NHL 2012 - 2013

[Special J]

So most of my day was spent bummed out that the heart and soul of the team walked to the accursed Red Wings.  Pissed as Hell at Melnyk, damn cheapskate wouldn't spend some bucks to upgrade the team.

And then the Bobby Ryan deal happened.  
Every time I get pissed at something Bryan Murray does, he pulls something off like this.  Really pumped about seeing him with Spezza.

Ducks didn't do bad on that deal, however. Silfverberg's got some real potential.

You're still a tightwad Melnyk


I predict Nonis' successor buys out Clarkson after year 4.

[Ginaz]

Ryan will help Ottawa.. but that's a dear, dear price. If you look at the history of the players involved and the potential with Silfverberg.. I don't think Ottawa comes out as a better team. Ryan will have to step up his game.

Ryan is a proven commodity.  Silfverberg, while talented and showed signs he could do well in the NHL, isn't.  The Ducks probably figured they couldn't re-sign Ryan after re-signing both Perry and Getzlaf.  Ottawa has lots of cap room to sign Ryan long term if they want.  It was a good move for Ottawa.

[Ceryse]

Ryan is a good add for Ottawa, I agree. He replaces Alfie's production. He doesn't, however, do that and replace what Silfverberg produces, which is likely to be in the 30-50 point range next season. The deal was basically forced into existence to replace Alfie and I think they paid a bit too much for a guy with Ryan's history (55-70 point guy), but they were a bit desperate.

[Ginaz]

Ryan is a good add for Ottawa, I agree. He replaces Alfie's production. He doesn't, however, do that and replace what Silfverberg produces, which is likely to be in the 30-50 point range next season. The deal was basically forced into existence to replace Alfie and I think they paid a bit too much for a guy with Ryan's history (55-70 point guy), but they were a bit desperate.

They were trying to get Ryan before Alfie walked away.  Either way, Ryan was coming to Ottawa.  Whether or not Alfie knew that is unknown yet.

[Special J]

Senators need goals and they added a proven goal scorer who can get into the dirty areas. He is exactly what they needed and a commodity that can be very hard to get.  The price was high but I'm fine with it

[Ceryse]

Apparently Alfie did know the deal was forthcoming.

I'm still not sold on the trade. Time will tell, but when Alfie decided to leave it was a moot point; they needed someone to give them a boost and instead of Ryan being what may have put them over the top.. it put them slightly ahead of where they were, disregarding losing Silfverberg (who we'll just have to wait and see how well he does in the next few years).

But I'll admit to not being a huge Bobby Ryan fan. He's a good player, but I don't believe he's a "great" player. Could easily prove me wrong, though.

[Shannow]

My team has done... okay. Not thrilled with the dollars and term on Ference, but oh we'll

Happy for Ference, he is a greAt guy, but that much money and years? 

On a unrelated note what is it with the Toronto Sun (star?) and their Boston inferiority complex?  After the Blackhawks win the cup it's a full page photo of a Chicago player holding the cup with the headline 'Thanks Chicago', now it's a photo of Phil Kessel smiling and a 'thanks Boston' headline. They do realize everyone in Boston ins laughing at them right?

I'll be interested to see how Seguin goes in Dallas, I have a feeling that he'll either score 30 goals and be a a -10 or will continue to be a 60-70 point a season player. Outside of all the stories of partying etc I think there was a realization in the organization (not in the fan base who keep crying 'he's only 21!!!!!!') that he was never going to be 'that guy'. We keep talking about his potential but at some point you have to face the fact that maybe it just isn't there. The bruins made that call and decided to sell high on the guy. Oh well.

Going to be really fucking awkward if Iginla signs here, though I think he might not simply for that reason.

[Shannow]

Going to be really fucking awkward if Iginla signs here, though I think he might not simply for that reason.

Well never mind that then. Still, since its Iginla I want to see him actually In a Bruins uniform before I believe it

[Strazos]

Toronto LOL

Nice signing with Clarkson, 7 years, 36$ million. These guys never learn

Wow....I mean, Clarkson is a decent power forward, but $5m+/yr? 

[Fordel]

On a unrelated note what is it with the Toronto Sun (star?) and their Boston inferiority complex?  After the Blackhawks win the cup it's a full page photo of a Chicago player holding the cup with the headline 'Thanks Chicago', now it's a photo of Phil Kessel smiling and a 'thanks Boston' headline. They do realize everyone in Boston ins laughing at them right?

