Smyth and Blake. And at least one of them has been vocal about how much he wants to be there. Supposedly, St. Blake wants 5 years at $18 Million. If this is even remotely true, the Islanders need to offer this along with some coupons to Chrebet’s and a sleeve of Win for Life scratch-offs. Blake is a beloved player who can play. Those two qualities rarely meet these days in the organization.
Trent Hunter #7 RW- I assume that most people who don’t closely follow the Islanders have little to no idea who this Hunter character is, but most Isles faithful would gladly hand over their children, wives, and kidneys if the Trent asked. The Trent can score. He’s a 20-goal man. That’s nice and all, but there are two things that make us hold the Trent to our collective bosoms. First is his hustle. I haven’t seen that much hustle since I watched Behind the Music: Studio 54. As I’ve said before, Trent Hunter has a second home in Cindy Crosby’s ass. I’m talking fully decorated and furnished with the expensive cable plan. If you can keep up with Cindy Crosby, then boffo socko for you. If you can stop him, you’re awesome. Second, is what appears to be Hunter’s fascination with trying to find out if it’s physically possible to hit someone hard enough to un-dam a river of snot in his opponent. If you are somewhere on the ice and show signs of life, the Trent will hit you. Hard. And the Trent is great on the PK and relentless on the PP. The Isles need to re-sign him, so I can go back to scribbling “I heart Trent Hunter” on my Trapper Keeper.
Viktor Kozlov #25 C/W- I’m divided here. Kozlov is streakier than a home highlighting kit. But he’s big and versatile, and was surprisingly effective when moved to Center. And one of the delights of watching Kozlov is how he can diffuse a corner scrum by working his crazy long reach into the mix like, “Why thank you, I’ll be taking that puck…” Kozlov is never going to be Mike Bossy. Hell, he’s never going to be Alexei Yashin. But for around $2 million, I can dig it. Anything more and I’m cool with walking away.
Arron Asham #44 W- Again, I’m divided. Asham can be great for energy, a booming shot, and a physical edge. And then on the next shift, he play a convincing Goofus to the ever-hustling Andy Hilbert’s Gallant. Asham needs to be used in the right way to be effective. They need to keep him with Jason Blake, so he can use that frightening shot in congress with Blake’s quick rebounding skillz, and Asham can use his size to make room for the diminutive speedster. Asham should be a bargain. I say give him a one-year deal.
Tom Poti #3 D- Tom Poti is a deceptive player. When you think of Tom Poti, you don’t really think of him as very physical, very strong, or very fast. I’m not sure anyone even thinks he’s very good. But he’s all of those things and a big-ass point shot. Poti is happy to put a bitch into the boards. He logs a ton of ice time. And he’s so big that his legs gobble up the ice like my roommates with a fresh jar of hummus. Poti is awesome. A rare blueliner who is an asset both on offense and defense. Nail him down for at least three years.
Sean Hill #6 D- If he’s cheap, keep him. Otherwise, it may cost the Isles more in urine tests than is really worth it.
Chris Campoli #14 D- Campoli makes a lot of mistakes. I suggest we change his name to the Human White-Out, because he always covers his own mistakes. He’s super-fast and has a deft (deft, I say!) touch with the puck. During the playoffs, Campoli and (m.c.) Bruno Gervais played like ten-year vets. And in the ill-fated Game Five, they were the two best Isles on the ice. Campoli is full-to-bursting with potential. The Isles will lock him down for a while and hopefully resist the urge to rush him into top minutes.
**And there is one rumor I have to address, because it seems to be picking up heat since Yashin was exiled. Michael Peca coming back to the Islanders. To say that I dislike Michael Peca is like saying that I dislike my severe, anaphalactic allergic reactions to milk. A lot of Isles fans think he's the pope of Islestown. I do not have truck with that at all. Let's just say I think his surname is an appropriate moniker. Read More......
