NHL Off-Season Thread

GameSeven · Post by **GameSeven** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 4:14 pm

pk500 wrote:Buffalo lost Zubrus today, as he signed with New Jersey.

Damn, will the Sabres have anyone left when camp opens?

Take care,
PK

It's been loosely reported that NJ signed Karel Rachunek today as well... but nothing confirmed.

The Devs won't easily replace Gomez and Rafalski but it's good to see Lamoriello move on a deal or two. I'm just hoping when terms are released that it's not another knee-jerk set of signings like the Malakhov/Mogilny a couple of years back...

BTW, Great read Kings... thx for the link

Gangrel · Post by **Gangrel** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 10:02 pm

The Oil apparently DID have Nylander.... maybe.

http://www.tsn.ca/headlines/news_story/?ID=212659

LAking · Post by **LAking** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 11:55 pm

Gangrel wrote:The Oil apparently DID have Nylander.... maybe.

http://www.tsn.ca/headlines/news_story/?ID=212659

Yeah, this is gonna be interesting.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 8:01 pm

NYI lose R. Smyth to COL but they sign B. Guerin to a two year deal worth 9 million. Where will S. Souray end up?

GameSeven · Post by **GameSeven** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 10:23 am

Though EA released some preliminary screenshots already, B's media gallery is up showing their new sweaters:

http://bruins.nhl.com/team/app/?service ... eryId=1231

GameSeven · Post by **GameSeven** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 1:13 pm

The Oil takes a run at Vanek... Buffalo matches 7yr/$50m

Would have cost EDM 4 first round picks with that offer...

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2927805

Feanor · Post by **Feanor** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 1:35 pm

Makes what the Flyers tried last summer with that Vancouver player look pretty harmless.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 1:50 pm

GameSeven wrote:The Oil takes a run at Vanek... Buffalo matches 7yr/$50m

Would have cost EDM 4 first round picks with that offer...

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2927805

I know the Oilers have a lot of draft picks stocked up, but Lowe's move toward RFA's is insanity. Giving away four picks for Thomas Vanek?

Lowe is grasping at straws, trying to preserve the two or three uncut strings to his job. He's toast after this season, if not sooner. The guy even admitted in an interview with the Edmonton Sun that he f*cked up in not re-signing Smytty.

And what are you thinking if you're a Sabres' fan? The team isn't willing to splash the cash two weeks ago on Drury and Briere but is willing to spend $50 million on Thomas Vanek now that its co-captains have left town?

P.S. on Souray: Rumor of a return to New Jersey.

Take care,
PK

CrazyPsycho · Post by **CrazyPsycho** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 3:09 pm

What a terrible week to be a Sabres fan. I can live w/out Briere, obviously the market was huge for him. Still really sucks he's joining Biron in Philly, two of my favorite players on my least favorite team. But for Drury to leave for the damn Rangers leaves a sour taste in my mouth, especially when Buffalo said they offered the same amount.

Then they are absolutely forced to keep Vanek, for fear of being burned at the stake by the fans. No way I would give him 7 and 50, but their hand was forced. Not sure if Lowe did it knowing Buffalo would keep him no matter what, seems alot to give up if the Sabres would have passed. I really have a fear that he's going to turn into the next Satan, he has those stretches where he just doesn't show up at all. And to give him the most money of anyone on the team worries me.

Don't get me started on an aging 39 year old Numminen getting 2.6 mil. And I'm on the fence about Thibault. When Miller goes down, I don't know if I can stomach him for 5-6 starts in a row.

Bad, bad week for me.

Maybe they can turn a trade to pick my spirits up.

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 3:33 pm

CrazyPsycho wrote: Then they are absolutely forced to keep Vanek, for fear of being burned at the stake by the fans. No way I would give him 7 and 50, but their hand was forced. Not sure if Lowe did it knowing Buffalo would keep him no matter what, seems alot to give up if the Sabres would have passed. I really have a fear that he's going to turn into the next Satan, he has those stretches where he just doesn't show up at all. And to give him the most money of anyone on the team worries me.

Though Vanek is a bit young for that kind of contract, for my money Vanek is a better offensive player than Drury or Gomez, and will probably be outscoring Briere within a few years. Last year, in his only his second season, Vanek easily outpaced Drury's career best numbers, and matched Gomez career high for points. The kid has got 'it.'

Sully · Post by **Sully** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 5:48 pm

Hmm...if I'm not mistaken, Buffalo still has 5 or so RFAs on their roster. I wonder if someone will offer Derek Roy. 21 goals, 42 assists, and a +37. He made less than 1 million last year, and I believe he's only 24. Buffalo is very vulnerable right now after their hand was forced to offer Vanek 7 per when he probably would've made less than 3 next season.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 5:51 pm

Zach Parise also is vulnerable as New Jersey is close to the cap. And will St. Louis want to splash the cash to keep Stempniak?