The Sun is catering to a specific demographic. Drunk, Dumb and Loud. 

[Ingmar]

On a unrelated note what is it with the Toronto Sun (star?) and their Boston inferiority complex?  After the Blackhawks win the cup it's a full page photo of a Chicago player holding the cup with the headline 'Thanks Chicago', now it's a photo of Phil Kessel smiling and a 'thanks Boston' headline. They do realize everyone in Boston ins laughing at them right?

Laughing... to hide their tears.

[Speedy Cerviche]

Toronto LOL

Nice signing with Clarkson, 7 years, 36$ million. These guys never learn

Wow....I mean, Clarkson is a decent power forward, but $5m+/yr? 

Toronto must be #1 in buy-outs over past 5 years. Are they still paying Darcy Tucker?

[Fordel]

Leafs have money to burn, it's fine.

 

[Speedy Cerviche]

Joe Corvo back in Ottawa lol. Shows us you can return across a burnt bridge.

[Hoax]

The Sharks have done absolutely nothing except get one year older. Wake me up at the half way point of next season.

[WayAbvPar]

New Jersey Devils forward Ilya Kovalchuk announces his retirement from the NHL

Wow. 30 years old! I wonder if he is going to fuck off to Russia or something.

[Paelos]

He's overrated.

[Ceryse]

I wouldn't say over-rated so much as he was drastically over-paid. The guy was one of the best in the league offensively. His defensive play is where it suffered -- and he'd been getting better there. But between his bad back and getting homesick there was no way his play and value wasn't going to suffer and make him even more over-paid.

Lou, however, is amazing. Because of how early Kovalchuk is into his massive contract the cap implications are going to be fairly minor, and thus he escapes one of the great albatross contracts in the league.

[Strazos]

Whatever, he's out of the Atlantic, so I don't have to watch him load up that one-timer like 6 times a season anymore.

[Paelos]

I wouldn't say over-rated so much as he was drastically over-paid. The guy was one of the best in the league offensively. His defensive play is where it suffered -- and he'd been getting better there. But between his bad back and getting homesick there was no way his play and value wasn't going to suffer and make him even more over-paid.

Lou, however, is amazing. Because of how early Kovalchuk is into his massive contract the cap implications are going to be fairly minor, and thus he escapes one of the great albatross contracts in the league.

He was supposed to be the star here and he never EVER took to the limelight or tried to connect with the city. He was the man, and the one chance we had in the playoffs, he completely disappeared. He was overpaid and overrated, and short of the Thrasher who actually killed a guy with his car, I'd say he was one of the people who stole money from this town.

[Ceryse]

He was supposed to be the star here and he never EVER took to the limelight or tried to connect with the city. He was the man, and the one chance we had in the playoffs, he completely disappeared. He was overpaid and overrated, and short of the Thrasher who actually killed a guy with his car, I'd say he was one of the people who stole money from this town.

I can't speak to anything but his on-ice performance. And just on that.. he was a decent bet to earn his salary (though the Devils were very much the wrong team for a player like him). The guy led forwards in ice time, across the league. Upon his retirement only two active players (Ovechkin and Stamkos) had a higher goals per game number.

I mean, yeah.. he was over-paid. But that's on the Devil's ownership group, not Kovalchuk. And if you're betting your team on a single player.. your team is built badly. There's a lot not to like about Kovalchuk, don't get me wrong.. but on a pure offensive basis.. he did his job more often than not and after joining the Devil's he was slowly learning the two-way game (and was actually a pretty good pker). Not that his two way game will matter in the KHL; they don't really play defense there.

I'm just saying that while he was overpaid he was what he was and never said or did otherwise. It was on the media and GMs, and even fans, who said otherwise and pumped his tires for some reason. He was one of the real offensive talents of the current NHL generation, and his stats largely back that up.

As for Heatley.. yeah, fuck that asshole.

[Ginaz]

New Jersey Devils forward Ilya Kovalchuk announces his retirement from the NHL

Wow. 30 years old! I wonder if he is going to fuck off to Russia or something.

I'm sure NJ is thrilled to have lost draft picks for signing this guy.  The Lord giveth to Lou Lamoriello (Schneider) and then Lord taketh away.  Sometimes, the Lord can be a real asshole.

