Re: The NHL Thread
 

Yeah I think the big transactions this summer will be done via trade rather than UFA signing, like last year.

Those are more fun anyway. :)

Re: The NHL Thread
 

I think if the price makes sense the Flyers should go after Okposo or Ladd.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

I also think more teams will be taking a harder look at a handful of guys in the KHL who can have an immediate impact. Probably more than usual after the season Panarin had.

Agreed on trades.

As far as FA signings - I doubt there will be many major surprises though there are teams like Carolina that need to spend tens of millions of dollars just to hit the cap floor.

I am not even really that interested in the draft considering the Hawks have 8 picks out of the first 250 and only 2 of them are in the first 100. Guessing that the move they made the other day to unload Bickell and TT allows them to resign Shaw, make a push to retain Ladd maybe at a lower salary or with a backloaded contract and then take a peek at some KHL guys who can be gotten on the cheap - hopefully.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

People keep wanting to compare trading of Datsyuk's contract to Bickell's, saying the Wings need to give up a lot cause Chicago did. Not the same. Bicks is gonna play and has a few years left. Pavel will get traded and will be suspended by team when season starts. They'll have a cap hit of 7.5mil but won't pay him anything. Compare to Savard's trade from FLA to NJ not Bickell to Carolina. It'll be a pick or Jurco or Pulkkinen. I'm hoping Pulkkinen just so that he's not here and I don't have to google his name every time to remember how to spell it. Also twitter reminds me how stupid fans really are. One fan tweeted at a reporter saying they should trade Mantha to get it done and she's like only if can guarantee Stamkos, which she is 100% right. You aren't gonna trade one of your top prospects to clear salary for just one year and not guarantee you get the big fish in free agency. Although the way Dreger and McKenzie keep talking, I think the Wings are gonna push hard for Stamkos. Whether he signs is another thing but sure sounds like they will be going all in.

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Article about which teams may have a tough time dealing with the expansion draft

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...pansion-draft/

Re: The NHL Thread
 

Daniel Sprong out six to eight months after shoulder surgery.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

Either would be a good fit for the Flyers who need more offense. I think Okposo is probably the most probable though. Ladd has about 5 years left in his prime where Okposo has 7 or 8 years and can likely be gotten cheaper. Ladd said he wanted to stay in Chicago and would work with them to stay under the cap so I do not believe Philadelphia would get some sort of 'hometown' discount like he would give to Chicago.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

ouch that sucks

gonna stunt his development...don't think we'll see him on the big club til '18-'19 now

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Just read an interview where Sakic said they will not be active on July 1 in pursuing free agents. With the UFA list and the Avs' needs, this pleases me.

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I think teams are realizing that free agency gets them in cap trouble.

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Hawks should sign Stamkos.

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Oh he'll be wearing red at home but with the winged wheel.

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Agreed

Agreed

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Well at least one $9mil player on the team would have been past round 2.

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:lol :lol damn

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I'm just bitter after this year. Wait till the Wings miss the playoffs. I'll be one of the guys from Grump Old Men.

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First weekend with no NHL games in a long time and I am flipping through my channels and finding nothing worthwhile, thank god for the Copa America Cup and the EURO 2015 tournament! Hopefully the Yankees can get on a roll soon and be in a position to make the playoffs, then I will also look foreword to how the Raiders will do this year and I think they finally have a playoff caliber team for the first time since Jerry Rice and Tim Brown retired.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

Didn't even think about this until talking with Nicole and Dustin today, this is the 50th anniversary of the Kings, and the All-Star game. Dustin has to just watch as Kopi leads the team in whatever special things happen. Nicole said tonight she isn't even going to go to opening night.
Just another punch in the gut on top of it all.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

How's Dustin handling it? I always wonder how that kind of stuff impacts these guys.

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I haven't asked him up front how he is handling it. Talked a bit about it to Nicole. She's upset to the point of feeling nausea. They were upset the organization didn't wait to do the press conference until after they went back to NY (they leave tomorrow AM). But I just gave him a hug and said sorry he's going thru all this.

That's the extent though. I know he must be sick of talking about it or answering questions or even thinking about it. Just hung out, played video games and bull shitted. I typically stay away from the politics of anything hockey related and just be his friend.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

Official Pavel leaving, his agent expects contract to get traded. I bet it's done by next weekend.

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This sucks. Cool that you are just there and not digging.

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Is there any chance he will be on his way out of LA soon?

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I don't think that's likely. It would be really shitty to strip him of the C and then trade him. If they were going to trade him they would've tried, I haven't heard of any talks. I think it's still shitty to strip the C if they are planning on using the expansion draft to move him. Let him have one more year.

I truly think Dean thinks this is the last resort to getting Dustins game back, kinda like the trade talks in 2012.

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Who's taking Kopitar's "A"? Drew?

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He better.

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That sucks for him. Good on you for being a good friend. I hope he wades through this and lands on his feet whatever happens.

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Holland is giving mixed messages. I can't tell what he's saying. Wants it to be a conditional pick and doesn't want to give up Mantha or top guys but what is top? I don't consider Jurco or Pulkkinen top anymore.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

That sucks. I know Brown gets vilified in some places on the internet, but I always like his game. Really hope he bounces back this season. The life of an NHL wife always fascinated me as well. You saw things like April Reimer getting death threats in Toronto...this stuff has a huge impact on their lives too. A lot of times, the "people" aspect is lost.

Good on you, Legs. You can tell Dustin he always has a spot as captain of my men's league team in Dallas if he wants :lol

Going to be so weird. This changing of the guard in Detroit is bizarre for me. No Pavel, no Lidstrom...Stevie Y is in Tampa...my childhood and memories of hockey growing up are disappearing. First signs of getting old, I guess :lol

I'll always remember this shootout move. I was working in the electronics department in Target during college at the time, and turned the game on all the TVs and barely even pretended to be "working".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdioAO_XXZQ

Edit: This too...I was at this game. Poor Niemi was put in the game with about 40 seconds left in the 2nd after Huet had given up his 4th goal of the period...30 seconds later he's facing a breakaway from freakin' Datsyuk. Poor guy. :lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs4dxraIqGw

Re: The NHL Thread
 

Hearing Holland say he wasn't over optimistic about trading the contract just throws me for a loop. I wish I knew who he thought were "top" guys. Mantha? Hell no. Jurco or Pulkkinen and maybe some conditional pick? Why no? Those guys don't seem to have the confidence of the coach, especially Jurco who didn't have Babcock's either a year go. So why not give one of them up? Now I understand if Arizona is asking for more to start but if I'm them I'd do almost any deal if I'm getting assets. I mean one of those players and a pick or hell, even just a pick I'd do it. They don't have to pay the salary so it doesn't hurt them and they are $18mil under the floor. If they don't add something like Pavel's deal they'll have to overpay some free agent and then in a few years when their young talent needs $$ they'll be saddled with bad contracts. Holland said he wanted to improve the team and you just can't with $7.5mil of dead space. Had he said we're going with the kids and maybe a few small deals to fill out the team and see where it goes...then I'd be fine with it honestly. But you can't say you want to improve the team and compete now and then not gamble a bit trading away something to get that cap space. I don't think both of those guys will be on this team long term so in 2-3 years one or both of those guys could be gone and you won't have a Stamkos or some other player on your team either.