pk500 wrote:Phoenix is going to be a definite playoff contender in the West next season.
After every offseason I think the same thing...only to be crushed after 2 months of the season.
DB:
I think it's different this time. First, the Coyotes were an improved team last season, no question.
Second, Don Maloney is a solid hockey man as GM. The prior GM, Mike Barnett, has been Gretzky's agent and best friend for more than 20 years. There was a real question about his competency and ability to take a different path from Wayne when needed.
The housecleaning that Phoenix's owners did after the 2006-07 season was necessary, and the franchise will reap the benefits soon. Gretz is pretty damn solid behind the bench, too.
Take care,
PK
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
Read an article in the Toronto Star that noted that all of Toronto's picks seemed to emphasize speed. I hope that Cliff Fletcher remembered the bits about skating and puck handling and wasn't setting up a team capable of winning in the old clutch and grab days!
Best wishes,
Doug
"Every major sport has come under the influence of organized crime. FIFA actually is organized crime" - Charles Pierce
Hey, I'd pay close attention to Rachel Hunter if I was banging her, too!
This is a crucial season for Stollie. He can either bounce back like Horcoff did last year, or his NHL career will draw to a close quickly.
One fact behind Stollie's lack of production last season was that he pulled heavy minutes against other team's top lines, as he was the Oilers' premier shutdown center. Still, he was pretty terrible on offense, and the Oil expects at least 60 points out of him per season. He had 36 last year and was a team-worst -23.
I expect the dude to be dealt this summer. Then I'll need to find a favorite new Oiler, and that won't be easy, as I really like Stollie.
Take care,
PK
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
Scoop, Hawks are going to be a team to reckon with next season whether they get Hossa or not. The asking price is around 9 million for his services. I really like the pick of K. Beach at the draft and with the young guns they already have, they'll finally be in the mix for a playoff spot.
ScoopBrady wrote:Barry Melrose is the new coach for the Lightning. Good to see Barry coaching again.
I have serious doubts about this selection. Melrose has been away from the game far too long. He last coached in the NHL during the zenith of the clutch-and-grab Dark Ages, and the game has changed so much since then.
Plus working as a TV analyst does not immerse one in the game at nearly the level as a coach.
This was a PR/nepotism hire, plain and simple. Melrose brings publicity to the market, and he is really good friends with new Bolts owner Oren Koules, a Hollywood producer.
I would love to see Melrose succeed, as he's a character that the league needs. But I have my doubts. The only thing Melrose has going for him in this job is that he always was known as a player's coach, and psychology has become as important as task for NHL coaches as X's and O's in recent years, just like the NBA and NFL.
Take care,
PK
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
I think Melrose is a pretty questionable hire too, but as a factual matter he was fired after the 95 season. That was the year the Devils won the cup, beginning the clutch-and-grab era, and before the rest of the league followed suit. For my money the peak of clutch-and-grab was about 98-02. Maybe some of the thinking is that the game now is closer to the game of the early 90s when Melrose coached? At least the guy has nowhere to go but up from Tampa's last season.
New cap today at about $56m with a floor of $40m. Notable because the floor is now higher than the cap was originally set after the lockout. Who says the NHL is dying?
I shed no tears. McGoo was the most inconsistent, and at times, incompetent ref in the NHL. He also tried to make himself the star of the show too often with his meddling and demonstrative histrionics.
But McGoo training new refs? I shudder.
Take care,
PK
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
With just a few more days to go before Canada's day, Tampa trades their fourth round pick for just the rights to talk to R.Malone and G. Roberts. Are these guys that desperate or the new ownership just dumb?
10spro wrote:With just a few more days to go before Canada's day, Tampa trades their fourth round pick for just the rights to talk to R.Malone and G. Roberts. Are these guys that desperate or the new ownership just dumb?
Stupidity. Hollywood producers should stick to TV and motion pictures, not hockey.
Take care,
PK
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
I just don't understand the lust over Malone and Roberts.
Malone is a glorified plumber. He has scored a total of 43 goals and 82 points over the last two seasons with Sidney Crosby as his setup man.