[Bunk]

Look at the NHL stats for the last ten years. Highest average goals per game - Kovalchuk. Sure he doesn't know how to pass or backcheck, but most any team is going to miss a guy who's scored 40+ 7 out of the last 10 years.

From what I hear though, Jersey was mostly happy to let him go, just because of the team's financial woes.

[Paelos]

I'm biased because we lost our team. I fully admit that.

But I will go to the grave believing he didn't do enough. He didn't develop enough. He didn't take his awesome talent and make it into a complete player that could have been the biggest thing in this city desperate for playoff wins.

[Ginaz]

I'm biased because we lost our team. I fully admit that.

But I will go to the grave believing he didn't do enough. He didn't develop enough. He didn't take his awesome talent and make it into a complete player that could have been the biggest thing in this city desperate for playoff wins.

It wouldn't have helped if he had a decent supporting players around him.  Hockey, unlike say baseball or basketball, is difficult to do well as an individual if your teammates are shit.  Kobe Bryant is still going to get his 25+ points a game and Greg Maddux was going to win 15-20 games and have an ERA under 3.00 regardless of how good their teammates were.

[Ceryse]

Just look at the Oilers for proof of that. We have some of the best young talent in hockey today and remain a shitty team because the bottom six and defense are weak. Even if Kovalchuk had turned into Gretzky.. the Thrashers were always going to suck with the GMs they had.

Still true now that they're the Jets, actually. The team badly needs to upgrade its GM and coach.

[Paelos]

I don't doubt the Thrashers would still suck. They wouldn't have been such a dumpster fire they would have left town if you got in the playoffs and won a single game. There would have been hope at the minimum.

[Ginaz]

So...new schedule is out along with realignment. Here's the new divisions:

Western Conference
   
 Pacific Divison: Anaheim, Calgary, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Arizona, San Jose, Vancouver
   
 Central Division: Chicago, Colorado, Dallas, Minnesota, Nashville, St. Louis, Winnipeg

Eastern Conference

Metropolitan Division: Carolina, Columbus, New Jersey, NY Islanders, NY Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington

Atlantic Division: Boston, Buffalo, Detroit, Florida, Montreal, Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Toronto

The Metropolitan Division....   Seriously, whats wrong with calling the Metro division the Atlantic and the Atlantic division the Northeast?

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/story/2013/07/19/sp-nhl-schedule-chicago-blackhawks-stanley-cup-banner.html

[Paelos]

The Atlantic is ridiculous. Every Eastern Canadian team, Florida, a Michigan team, and two NE teams?

The travel is absurd. Why the hell aren't Washington, both Floridas, Carolina and Columbus all in the same division?

[Strazos]

WTF, the Atlantic is no longer...the Atlantic? 

[Ceryse]

The names of the divisions are basically retarded -- especially the Metro division. Sadly, the NHL had the perfect, imo, names to go with (you know, the OLD names, Smythe, Adams, Norris, Patrick). Even modernizing them with more modern names would have been better then bland regional names that actually don't describe the location of all the teams.

Also, no Eastern conference team ever gets to bitch about travel, Paelos. Ever.

[WayAbvPar]

Yeah, no idea why they didn't go with the old division names. Just another example of how far out of touch the NHL is from their fan base. Also fuck Gary Bettman.

[Ingmar]

Also, no Eastern conference team ever gets to bitch about travel, Paelos. Ever.

Yeah this. Ridiculous travel is when the Giants and Braves were in the same division. 

[Paelos]

No reason to continue repeating old mistakes on the geography. Instead of creating some regional pride you have teams playing each other from all over the place. It makes no sense.

Gary Bettman may be the worst Commish of any league in the last 30 years. I've never seen someone take a sport I literally couldn't get enough of, and reduce it to something that not only removed a franchise from my current home town, but also got it relegated to a fourth tier channel and won't even show the all fucking finals on network TV.

[Ginaz]

The Atlantic is ridiculous. Every Eastern Canadian team, Florida, a Michigan team, and two NE teams?

The travel is absurd. Why the hell aren't Washington, both Floridas, Carolina and Columbus all in the same division?

The reason, I believe, that the 2 Florida teams are in the Atlantic is because of the Canadian tourists that visit Florida during the winter.  I'm not kidding, either.  A Leafs game in Tampa will probably sell out.  Same with a Leaf/Panther game wherever the hell the Panthers play (Miami?).

And yes, the realignment is a bit of a clusterfuck.  Fuck Bettman.