Quadraton

Just thought I'd put a place where people can talk about all the moving and shuffing that's been going on in the NHL with players over the past couple of weeks, despite the looming lock-out/strike.

So far, the most notable points I've picked up:

- the Senators, ever the headline grabbers, have inked a deal with the aging Hasek
- Craig Conroy, who many of you might remember as instrumental in the Flames' run to the Cup, signed a contract with the LA Kings
- Eric Lindros was not picked up by the Rangers, and is now a free agent
- Thornton has signed a deal in the Swiss Elite League, based on whether there is a season next year
- Mark Recchi went back to his NHL rookie team, and signed a deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins
- loudmouth Matthew Barnaby was picked up by Chicago Blackhawks (poor Blackhawk fans)
- Mike Ricci, who was instrumental in the Shark's run signed up with the Phoenix Coyotes
- Mathieu Garon, the ex-Canadiens back-up goalie is now with the LA Kings. I thought I'd make note of this, because in the one and only game the Canadiens played against LA last season, Garon was in net, and absolutely robbed the Kings. Obviously, he made an impression.
- Radek Bonk, once a prize centreman for the Sens, got dumped to LA who promptly got rid of him to Montreal for Garon.

On another note, Joel Quennville, who you might remember as the ex-coach for St.Louis, and was one of the coaches being tossed into the mix for the Sens head coach position, finally settled a deal with the Avalanche for head coach position there.

Rumours that have been going around:

- Glenn Murray was reportedly in talks with the Toronto Maple Leafs (although denied)
- Jose Theodore is being offered deals from several teams in the Russian Elite League, also based on whether there is a season next year.

I'm sure I didn't get everything, so discuss.

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BigGov

And just casually following sports I have only heard about Hasek, Quennville, and vaguely about Bonk.

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dylanmarsh

I thought the Recchi signing was the biggest surprise, so far. I guess he doesn't want to win another Cup.

Also, the Bruins are shooting themselves in the skate right now with losing O'Donnell, Knuble, and Rolston. I don't know what the hell they are thinking.

Quadraton

Yeah, I was really wondering what he was thinking. The Penguins don't exactly have a lot going for them right now.

I also forgot to mention that the Ottawa Senators, after making big waves bringing in Peter Bondra from the Washington Capitals, have decided not to renew his contract next season.

[edit:] I just looked it up. Recchi was making $5 million with the Flyers, but will only be making $3 million (3 year, $9 million contract) with the Penguins, so his move puzzles me even more.

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dylanmarsh

I guess if there's gonna be a work stoppage and salaries go down, Recchi is guaranteed to at least make $3M. Perhaps he just wants to play with Super Mario one last time.

The Bondra situation could also be because of the work stoppage and what might happen to player salaries.

Things are getting very interesting around the league.

Quadraton

I'm pretty sure the Bondra thing was in part because the team was looking to pick up its other free agents (Chara, Phillips, etc...), and just couldn't afford to keep Bondra. However, I wonder how much Bondra's last season's performance after the trade came into making the decision not to pick him up?

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Molo

Craig Conroy going to LA was a huge blow to most Calgarians. Most of us wanted to see him stay, as he has been the best first line centre we've had in years, and one of the few centres who can mesh properly with Iginla. Though I can see this move being in Conroy's best interests because he wanted a long contract with a no trade clause so that he could raise his family in one spot for a long time. He will be greatly missed by flames fans, and will hopefully be the only player missing from the current roster next season.

As for Joe Thornton joining the Swiss league, well I guess it's always a good idea to have a contingency plan.

canuckguy

was that the money reechi is getting? did not see it announced how much his deal was. glad to see pittsburg sign him, but odd how he would choose them. must like the area. good for mario!

Baldrick

Recchi apparently has his home in Pittsburgh, and his family is all there. Sounds like he's just looking for the team to retire with. I respect that.

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Nikilidstrom

There was also rumors connecting Murray to Detroit, but that was quickly shot down by Holland, who assured everyone that detroit would not pay the 6 mil/year that he wanted. But all these rumors of teams courting him must have some truth to it.

