2008/09 NHL Thread

This has the potential for a repeat of Doug MacLean after he got fired by the Blue Jackets and TSN picked him up a couple of weeks later for the draft. All he did the entire time was rip on Zherdev. It was great TV.

 

Until, of course, the Lightning's brain trust (I use that phrase loosely) trade Lecavalier and St. Louis to Montreal for Pierre Turgeon's rights.

 

He won't have to. Tampa has hit the iceberg all by itself.

At the rate the Bolts are going, even Atlanta is going to sail by them. That says plenty.

 

So if the Whalercanes go on a good run here, will the Koules and the gang say 'Hey that was a good idea in hiring back an old coach!" and hire back Torterella?

 

It depends. Would Torts even entertain the idea?

Big differences with the Whalercanes' situation. First, it was five years since Maurice was fired, not mere months. Secondly, Mo has loyalty to Jim Rutherford, primarily because the latter was loyal and stuck with the former for many years (in part because of skill, but also in part because Peter Karmanos is cheap and didn't want to pay a coach for doing nothing). Thirdly, the move cost the Whalercanes very little. Mo is still being paid by the mental giants at MLSE, though Rutherford has offered to help pay Mo's salary according to the N&O in Raleigh.

The move that has me curious - for all sorts of fanboy reasons - is Ron Francis going behind the bench to help Mo. The story is he plans to help unkink the Whalercanes' ineffective power play, and at least Mo said the right thing by telling the media in Wednesday's presser that he hopes no one notices whatever subtle changes he makes. But that could also be license for him to make big changes should the subtle ones not work.

 

Does Torterella want to go back to Tampa? Or does he wait for a better job to open up?

 

I actually don't think Torts would touch the job, although preseason he was drooling over their lineup, had them picked to win the division I believe. I was originally making a sarcastic remark about the gong show currently going on in T-Bay.

I actually am not surprised about the Canes bringing in Francis as an assistant. COaching is one thing he said he wanted to do when he retired and I know both Mo and Rutherford are loyal to the guy, plus he brings some leadership back into the locker room, a guy I'm sure most of the players on that roster look up to. It's turning into an old boy's group, the same thing that has plagued the Oilers for the last couple of decades -- although that may be changing with Tambellini coming in as GM this off-season, after Kevin Lowe had the roster set mind you.

 

Tambellini gonna trade for his kid?

 

Schremp had a really good year in the AHL last year, re-dedicated himself in the off-season joingin the rest of the Oilers vets in LA for training and then he got off to a good start in the AHL this season. He then played his first game in the NHL this season last night (the fourth of his career) and he looked great on the second line with Gagner and Cogliano and set up Pouliot for his second goal of the season with a great pass.

I think he is still very much a viable NHL player.

 

That was the running joke for a while. We'll see what happens if Lowe takes the hand cuffs off.

 

If Schrempf's character and drive matched his talent, he'd be on his way to the HHOF.

Big if.

 

New Canes coach, same habit of crappy starts.