Monday, June 11, 2007
In The End, It's ALL About Drury vs. Briere Even Though I'm Really Tired of the Whole Thing
All right, let's cut to the chase. We all know THE question in Buffalo this off-season comes down to this: Should we or should we not keep Teppo Numminen? Most say no. He's old and rapidly getting older. He definitely lost a step this season. In the Ottawa series it was particularly noticeable as he was regularly getting beat to the puck. I agree with all of that. But I have a soft spot for Old Man Numminen. He's steady and dependable. He still plays pretty sound defensive hockey. I don't think it's any coincedence that a couple of our younger defense have really matured and steadied while playing alongside him. That said, Teppo makes a lot of money - over 2 million - and he really needs to play fewer minutes because the wear on his body is becoming noticeable. There's also only so long Nathan Paetsch can be stuck as the 7th defensemen. But if he'll take a pay cut - and that's a big if since I don't know how badly Teppo wants to come back much less back to Buffalo - and he's willing to play less time, even taking the occasional night off, I'd love to see him in blue and gold again next season. And if Teppo decides to retire, I'd love to see him behind the bench. He's clearly had a positive influence on the youngsters and I'm curious to see if that translates to a talent for coaching.
What's that? Chris Drury and Daniel Briere? Oh, are they free agents too? Well, here's the deal. I'm really tired of talking about both guys. I'm tired of all the rumors - the Drurys want to live on the west coast! Chris's wife hates Buffalo! Danny's family is staying here no matter what happens! Chris and Danny got into a fistfight over contract issues! I'm tired of examining every word either guy says or doesn't say for hidden meaning. What does Danny mean when he says he wants a "fair" deal? Why is Chris being so quiet? (Seriously, why is Chris Drury being so quiet? Is this a trick question, people?) I'm barely exaggerating when I say that every single thread on every single Sabres message board for the last year (at least) has found a way to devolve into Chris vs. Danny. Wake me up when they're actually signed and until then, leave me alone.
Okay, fine. If we only keep one guy, I hope it's Chris. Danny is a superstar for sure, but I think his offensive game is more easily replaced - "easily" being a relative term here - from within the organization than Chris's very solid 2-way play. We have a plethora of fast, skilled offensive forwards and not so many defensive forwards. And that isn't even going into Chris's no bullshit, no excuses leadership. I think he's absolutely one of the best captains in the NHL. Intangibles can be touchy when it comes to contracts - they don't always translate to wins after all - but I really feel like Chris is the heart of the team and has been since he set foot in Buffalo. I like Danny very much and I won't be disappointed if he stays. But I really don't want to lose Chris.
If we keep Chris AND Danny and have to dump salary elsewhere, I'm okay with that as long as we're not risking the futures of Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek in Buffalo. They're the untouchables as far as I'm concerned with Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman being the most valuable players on the backend.
Speaking of Vanek, while he's an RFA, he could be one of the more interesting situations of the off-season since there are rumors that a few teams are going to give him an offer sheet. I'm not overly concerned since I really see management matching anything any offer he's likely to get. He's a baby who just completed his second year in the NHL. There was so much improvement between last season and this season that Vanek's potential is very exciting to think about. I'm hoping Darcy Regier and Co. find a way to lock him up before July 1 instead of letting other teams set the price for him.
Buffalo's only other RFA of note is Derek Roy but there doesn't seem to be as much hubbub about him. That's fine and dandy with me. Despite his craptacular postseason - and that's probably an understatement - Derek had a very solid regular season and has the making to be a very strong 2-way forward and penalty killer. His game is different enough for our other young forwards that he has a little extra value to the team, in my opinion atleast. A little maturity would be nice - tripping yourself isn't a penalty, D - but I think he's a keeper.
Buffalo's other UFAs:
Ty Conklin: Sure, whatever. I wouldn't mind Ty staying, I wouldn't mind Ty going. If Ryan goes down we're probably screwed no matter who's behind him.
Adam Mair: Mair is one of the few big, physical guys on the current roster and while it can be frustrating watching him shank shot after shot, he always plays hard and he's always willing to throw his body around. Considering that he'll come pretty cheap even with a raise, I'm all for bringing him back. Plus he loves Buffalo and has said he wants to come back and will be easy to get back no matter what his agent says. We Buffalonians aren't used to people saying nice things about us so we're pretty easy in that regard.