Not to mention Knuble(to PHI), O'Donnell(to PHO), and Rolston(to MIN) are all officially ex-Bruins. Add that to the Thornton woes you guys are talking about, and you've got to wonder about the state of Boston. Is it rats leaving a sinking ship syndrome?

And not that it's a trade, but what does everyone think about Van Hellemond retiring as head of officiating? Is it just time to move on for him, or, after only 4 years, was he politely asked to resign for dropping the ball on keeping his officials in line?

00111000

Some strange trades yes. I wasnt really shocked by the Hasek trade,Detroit is not the place for him, at least in my mind. Sure, he won a cup there but I think Ottawa may be a good fit for him and I hope he does well this year. I agree with Molo on the Conroy trade. That was pretty big, Conroy is the type of guy you want on a hockey team. He comes out 110% every night and feeds the rest of the team. I did find it strange that some nhlers are seeking contracts in the Eruo leagues, Thornton has something going with the swiss elite in case of the lockout. Some nefarious dealings with Van Hellemond also, not just the crappy reffing but shady money dealings

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Nikilidstrom

I read about some loans he was taking from refs on a regular basis, although few are confirming this. Talk about a conflict of interest, no matter if he gave preferential treatment to those refs that loaned him money or not. I just thought it was a tad odd for him to "resign" after only four years, and it seemed to be one of those stories that tried to slip under the radar. But who knows how much truth there is to any of the claims.

As far as trades, it looks like Mellanby might still be on the market after Florida supposedly agreed to a deal with him, then lowered the offer twice after he accepted it. Thats dirty pool.

Valthonis

The thing with Recchi was a breach of respect on the Flyers' part. Recchi wanted to stay with the Flyers according to Philly media, but Bobby Clarke refused to make him an offer until after the new CBA (if there IS one this offseason). Offended, Recchi decided to take his skates and stick and play elsewhere. Yet another stupid blunder by Philly's idiot GM.

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KWSN

bout god damn time the rangers dumped lindros. hallelujah.

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Quadraton

I'm wondering whether he's going to be considered damaged goods from now on. Even the Rangers had a whole lot of conditions in his contract that stipulated he would only be signed if he managed to go something like 40 days without getting a concussion. He very well might be forced into an early retirement if no one is interested.

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Dr_Frankenstein

As a Calgary Flames fan, I will be sad to see Craig Conroy leave. I am not as dissapointed as one might expect though. Salary cap or no salary cap, Mr. Conroy is not worth the 3.15 million dollars/year that Los Angeles is paying him. If he hadn't been playing with Iginla, he certainly wouldn't have attained as many points in the playoffs. LA has unrealistic expectations of the guy.

Mortified

I have some friends that are Blackhawk fans. The vehemently deny that the NHL had a 2003-2004 season

Almo

Give the Penguins some credit. This was a team many thought would pack up and leave after a lock out year, and instead they go and get Recci. I don't think they are ready to lay down and die just yet.

silver26

I hear Toronto will finally land Lindros... the price has never been lower.

But, this is not the same Lindros they were trying to get from Philly a few years back. He is obviously damaged goods.

I'd love to see him make a big comeback, and go back to the Lindros of old. And no better spot than the biggest Canadian team, with all eyes on him.

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Quadraton

You know, with all the talks about salary caps going around, Toronto sure is spending a lot of money buying up players. Maybe they know something...

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silver26

Wait, Lindros is saying he wants to go to a contender... I guess that rules Toronto out


yahoo sports

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Quadraton

You know, Lindros should take whatever contract he can get, because there aren't too many Playoff contenders that are going to want to pay lots of money for a player that's just going to get his head mashed in the next time his skates hit the ice.

I don't see him going to Toronto, because they already have a lot of what he can provide. I don't see him going to Ottawa or Tampa Bay because both teams already have way too much talent, and Detroit doesn't need anymore injured players on its payroll.

His best bet might be to get a contract with Colorado. They don't seem to mind spending money on players who end up sidelined for most of the season.

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silver26

LOL !

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Quadraton

So, there are rumours in the wind that Pheonix is interested in acquiring Brett Hull. Wonder if he's going to be any better in the Playoffs with the Coyotes than he was with the Red Wings.