Does anyone think he'll reach the same productivity in Tampa, even if Vinny Lecavalier is his center? Is a guy who will give you 45 points in a season worth $4 million per year?
No, on both counts above.
Plus it's not like Malone is this kid with big potential. He'll be 29 in December, in the prime of his career. The prime of his career is about 25 goals and 15 assists per season with the greatest playmaker in the game as his center. Whoopdee-f*cking-doo.
Roberts is a character guy and a solid player, but he's also 42 years old. He's one nagging injury away from being finished, and he hasn't played more than 58 games in a season since 2003-04 due to injuries. I wouldn't pay more than $1.5 million on a one-year deal for Roberts, but you know the Bolts will offer two years at some stupid price.
Take care,
PK
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
Be feair though, what percentage of fourth round picks turn into good NHL players. Melrose is said to love Malone so it's not a surprise they are really going after him.
pk500 wrote:I just don't understand the lust over Malone and Roberts.
Malone is a glorified plumber. He has scored a total of 43 goals and 82 points over the last two seasons with Sidney Crosby as his setup man.
Does anyone think he'll reach the same productivity in Tampa, even if Vinny Lecavalier is his center? Is a guy who will give you 45 points in a season worth $4 million per year?
No, on both counts above.
Plus it's not like Malone is this kid with big potential. He'll be 29 in December, in the prime of his career. The prime of his career is about 25 goals and 15 assists per season with the greatest playmaker in the game as his center. Whoopdee-f*cking-doo.
Roberts is a character guy and a solid player, but he's also 42 years old. He's one nagging injury away from being finished, and he hasn't played more than 58 games in a season since 2003-04 due to injuries. I wouldn't pay more than $1.5 million on a one-year deal for Roberts, but you know the Bolts will offer two years at some stupid price.
Take care,
PK
7 years, 31.5 million for Malone
I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment PK. While I'm happy for him to get that kind of money, no way is he worth that. He's been an average player his entire career, and if anything was seen as kind of a bust in Pittsburgh until this past year and was annual trade bait. I could see after his "breakout" year this year that someone would pay him 3-3.5 million a year for maybe 4 years, but 4.5 million? For 7 years? I guarantee there are going to be some disappointed Lightning fans for years to come when they see exactly what that money bought them.
First two years of the contract works out to be between 7-8 million a year, way overpaid. Just to give everyone an idea where Malone stands now, S. Crosby makes about 9 big ones per season and J. Iginla about 7.5. This guy will have big shoes to fill in.
I'm sure Malone was selling himself as a comparable to Scott Hartnell, who last year the Flyers gave a 6 years at $4.2 per. Both guys are 20-25 goal, 40-50 points guys. Granted, Hartnell is younger, and IMO better because he has value as a pest, and his stats aren't deceptively inflated by playing on a PP with Crosby, Malkin and Gonchar. With rising cap costs I think $4m just doesn't buy you what it used to.
Also, if last year the Flyers could get a top defensemen in Timonen AND Hartnell for a late 1st rounder, you'd think the Lightning could do better than trading a 3rd just for Malone.
Rolston to Tampa Bay...at least his rights anyway. Tampa Bay is looking pretty good right now...Malone, Roberts, Rolston, and Stamkos....that's a decent amount of points right there.
That's an insane deal for Malone. Absolute madness. He's no scoring 30 goals per year next season, let alone at age 35 or 36.
Is Tampa Bay using a different salary cap than the rest of the NHL? How the hell can it afford Vinny, Marty St. L, Dan Boyle, Malone and Rolston? Stamkos is on a rookie deal, so he's cheap for the next two or three years.
Take care,
PK
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
tjung0831 wrote:Rolston to Tampa Bay...at least his rights anyway. Tampa Bay is looking pretty good right now...Malone, Roberts, Rolston, and Stamkos....that's a decent amount of points right there.
At least it's looking good on paper, but they have yet to address their main problem: In between the Pipes.
I really like the pick of K. Beach at the draft and with the young guns they already have, they'll finally be in the mix for a playoff spot.