Dainius Zubrus: I loved what we got from Zubrus before he got hurt in the playoffs. Loved it. He really brought something different to the team - a big body who was strong along the boards and tough with the puck. But I think every fan has had that experience where they fall in love with a player while he's playing for a contract and then find out he's not really that player all the time. Do you ignore years of "Zubrus doesn't play hard every night" because of what you saw for 30 or so games from a guy who was trying to earn some hefty dough? Tough call. If we can get him for a decent price, I think we should consider it because the Sabres definitely need a little more size and a little more grit. Someone needs to be around to knock the hell out of Jagr, you know?
All in all, it should be an interesting off-season in Sabresland. There are so many different ways management could take the team and I'm really interested to see where they go.
Keep him! No don't keep him! Can we have him back?
I'll keep it short. Because I do have a habit of rambling (oh really Jordi? Do you?). Nonetheless this has been stuck in my mind. Not only that but because while Rivet ripped my heart out, Smyth had the privelege of stabbing it repeatedly. Can the Oilers keep Markkanen? Pretty please?
Anyway I feel that it is important to clear up that I have not run away from my ardent support of a certain Russian winger of the Habs who is probably holidaying it far away. And in the talks of Free Agency it would be appropriate to explain that Gainey has been on the record saying that he is very eager to look into buying out Samsonov - why they are delaying it confuses me a little but I am very sure that he is leaving. Whether he hits the cap too hard or not is a lame excuse for delaying it, and if he is staying for the ride then I will be way surprised and a little worried. Because it's a bit too mentally gruelling for another year of "20 goals? 30?"; a tabula rasa in a new team (or an old) just seems better for both sides. And the whole "he's a washed up winger words words words" is flying bullshit. Sorry. I don't think my enthusiasm commuicates well sometimes.
Either way, I have a habit of drawing up a kind of list for my UFAs of the teams I don't want them to go to. I was a little annoyed that Peca ran to the Leafs but I got over it quick; and yes, the caveman named Spacek was a soft spot of mine. It seems very likely that Souray has been eyeing the Kings, with many people gearing up for the welcome parade. Souray's potential to me is still there. Not in the development sense. This year seems to be close to what I expected of him, and probably more. However if we traded him off this/last season we would've happily gotten huge returns. I mean there's been the debate, "Souray is overrated, we don't have 6 mil to pay him". But hell, I didn't think we had the money to buy Markov at that rate. I mean, I was praying for a 4 mil deal but I guess Markov wanted to stay so much that he wanted just a little more.
I'm not hating on Markov because my love for him is as wide as my love for Komisarek, but Souray is a juicy item to have. Maybe because it seems that he has the sparks of what may be valuable to a team. A veteran kind of morale, plenty of offense, unfortunately a huge lack of defensive capabilities but overall he's a tasty package to some who are struggling with d-men who can't even stop a puck. I mean, losing him wouldn't be the end of the world but keeping him wouldn't have been too bad. But if he takes a lower rate than Markov it'd be humiliating and a bit too farfetched. And if he gets signed at that rate then I'm going to have to drive into a wall or something.
On the other notes, Radek Bonk and Mike Johnson have settled in beautifully. If Johnson leaves I will be inevitably shocked but understanding. He was a steal and if he found a better deal elsewhere, I think he has the right to accept a different offer. I hope we have impressed Radek Bonk to entice him back. He's been great for the Habs and I don't think I could take him leaving very well.
If Aaron Downey is re-signed then I think our situation may be a little dire.
Nonetheless on the goalie case, Aebischer can go no problem but I hope there's a better system implemented this time which doesn't force Huet and Halak to be exhausted and then Carey being pulled up; and then Carey plays like poo poo which shatters his confidence and there goes a bit of the superstar goalie we've been developing. That's worse case of course but I'm paranoid, juicy opportunities just don't happen like this.
On the RFA front: Gorges, Komisarek, Plekanec, Higgins, Ryder and well Perezhogin but Perezhogin ran away to Russia which makes me sad but mostly mad now. If he comes back for the Habs I might boo him really. There are two prospects that are RFA as well but eh, I don't really care for them, okay I just don't know enough to pass judgement.
