ajs510 122 Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 Dan Cloutier traded to the LA Kings, terms not yet disclosed but I can't imagine they got more than a couple draft picks for him, if that. He's a good goalie, but everyone and their mother knew Vancouver needed to move him. *Edit* Terms were just released, it's a second round pick and a conditional pick. I like the Spacek pickup in Buffalo, solid Top 4 defenseman. It will make losing McKee easier to manage, especially since Numminen resigned. Link to post Share on other sites
nell789 0 Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 I like the Spacek pickup in Buffalo, solid Top 4 defenseman. It will make losing McKee easier to manage, especially since Numminen resigned.I agree, even though Spacek is a much different type of player than McKee.Edmonton's D-line sure is looking weak though. Link to post Share on other sites
Zach6668 513 Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 I like Eaton but I'm not sold on Ruutu. I just don't trust guys with 3 "U"'s in their last name.I really think Ruutu is going to be good in terms of protecting their stars. I know you can't protect like you used to be able to, but I think he'll help a lot. Link to post Share on other sites
digitalmonkey 929 Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 I like Eaton but I'm not sold on Ruutu. I just don't trust guys with 3 "U"'s in their last name.Ruutu is a good signing for Pittsburgh. They need a gritty, annoying player who will get under the skin of opponents every game. I also like the Spacek signing in Buffalo. $10 million over 3 years seems like a good price for a guy who wil probably QB their PP. Buffalo has needed a point producing d-man for awhile now. Link to post Share on other sites
Yoda 1 Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 Canes are getting torn apart - at least they kept Staal, Commodore and Cole to name a few, but damn, the vultures are out. Link to post Share on other sites
ajs510 122 Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 Canes are getting torn apart - at least they kept Staal, Commodore and Cole to name a few, but damn, the vultures are out.Happens almost every year, hoisting that Cup over your head adds a ton to your market value. Especially if you were a clutch playoff performer for your team, FA shoppers love that X factor. Link to post Share on other sites
Mekanic 0 Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 Canes are getting torn apart - at least they kept Staal, Commodore and Cole to name a few, but damn, the vultures are out.I dont think its too bad. Losing Gerber isn't bad with the emergence of Cam Ward and bringing in Grahamme. Losing Aaron Ward sucks, but I don't think it kills our D. We may lose 2 of our d-men(if Wesley retires), but we had 9 NHL caliber D-men last year.Hate to see Cullen go, but we may end up signing Recchi if he is willing to be a 3rd line winger. Right now we are looking to sign a d-man (if Wesley retires) and a 3rd line winger for a total of 3.7mil which puts us at 40mil. If it looks like we might make the playoffs, who knows maybe we'll rent another Weight and Recchi tandem or make a more significant move near the beginning of the season.EDIT: Wesley signed for 1.2 mil and they signed Trevor Letowski for 800k which leaves the Canes 5.7 mill under the cap Link to post Share on other sites
digitalmonkey 929 Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 I expect Hutchinson to take on more of a role on the Carolina blueline this season. Link to post Share on other sites
Drac 0 Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 I really think Ruutu is going to be good in terms of protecting their stars. I know you can't protect like you used to be able to, but I think he'll help a lot.I didn't know you protected guys by running away from everybody but Sergei Zholtok. Link to post Share on other sites
digitalmonkey 929 Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 Meh, I see Ruutu as more of a distraction than protection. He's not going to intimidate anyone, but he will be a big enough pest in that he will draw some attention away from the other guys (e.g., Crosby). He's a role player who seems to know what his role is. Every team needs guys like him. Link to post Share on other sites
fckthis 0 Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 Leafs, wont make the playoffs.Oilers, will be worse than last year's Penguins.The Calgary Flames will win the cup.Montreal will be better than Ottawa. Link to post Share on other sites
Drac 0 Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 My trade thoughts:Demitra to the Wild doesn't make any sense to me either. From LA's POV I like the move very much. From Minnesotas POV I don't know what the hell they were thinking. O'Sullivan just had an excellent season in the AHL and is clearly ready for the big league, whereas Demitra's career is in decline and he carries a big salary. As a salary move, I could see player for player here, but Minnesota tossing in their 1st rounder next year (which will likely be Top Ten) is asinine.How the hell is his career in decline? Averages over a point/game last year, 2nd highest shots/game of his career, only 32 when this season ends. Demitra's salary isn't out of line for a guy that puts up the numbers he has over his career that still has plenty of game left in him. Minnesota isn't losing anything next year and they sure as hell won't be picking in the top 10 in the next draft. Beyond Demitra's ability to produce on his own is the great chemistry he has with Gaborik and the fact that his arrival on the team had a huge impact on Gabby signing a new deal.Gaborik + Demitra >>>> O'Sullivan + 17th PickO'Sullivan may or may not be a top flight NHL player. Demitra and Gaborik are proven top line