2008/09 NHL Thread

End of a long, difficult couple of days for the Swordsmen. They played Friday's game on pure emotion; can't say I was surprised to see them come out flat tonight.

 

Sorry about that, pseudo. The crash was foremost on my mind as I tuned in. Thing is, the Whalercanes were heading into the tank and who knows if this game saved them?

Guess we'll see. Hang in there ...

 

Good point that coaches are hired to be fired. It's a vicious cycle. But Michel Therrien was less of a miracle worker and more of an albatross at this point of the season. What does it say when all that talent struggles through the first month and a half of the new year? One theory floating around online is that the players deliberately tanked in an effort to oust Therrien, but to me that seems a bit asinine.

 

The problems in Pittsburgh were blowing up in December and Therrien knew it then. After one game, Therrien all but said his players quit working and were not following the game plan (i.e. his system). Therrien for whatever reason, lost the dressing room and I've heard some crazy stories about Fleury and Therrien in a shouting match, some players going to Crosby to complain about the coaches, and certain players/coaches/management not at all thrilled with Sid's dad around the ice rink as much as he's been this year.

Therrien didn't have much of an opportunity to succeed with Shero having a bad offseason (losing Hossa, signing Satan), losing Whitney to surgery for 3 months, Gonchar went down in exhibition games with shoulder for 5 months, short training camp because of the European season opener, the travel to Europe for two games against Ottawa, Fleury's injury (aka supposedly got a burn on his leg from something), and Zigomanis' shoulder injury after he was winning draws to help their puck possession.

The fall guy is always the head coach and 4 years is a good amount of time for a coach but those who follow this team know, Ray Shero has to make some winning deals from here on out because Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle will not allow this team to be bad heading into the new Consol Arena.

 

There's no such thing as job security in coaching, whatever the sport. A former D-I hockey coach once told me, "You get hired, and immediately you wonder when you're going to get fired."

"You play to win the game ... hello?"

But consider the source. Herm Edwards. :

 

HB, I respect your opinion but Shero offered Hossa a way better deal than he got in Detroit and you don't think Tampa is regretting Malones contract? IMO they won in spite of Therienn last year, I think this is a good move and trust me, I usually never blame coaches, ask Beef.

 

Um, I don't think Malone has been the disaster in Tampa you're making him out to be. He's on course to score almost 30 goals in 69 games.

You want to criticize the Lightning, look at Vinny Prospal's $14 million over four years, and Radim Vrbata's $9 million over three. Word is Prospal is being shopped, with Columbus a possible destination, which is why he's been playing center the last two games.

As an aside, with the Lightning one of the few clear sellers in the next two weeks, there were 15 scouts at last night's Lightning game, and I'm pretty sure they weren't there to see Mike Green break the consecutive goals streak.

The really wild rumor last night was St. Louis to the Pens. Goodness knows they could use a scoring wing for the team. St. Louis makes $4 million per the next two years, would that be plausible for the Pens to hold onto for the next two seasons?

 

There's lots to criticize the lightning about but nobody in this league takes on Malone's contract.
St.Louis might make 4 mill but isn't his cap hit 6 and change?

 

They didn't just let Hossa walk, they offered him a mulriyear deal for same money annually as the Red Wings. And right now, Sykora (40) and Satan (32) have more points than Malone (31) but at far less cost. And Fedotenko (21) might have been right there, too, had he not broken his hand on Colby Armstrong's nose. I think Shero did what he could.

 

St. Louis' cap number is $5.25, while Malone's is $4.5. He got the big number up front getting $6 million this season, and is at $4.25 the rest of the way.

 

Not to cast aspersions on anyone else you mentioned, Oz, but Satan floats often enough that we used to make "Titanic" jokes about him when he played in Buffalo. Yeah, the ship, not the other former Sabre.