I don't think Kevin Lowe is done with these offers to RFA's.

Take care,
PK

GameSeven · Post by **GameSeven** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 6:08 pm

pk500 wrote:Zach Parise also is vulnerable as New Jersey is close to the cap.

As much as I'd hate to see him go, if Lowe threw a deal at Zach like the one Vanek got, Lou would probably take the picks and say goodbye. Of course, Zach wouldn't command quite that much although he is a tremendous talent and I hope he remains an important component in the Devils' future.

But Buffalo's gotten worked over for sure this off-season.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 6:19 pm

Remember that the number of picks surrendered is commensurate to the dollar value of the contract. So Jersey probably would get two or three picks for Parise, who wouldn't command numbers like Vanek, as you said.

Take care,
PK

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 6:26 pm

pk500 wrote:Zach Parise also is vulnerable as New Jersey is close to the cap. And will St. Louis want to splash the cash to keep Stempniak?

I don't think Kevin Lowe is done with these offers to RFA's.

Take care,
PK

Stempniak has already filed for arbitration...he cannot be signed to an offer sheet. He will be a Blue this coming season and many seasons after. The Blues free up a lot of cap space going into next season(Weight, Ruckinsky, and Cajanek) so signing Stempniak to a long term deal won't be an issue. Even though Stempniak did not sign his qualifying offer...there was no reason that he should have signed it. He is going to win his arbitration case hands down and the Blues know that so they will gladly pay him what the arbitrator says and try and lock him up long term come January....probably a 3 year deal for $3mil per season.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 9:34 am

I also tend to believe that if K. Lowe doesn't sign any players of significant status that will help his team, he'll be toast by the first quarter of the season. Someone thought for sure that he was just maybe bluffing for offering that ridicoulous amount of $$$$ for a youngster with lots of potential that had only one good season to prove his worthy, but I am sure D. Regier is not too happy with the matching offer.

But at least, K.Lowe believed strongly in this guy so that he could be the future of the team along his Czech-mate A. Hemsky, therefore the seven year term. It's a desperate move no doubt as they lost to WAS in prying Nylander (although it's under investigation), not re-signing Smytty last season, the C. Pronger soap opera, etc.

But what B. Clarke did last year with R. Kesler was just stupid. An inflated offer to a RFA that's yet to prove himself and plays in the third to fourth line for a short term.

Still, Vanek is not worth the money that is being thrown around, never mind four 1st round draft picks. Picks that could be very high if EDM is unsuccesful in improving their team this coming season.

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 11:48 am

10spro wrote:I also tend to believe that if K. Lowe doesn't sign any players of significant status that will help his team, he'll be toast by the first quarter of the season. Someone thought for sure that he was just maybe bluffing for offering that ridicoulous amount of $$$$ for a youngster with lots of potential that had only one good season to prove his worthy, but I am sure D. Regier is not too happy with the matching offer.

But at least, K.Lowe believed strongly in this guy so that he could be the future of the team along his Czech-mate A. Hemsky, therefore the seven year term. It's a desperate move no doubt as they lost to WAS in prying Nylander (although it's under investigation), not re-signing Smytty last season, the C. Pronger soap opera, etc.

But what B. Clarke did last year with R. Kesler was just stupid. An inflated offer to a RFA that's yet to prove himself and plays in the third to fourth line for a short term.

Still, Vanek is not worth the money that is being thrown around, never mind four 1st round draft picks. Picks that could be very high if EDM is unsuccesful in improving their team this coming season.

Not to mention one of those picks might have landed John Tavares in 2009..

I'm thinking Buffalo should have just let him go....

Sully · Post by **Sully** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 2:41 pm

10spro wrote: But what B. Clarke did last year with R. Kesler was just stupid.

Well, the idea is to offer more for the player, with hopes that their current club won't match. I don't see how Clarke's offer to Kesler last year was worse than Lowe's. Vanek would've probably made about 3-3.5 million this year before the offer, now it's double that.

When all is said and done, I think Edmonton will be quite happy that Buffalo matched the offer. I'm not convinced Vanek is amongst the game's elite, despite being paid as if he were.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 2:47 pm

Sully wrote:
10spro wrote: But what B. Clarke did last year with R. Kesler was just stupid.
Well, the idea is to offer more for the player, with hopes that their current club won't match. I don't see how Clarke's offer to Kesler last year was worse than Lowe's. Vanek would've probably made about 3-3.5 million this year before the offer, now it's double that.