I'm not paticularly in panic mode since the recent season passed my expectations. It was helluva bumpy but it had its good parts. Plus I really should be studying but that's for chumps.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Promotions, demotions, and pink slips...
What do I think should happen? Does my opinion matter?
Michael Peca - Yes. The kicker is that he has to be willing to sign for cheap, but we need some seasoned players around to glue the rest of the kids together and turn them into a team, not just a bunch of guys skating in the same direction.
Jeff O'Neill - No...he hasn't really been the same after his brother died and I hear (read?) him and Maurice are not too fond of each other. I sort of feel that his employment prospects aren't that great if we don't take him back and I don't really want his career to end like this...I don't know.
Yanic Perreault - His name is a play on "panic." This has proved to be useful for Toronto media in the past.
Jean-Sebastien Aubin - I have a feeling he's not coming back, although I'm really not sure how the market for backup goalies look right now. My theory is, it's pretty clear that we have a goalie problem, but management is not going to get rid of Raycroft. So even though Aubin is...fairly competent as a backup, he's going to be let go so it'll look like they're working on it. In other words, action for the sake of action. But what do I know?
Travis Green - Barely noticed him. Bye.
Bates Battaglia - He battled back from the depths of the AHL and even managed to score a few goals. Unless we suddenly find ourselves blessed with a glut of goal-scoring forwards, he...uh...may be the next best thing to plug the gaps.
Antropov, thank goodness, was re-signed. You know, for a while there, I was getting nervous. I was thinking to myself, man, JFJ wouldn't be dumb enough to let that gem slip through his fingers, would he?
Okay, sarcasm aside, I'm kind of neutral on the guy. Yeah, he doesn't look like he's ever going to live up to his potential, but honestly, our entire team is made up of disposable players. He's all right, if you think of it from that context. He has gotten better.
And he has cute kids. Yes, I've looked. If that makes me less of a legitimate hockey fan, so be it. I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOUR JUDGING!
Besides, if we get rid of him, who's going to play on the first line? HAHA...*sigh*
I'm earnestly awaiting your magic, JFJ.
Devils UFAs, or Should I Be Happy My Team Got Scott Gomez?
[Crossposted to Interchangeable Parts]
Following last summer's angsting over whether the Devils would re-sign UFA Patty Elias, this summer is looking surprisingly stress-free. Sure Rafalski and Gomez are big names, but this year's playoffs proved the Devils have plenty of capable young defensmen to fill Raffie's shoes, and, well, seven years of Gomer have convinced us we can survive without him. As for the rest of the group, half of these guys played in Lowell this year. But let's take a closer look, UFA by UFA, shall we?
Scott Gomez, C: Gomez had been a distant third to Briere and Drury in the center sweepstakes until he tried to cram an entire contract year into eleven playoff games this year. A tremendously gifted puck carrier, Gomez would be a welcome addition to any team. However, he's downright craptacular on the face-off, can't muster a decent shot to save his life, and has never shown any talent or inclination toward playing the other side of the puck. He's a coaching Goldilocks, bristling under coaches who are too soft on him but also under those who are too hard. He's one of those players who employs his father as a business consultant, which has led to strangely contentious contract wheelings and dealings, and which could cause tensions with management down the line. Irreverant and fun-loving, Gomer will likely be a fan-favorite on any team he moves to. The Devils will miss his puck-moving abilities for sure, but looking at the numbers, a) he got 40 goal seasons out of two different wingers, but both were in contract years (and Gionta's dipped considerably lower than that the following season) and b) the Devils had the second-worst offense in the league with Gomer as the top-line center; how much worse can they be without him? (Don't answer that.) For the amount of money that Gomez is asking ($6 million), he just doesn't seem to bring enough to the table that would truly benefit the Devils (other than being Pando's best bud, an honor PandoNation respects highly). And yes, we realize we are in complete and utter denial about this.
