All-purpose hockey thread...

Re: All-purpose hockey (NHL and Olympics) thread...

Mr Fear,

Wild decide to cash in O'Sul at what might be his peak value.

YHS, etc

 

Re: All-purpose hockey (NHL and Olympics) thread...

Oh, and Beef, your Oilers drafted Brampton goalie Bryan Pitton in the fifth round. He was ranked 12th overall for North American goalies.

He's a big kid, technically sound but needs work with his puck handling.

Oh, and speaking of goalies, Leafs have people scratching their heads with the Raycroft deal. Damien Cox weighs in:

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Co...ageid=968867503640&col=970081593064&t=TS_Home

Maybe Raycroft will shine and this will prove to be the historical payback for the Leafs letting Boston grab 25-year-old Gerry Cheevers off their waiver list in the mid-'60s.

 

Re: All-purpose hockey (NHL and Olympics) thread...

No rumor.

Pronger asks for trade

 

Re: All-purpose hockey (NHL and Olympics) thread...

Regarding Kevin Lowe's denial on Sportsnet a couple of days ago that a trade had been requested, he now admits that he had known for some time that the request would be coming.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Co...ageid=968867503640&call_pagepath=Sports/Index

What pisses me off about this story -- the byline is CP but it doesn't actually credit anyone -- is that it refers on three separate occasions to "personal reasons," "the personal situation in question" and "a personal matter" but never specifies what the "personal matter" is. We all know what it is, it's not really a secret, so why act like it is?

 

Re: All-purpose hockey (NHL and Olympics) thread...

A GM who denies a story and then lies about it? Color me shocked.

 

Re: All-purpose hockey (NHL and Olympics) thread...

It still does not mean the team is being torn apart and that there will be a fire sale. And unless he turns into a complete pussycat and demands that he goes to one team, they should still be able to get a marquee player in return. You won't see a Joe Thornton for a couple of middling players kind of trade here.

 

Re: All-purpose hockey (NHL and Olympics) thread...

One way or another I'f be very surprised to see Conklin back, if they can't talk someone into taking him off their hands, I could actually see him asking for his outright release, he made no secret about how pissed off he was with Mac-T's handling of the goaltenders thies season.And you know what, If I'm a team starved for goaltending - and there are a few out there - I would still take a flyer on the guy. It will cost very little to get him and if he doesn't work out, well then he doesn't work out, put him on waivers and bury him. I will say this though, when he was healthy he played very well for Edmonton.

 

Re: All-purpose hockey (NHL and Olympics) thread...

From that description Pitton sounds a little like Dubnyk. Anything else you can tell me about the kid?

As far as the Raycroft deal goes, I like it. It was a similar situation to Edmonton in terms of a poorly handled goaltending carousel. Raycroft if I remember, was hurt early and never reallyw as given a chance to recover and rediscover his game even on a terrible Boston team. A change of local will be good for him. He ahs proven he can play at this level, and I think Maple Leaf fans should at least give him a shot before the jump all over him. regardless, he is an upgrade over injuredBelfour/Tellqvist, and cheap to. And hey if he doesn't work out you go back to the drawing board next season. As far as giving up Raask, he's a hell of a prospect, but who's to say he will be a star at the NHL level - a lot of people thought Telqvist would be an NHL star as well, don't really see that happening. Anything can happen to the development of a goaltending prospent. As well they still Pogge as a top goaltending prospect, regardless neither were ready to play tomorrow in the NHL and the Maple Leafs needed an immediate solution.

 

Re: All-purpose hockey (NHL and Olympics) thread...

A few years down the road the Pens will be able to ice a line of Crosby-Malkin-Stall.

That could be outright frightening.

 

Re: All-purpose hockey (NHL and Olympics) thread...

Flames still have to get rid of that tugboat Amonte, though.

 

Re: All-purpose hockey (NHL and Olympics) thread...

Of course, if they don't do something to give MAF a little help, they'll be playing a bunch of 9-6 games, I'm guessing. And, from what I gather, the plan is to keep separate Crosby and Malkin lines. Of course, that could change.

 

Re: All-purpose hockey (NHL and Olympics) thread...

But they may not be doing it in the city of Pittsburgh.