Clarke's offer to Kesler was much worse because it's questionable if Clarke even wanted the player. Going after an RFA for a one-year contract? Come on.

It's obvious that Clarke just wanted to f*ck with Dave Nonis and Vancouver. Not sure of the grudge there, but Ray Charles could have seen that Clarke wanted to play with the system more than he wanted to land Kesler.

Lowe, on the other hand, offered a long-term, $40 million-plus deal to Vanek. That kind of financial and calendar commitment shows his desire to get the player was stronger than his desire to f*ck with Darcy Regier and the Sabres.

That said, the Canucks were only put out a couple of million bucks because of Clarke's folly, while Buffalo probably had to pay Vanek about $20 million more than if Lowe didn't make the offer. So I can see why Regier is pissed, although I still insist Lowe's offer was a hell of a lot more sincere than Clarke's.

Sully wrote:When all is said and done, I think Edmonton will be quite happy that Buffalo matched the offer. I'm not convinced Vanek is amongst the game's elite, despite being paid as if he were.

Agreed. Did Vanek score 43 last season because he was the "forgotten star" in Buffalo as coaches tried to match lines to stop Briere and Drury's lines? Or could Vanek score 43 as the primary offensive threat for a team?

I tend to lean toward the former, but we'll find out this season as Vanek will be target No. 1 for any coach making line combinations against Buffalo.

Take care,
PK

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 3:09 pm

Everything I'm reading says that Lowe knew that Buffalo was going to match any offer and they still made the offer. I don't believe that Lowe ever had any intention of wanting Vanek or thinking he was going to get him...he just wanted to stick it to someone and he did so yesterday.

Sully · Post by **Sully** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 4:05 pm

pk500 wrote:
Clarke's offer to Kesler was much worse because it's questionable if Clarke even wanted the player. Going after an RFA for a one-year contract? Come on.

That may be true to some extent, but Philly's financial situation was much different last year. They really thought they were a contender in the East, and never imagined they'd end up dealing Forsberg and losing Rathje, which opened up roughly 10 million in cap space for this offseason. They also had guys like Niittymaki, who they were convinced was their future between the pipes, and Pitkanen, coming off a superb season after the lockout, due a raise this offseason. You also have guys like Umberger, Richards, and Carter that will be RFAs next offseason. It's possible Clarke only offered Kesler a 1 year deal because that's all the Flyers could afford for that season, and didn't want to bind themselves to him past one season because of the above mentioned.

Then again, it's also possible, I guess, that Clarke wanted to stick it to Nonis.

Regardless, you could make a great case for both.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 6:53 pm

tjung0831 wrote:Everything I'm reading says that Lowe knew that Buffalo was going to match any offer and they still made the offer. I don't believe that Lowe ever had any intention of wanting Vanek or thinking he was going to get him...he just wanted to stick it to someone and he did so yesterday.

I beg to differ. I think Lowe really wanted Vanek and was calling Regier's bluff.

Everything I've read indicated Lowe really wanted him since the Oil has been shut out in the UFA market. Lowe also said as much in a conference call with the Edmonton media that I listened to yesterday, although I doubt he ever would have admitted on the record that he was f*cking with Regier.

Take care,
PK

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 10:28 pm

I'll agree with PK on the Vanek offer. I think the fact that it was a seven year term, amid the inflated numbers for a 43 goal scorer, it was an honest hope to gain something for a franchise that's been losing key players in the past couple of years. Scoring was a problem for the Oil since Smyth left the organization. Offering four first round draft picks is huge and Lowe may have honestly thought that Regier would give in.

Part of the high offer sheet is that fact that Kevin is obviously trying to cover his a$$ after failing to re-sign Smytty (a mistake that's probably going to cost his job) and making his team better while they still have a lot of cap room.

Perhaps now, the only chance for EDM to land a big name ticket is to make something work with TPA. You all know who the big three names are there making big bucks and either three would be a welcomed face in Oil town. Of course, the trade would cost EDM an arm and a leg probably.

HipE · Post by **HipE** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 10:59 am

Crosby signs a five year extension for 45 million:

http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=213216&hubname=

Nice to see that he signed for less than the max, even though if anybody deserves to make that it is Sid.

EDIT:

The Post-Gazette is reporting that the deal is actually worth 43 million, or 8.7 million per season:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07191/800623-100.stm

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 11:02 am

How Sidney Crosby is worth only $2 million more per season than Thomas Vanek, even though Sid took a cut-rate deal, is beyond me!

Take care,
PK