NHL awards/draft/off-season/training camp/preseason running thread

Re: 2007 NHL awards, draft and off-season running thread

This is interesting for two reasons:

1) I never knew the Leafs were in the market for a third string goaltender (Was this in Ferguson's big plan to Peddie?)

2) Wasn't Clemmenson the goalie who was in net versus the Isles in the last game of the regular season, which catapaulted the Isles to the playoffs and ended Toronto's window of opportunity?


I feel for Edmonton as they have had the worst luck. First the Nylander debacle, now the Sabres matching the offer to Vanek. You have to wonder, does any player really want to play for the Oilers?

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards, draft and off-season running thread

Cansports: The answer to 2) is yes.

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards, draft and off-season running thread

Speaking of weird goalie situations, how about Ottawa:
<a href="http://ottawasun.com/Sports/Senators/2007/07/05/4314002-sun.html">
The Senators may send Gerber to their AHL team if they can't trade him. The advantage? While they still would have to pay his $3.7 million salary, it wouldn't count against the salary cap and allow them to dip further into the free-agent market.</a>

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards, draft and off-season running thread

Uh, well, the Vanek thing kind of suggests that at least Vanek would like to play for the Oilers.

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards, draft and off-season running thread

While I was probably one of the first of many to laugh at the Oilers' about-face - how they whined about their franchise being able to survive pre-cap, then took their payroll to higher levels than ever after its implementation, I think Larry Brooks is way off-base on this column.

Kevin Lowe spent a considerable asset in a first-round pick to get Dwayne Roloson and paid him considerable money to stay. I don't see him as Edmonton's problem. Why bring on Lundqvist for some inflated salary, then have to deal with an overpaid, unhappy backup?

This wasn't personal. He saw Vanek as being an exciting young forward with speed and scoring ability, who would be lethal with Ales Hemsky. Perhaps he saw a forward that, if signed, could help the fans forget Ryan Smyth. Edmonton didn't need goaltending, and the only person making this personal is Larry Brooks. The world does not revolve around him, nor his beloved New York Rangers.

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards, draft and off-season running thread

I agree with Red Canuck.

All this whining about the RFA offer sheets after the fact is really tiresome. Shut up, Buffalo.

If the owners hated it so much why didn't they just get rid of it in the last CBA? Probably because they only cared about one thing: the cap.

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards, draft and off-season running thread

<a href="http://www.firebettman.com/">
It's good to see that somebody's got a blog devoted to firing Bettman.</a>

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards, draft and off-season running thread

Eric Francis reports today in the Sun that Calgary was on the short-list for Ryan Smyth. Wouldn't that have been fun?

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards, draft and off-season running thread

I wish Smyth signed with the Flames.

Imagine the following PP unit:
Iginla
Conroy
Smyth
Phaneuf
Insert D-man here.

Lots o' goals, I would imagine.

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards, draft and off-season running thread

Aye, that might have been a line to reckon with.

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards, draft and off-season running thread

I had heard the rumour. But I just think he couldn't pull the trigger and actually stomach pulling on a Flames sweater.

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards, draft and off-season running thread

It's good to be back, been on sabatical for a week. Fuck was it a bad week for Kevin Lowe and my Oilers.