Story

And it also appears that Maple Leaf Tom Fitzgerald is a Leaf no more. He was just picked up by the Boston Bruins the other day.

Story

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Nikilidstrom

Did Jason Allison make a miraculous recovery all of the sudden and I missed it? I'm asking because, for some insane reason, supposedly 12 teams, including the Hurricanes, are interested in singing him. Now I admit, before the concussion, Allison was a brute and one of the best power forwards in the league, but after 2 years of rehab and no improvement in sight, at least that I know of, he would seem to me to be too great a risk to spend a large amount of payroll on. At least as risky as Lindros, if not more because he hasn't played at all in those years. Could anyone shed some light on this subject?

drown_with_me

I agree. Keep an eye or two on this team over the course of the next couple years. They have a huge pool now of young, exciting talent. What they are doing now is adding leadership and experience to help shape that young squad.

Also, there are rumors that Brett Hull wants to play on a line with Mario. GM Craig Patrick has been in talks with his agent.

In addition, the Pens will probably make another big name signing this summer also. The talk in Pittsburgh is that it will be Zhamnov or Kovalev or Wiemer or Stumpel.

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Quadraton

Now there are rumours that Hull might be going back to the Dallas Stars. It seems no one really knows what's going on with Brett Hull right now, so until he actually signs something, I'll wait to see where he ends up.

Story

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silver26

To see him play with Mario would be awesome ! He'd probably score 40+ goals, then retire on a high note

Not very likely, but would be cool

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canuckguy

Hull is just a pure scorer, a stud. over the past couple of years he has really improved defensively but man can he just disappear for shifts at a time and gets caught behind the play.

Quadraton

Yeah, Hull's become utterly useless during the Playoffs. For a man that was once considered a sniper, I don't think he's scored more than two goals during the Playoffs for the past 3 years.

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dylanmarsh

You set yourself up with this one:


2003-04 Detroit 12GP 3G 2A 5PTS

2002-03 Detroit 4GP 0G 1A 1PTS

2001-02 Detroit 23GP 10G 8A 18PTS



Still, though, 13 goals in the last 39 playoff games isn't really the great for a player of his caliber. Looking at these stats, Hulls' getting a goal every three games the past 3 playoffs. But, only looking at the last two years, Hull is getting a goal every 5th or 6th game -- that's not so good. Granted, he's a team leader but I think his skills are in decline and he is not deserving a huge paycheck.

Quadraton

So I misquoted by a goal and a year. My point still remains. He's not the sniper he used to be during the Playoffs.

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dylanmarsh

I concur.

dylanmarsh

While I applaud the 'Yotes for signing someone significant outside of the organization, I have to wonder what the hell Brett was thinking. He does realize that Gretzky owns the Coyotes and doesn't play for them?

ForgottenKnight

Give my Aves some credit here. Yeah we had a bad coach who benched the wrong guys, and mixed up the lines too much, including not playing some players together when they're the best together, but we've fixed the coaching problem. I don't see the Aves picking up Lindros. We're focusing on getting in some fresh blood with young talent to be led by the great players we already have. Lindros should take whatever he can get and then try to make a comeback.

It looks like Phoenix and Pittsburg are two teams to watch this year to see how their trades turned out. I think that part of the reason for these great players going to these teams may be because they see a need to help balance out the NHL. These players know that these teams are loosing a lot of money, and that's a large part of the reason we're in this huge mess of possibly not having an NHL season this upcomming year. By taking some paycuts and transfering to some of these teams, they are helping to ensure a more balanced NHL. The teams that can't afford to pay as much for players will now still be able to have a good hockey team. And these stars will be able to help boost these team's revenues.

And on the topic of players considering going back to their home contries to play, Peter Forsberg has been debating on playing another year or retiring from the NHL in order to go play in Sweeden since before the NHL was in this whole. That's why he keeps signing only one year contracts with the Aves.

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KWSN

Doesn't seem like anyone mentioned the Rangers signing Michael Nylander.

They did.

I'm interested in how the Rangers will nurture their young players. Hopefully they end up like another Lightning.

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GSRIDER

Lindros... he deserves it. big baby

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silent_jay

What does Lindros deserve?

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