Brian Rafalski, D: Raffie is really something of a curious case. He is far and away the Devils' most accomplished puck-moving D-man, and is the de facto number-one guy on the blueline... but he just really doesn't inspire a lot of confidence around stately IPB Manor. We would, of course, love to see him stay a Devil, but if he manages to finagle a hefty contract out of a stupider, less impecunious GM than Lou, we won't be sorry to see Paulie Martin, Andy Greene and Johnny Oduya step up to fill the, uh, "void" left in his absence. The postseason emergence of Greene, in particular, as an able-skating, small defenseman capable of scoring on the PP from the point kind of rendered Raffie obsolete, especially considering that Martin stepped up as the leading minute man among the D corps. That said, Raffie seems like a low-maintenance, nice guy. We wouldn't mind seeing him stick around, but we don't necessarily want to see Lou break the bank to make it happen.
Alexander Mogilny, RW: Uh, seriously? Well, the Devils will certainly miss having to strong-arm him into being "retired" with a "degenerative hip condition", or whatever it was they said kept him back home in Russia this year.
Dan McGillis, D: We don't keep much of an eye on the goings-on in Lowell, so we have no idea what kind of an effect losing him will have on the Devils AHL affiliate. We're sure it'll leave a huge hole, though.
Brad Lukowich, D: We adore Brad Lukowich, if only because for some reason we nicknamed him "Chocosnitch" (a really random Simpsons reference) last year and giggled every time we abbreviated it and called him "Choco". Yes, it takes just that little for us to like a player. He's been a very serviceable defenseman, for the most part playing solid, respectable minutes, and by the end of this past season had really cut down on the number of pucks he deflected into his own net.
Jason Wiemer, LW: There is nothing anyone can say to make us believe Jason Wiemer was under contract with the Devils (NHL or AHL) during any part of the 2006-2007 season. That's just ridiculous.
Grant Marshall, LW: Yet another NHL vet who toiled for the duration of the year in the A. Doc and Chico kept assuring us that Marshall was working wonders teaching the kids up in Lowell about, presumably, stuff like "how to score unexpected, huge playoff goals early in your team's Stanley Cup drive".
Jim Fahey, D: Do we really have to think of something to say here about all the UFAs? Because we have no impression at all about Fahey, other than that he has a fantastic New England accent. What can we say? That never fails to delight us.
Jim Dowd, C: Ocean County, NJ's favorite son really surprised us this year. He lurked around training camp without a contract, then finally got himself into the lineup and proved to be quite the indispensable johnny-on-the-spot in several key situations. He was relegated most of the year to negligible fourth-line minutes, but we liked the gritty, Pando-esque approach he brought to the game, and loved him on the PK. We'd like very much for him to be able to stay in Jersey, if only because he makes Pookie feel better about her daily commute from Mercer County to Ocean County, because his is longer.
Erik Rasmussen, RW: Rasser is the prototypical Devils fourth liner, but with the occasional injuries. Essentially a harder-hitting Jim Dowd, Rasser made do with very little ice time but generally had an impactful shift when he got out there, bringing some energy. If we had a choice between an energy line with Cam Janssen or an energy line with Rasser, we'd take Rasser ten times out of ten, not that Lou listens to us, and not that that's even the issue here. Just saying. (We, uh, don't like Janssen.)
Scott Clemmensen, G: Devils fans have a hard time remembering Clemmer was actually on the team, considering how rarely he made appearances. Considering Marty must start 10-15 fewer times next season if the Devils hope to improve on their playoff showing of this year, we should be more invested in the back-up, but... Seriously, what's the difference between Clemmer sitting on the bench and Frank Doyle sitting on the bench? The Devils have never historically played well in front of the back-up regardless of how good he is. The fact of the matter is no team is going to sign Clemmer (see: his strangely well-reasoned-but-still-snotty column in the Hockey News regarding how screwed he's been by the team) so he, and his $30,000 teeth, will most likely be holding down the Devils bench next season too.
Dan LaCouture, LW: The Devils had Dan LaCouture this past season? When did that happen?!
Friday, June 08, 2007
For Sale By Owner
At least they know the importance of keeping hydrated after a very, very, very, very, very long night of drinking. 
For Sale
I'm being a thief again and stealing ideas!! You want UFA's huh? I've got your UFA's. The Coyotes only have a few UFA's available this summer and to be honest I doubt they're anyone to get too excited over but they're mine so don't make fun of them.
