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

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

Matt Cullen traded back to Carolina.

 

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

This is a 16 year old who, without exception, is a better player than anybody in the league.

He's big, he's strong, he's got great hands. Only knock is his skating but that's something he can work on. You can't teach a sense of where you are.

 

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

Amen, my brother. Kids with a vision of the ice in the mould of Gretzky are a rare breed these days.

 

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

Michael Peca, Eric Lindros, Alexei Yashin, Anson Carter, Jeff Friesen, Josef Vasicek, Denis Arkhipov, Patrik Stefan, Martin Gelinas, Arron Asham, Chris Simon, Nils Ekman, Ronald Petrovicky, Ville Nieminen, Travis Green, Jeff O'Neill, Jan Bulis, Adam Hall and Dimitri Afanasenkov.

Most of them will get a look somewhere just to fill out a roster. Others that I deleted from the list (like Amonte and Allison) I don't think will be given seriuous thought or consideration due to their fast declinign skills. Simon, despite the way his season ended, is still a good enforcer who can contribute offensively.

 

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

And in the "Where did THESE GUYS GO" department, here's a list of the not so popular UFA's.

http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/07/16/really-free-agents/

Some funny stuff here.

Ryan Vandenbussche, 33 - fighting police officers and getting Tasered wasn't enough excitement; he fought a bunch of guys in Finland before landing for good with the New Mexico Scorpions of the CHL. And to think: He's just one year removed from protecting Sidney Crosby

Vaclav Varada, 29 - he's in Davos with Daigle, running over goalies named Flavio with abandon

 

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

This is a terrific move by the Canes. The power play was just not the same last season without Cullen.

 

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

Good news on Cullen. He was missed - badly. I don't Carolina knew it was missing until he was no longer on the bench or the ice.

This and locking in Cam for a while makes it a good offseason for the Whalercanes ...

 

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

I've heard a few knocks on his defence being strong enough to make that jump... not that playing in the OHL will necessarily force him to improve it.

 

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

Kings signed defenseman Thomas Hickey, their first-round pick, fourth overall, today. It's a three-year entry level contract according to the story on NHL.com

 

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

Wow, Jason Woolley, too.

Hey, is Fleury still a free agent? I don't think he has signed his retirement papers yet.

 

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

Saw a brief item saying that Roenick hasn't officially retired yet despite him apparently sending a text message to a Philly paper saying "I'm retiring, is that news?"

It would be news to me if someone decides to sign him EVER again.

 

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

Is Forsberg going anywhere?