Curtis Joseph *G*
Mike Ricci *C*
Jeremy Roenick *C*
Owen Nolan *RW*
Cujo - I would actually love to keep as a backup goalie but I don't think it will happen, I'm pretty sure his pride prohibits it. I don't blame him, of course; I'd much rather retire as a number 1 then to continue playing behind some kid and feel like I'm not needed except to hold the bench down. I hope someone signs him, if not us then someone who will allow him to play to get more wins; he wants to move higher on that wins list, he should get the chance.
Ricci - He's not really worth much to us because he can't stay healthy. I was sure that he would retire this past season; his neck injury coupled with "personal issues" were a recipe for disaster in our minds. He chose to stay and ended up on the injured reserve for the better part of this year. My prediction? Forced retirement. I don't really think he'll get signed anywhere because, to be blunt, he's done like dinner.
Roenick - There's probably not an NHL fan out there that doesn't know the deal with Roenick. He's arrogant and pig-headed and he doesn't play up the level that he did during his day. Really though, who could expect him to? He's old and he's been beat up one side and down the other. In all reality, I want someone to sign him; I want him to get that 500th goal. I just don't want it to be us. I don't want to sit around for another season and listen to him bitch and moan about wanting to get traded when we're the ones who have given him another chance. Pass.
Nolan - I admit this to everyone out in cyber-land. Owen Nolan is my old-man crush. Now I don't mean that in the way that it is normally taken, I just mean that I really love this guy. There's something about him that draws me like a moth to flame. I, personally, think we'll resign him this year, we'd be relatively dumb not to. First of all, he owes us for not trading him at the deadline because of his wife's pregnancy issues so he should sign at a good price. Not only that but the Coyotes are planning to go with a youth movement and while that's all well and good, we're going to need a few seasoned vets to show them the ropes.
Take a good look ladies (and gents), we might well never see them in Desert Red again... Just thinking about it makes me get a little misty eyed.
LA Kings - UFAs
Since I couldn’t recall who will become an unrestricted free agent I had to look it up. TSN has a list of prominent NHL players who could become unrestricted free agents on July 1. Here are the “prominent” Kings to whom we could wave good-bye:
Modry and Heward were both acquired at the trade deadline. I believe that Modry was part of the Norstrom deal (*wiping away the tears*) and I can’t remember how we got Heward. I wouldn’t mind seeing Modry let go. He’s a 36 year old D and I think there are other players, either in the farm system or will be on the market, who will contribute more than he does. I thought that Heward played very well with the Kings and I would like to see the Kings re-sign him, but probably just to a one year deal.
I’m not quite sure how I feel about the Kings re-signing Aaron Miller. On one hand, he’s a very skilled veteran defenseman. On the other hand, he has had a lot of back problems in the past, which cost him a lot of games in the ’05-’06 season and the Olympics. While he did play a full season in ’06-’07, I still wonder if his back will act up again in the future. I say sign him to a one year deal.
As much as the fans (and organization?) appreciated what Burke did for the Kings this past season, I doubt that he will be back. I think that Crawford and Lombardi are set on fully supporting Cloutier’s return to either the #1 or #2 spot. I also think that LaBarbera’s success at Manchester will garner him the other goalie spot. Which leads me to…
Sayonara Mathieu Garon. He’s been good at times but never consistent enough to lead the Kings.
Tom Kostopoulos, aka TKO or as my boyfriend likes to call him, Uncle Jesse because of Jesse’s Greek last name, Katsopolis. Tom is apparently quite the prankster and I would classify him as a middleweight. He throws his body around, chips in on the forecheck, and is an all-around team player. Should the Kings bring him back? I could go either way, but I think he’ll be back.
Mike Weaver was sent down to Manchester at least once this past season and it wouldn’t surprise me if the Kings don’t offer him a new contract. Like I mentioned in my discussion of Modry, there are other defensemen that the Kings have or will sign.
Raitis Ivanans is the scariest looking King. I also could have sworn that the Kings and Ivanans already agreed upon an extension. If I’m making up the contract extension, I do think the Kings will re-sign him. I would rather that they find another enforcer, but the “skilled enforcer” is tough to come by.
x-posted at kms2's inner monologue