guys and Minnesota needs to start winning now as fan discontent has risen at an alarming rate over the last year. Making the playoffs has become a huge issue and Demitra will go a long way in getting the Wild there. The only downside to this is that they could have signed Demitra as a UFA before last season (if he was willing to play in Minnesota) and still have O'Sullivan.Meh, I see Ruutu as more of a distraction than protection. He's not going to intimidate anyone, but he will be a big enough pest in that he will draw some attention away from the other guys (e.g., Crosby). He's a role player who seems to know what his role is. Every team needs guys like him.He certainly is a pest but he takes too many stupid penalties and now he'll have to see the Rangers 8 times a year. There's going to be some payback for the Jagr hit in Turin. Link to post Share on other sites
aadams_22 3 Posted July 16, 2006 Share Posted July 16, 2006 How the hell is his career in decline? Averages over a point/game last year, 2nd highest shots/game of his career, only 32 when this season ends. Demitra's salary isn't out of line for a guy that puts up the numbers he has over his career that still has plenty of game left in him. Minnesota isn't losing anything next year and they sure as hell won't be picking in the top 10 in the next draft. Beyond Demitra's ability to produce on his own is the great chemistry he has with Gaborik and the fact that his arrival on the team had a huge impact on Gabby signing a new deal.Gaborik + Demitra >>>> O'Sullivan + 17th PickO'Sullivan may or may not be a top flight NHL player. Demitra and Gaborik are proven top line guys and Minnesota needs to start winning now as fan discontent has risen at an alarming rate over the last year. Making the playoffs has become a huge issue and Demitra will go a long way in getting the Wild there. The only downside to this is that they could have signed Demitra as a UFA before last season (if he was willing to play in Minnesota) and still have O'Sullivan.Just don't expect Demitra to show up for the playoffs. Us Blues fans still love Demitra, but he has burned us one too many times when it came playoff time. Once the pressure is on he usually folds. Link to post Share on other sites
Drac 0 Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 Just don't expect Demitra to show up for the playoffs. Us Blues fans still love Demitra, but he has burned us one too many times when it came playoff time. Once the pressure is on he usually folds.The Wild just need to get to the playoffs this year. Demitra will do a lot to help them get there.Demitra was awful the last time he was in the playoffs (1 point in 5 games) but scored a point a game in the previous 2 playoffs over 17 games. That certainly isn't terrible. Link to post Share on other sites
digitalmonkey 929 Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 Nashville/Carolina trade. Link to post Share on other sites
WestcoastCanuck 0 Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Eckman is a Penguin. http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=171878&hubname=Good pickup, Eckman should be good for 60 points for a lot of seasons. Link to post Share on other sites
digitalmonkey 929 Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Eckman is a Penguin. http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=171878&hubname=Good pickup, Eckman should be good for 60 points for a lot of seasons.A strange trade for San Jose. Are they freeing up cash to sign Anson Carter maybe?Now I have a slight sishyation with both Ekman and Oulette from my fantasy team on Pittsburgh. I wonder who'll get to play more with Crosby-I'm thinking Ekman will. Link to post Share on other sites
Meatwad 0 Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 A strange trade for San Jose. Are they freeing up cash to sign Anson Carter maybe?Now I have a slight sishyation with both Ekman and Oulette from my fantasy team on Pittsburgh. I wonder who'll get to play more with Crosby-I'm thinking Ekman will.Well the Sharks did multiple things besides free up cash. It lessens the glut of forwards and including Ehelechner lessens the goalie traffic jam with Toskala/Nabokov, Schaefer, Greiss, Patzold, and Dakers still in the system. Sharks also now have a second round pick for the 2007 draft(they dealt theirs already others say) so it gives them the option of packaging it in the trade, using it for compensation if they sign an rfa, trading it in a package on 2007 draft day to move up spots like they love to do, or the unlikely event of them just using it on draft day. Ekman was displaced once Bell was acquired. People mention Cheechoo had 7 goals before the Thornton trade but those 7 goals were more than Ekman's total points. For two playoff runs he's been the invisible man. Plus when Mike Johnson went for a 4th rounder to Montreal earlier in the month it pretty much set the precedent giving his point production over the years. Link to post Share on other sites
digitalmonkey 929 Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Well the Sharks did multiple things besides free up cash. It lessens the glut of forwards and including Ehelechner lessens the goalie traffic jam with Toskala/Nabokov, Schaefer, Greiss, Patzold, and Dakers still in the system. Sharks also now have a second round pick for the 2007 draft(they dealt theirs already others say) so it gives them the option of packaging it in the trade, using it for compensation if they sign an rfa, trading it in a package on 2007 draft day to move up spots like they love to do, or the unlikely event of them just using it on draft day. Ekman was displaced once Bell was acquired. People mention Cheechoo had 7 goals before the Thornton trade but those 7 goals were more than Ekman's total points. For two playoff runs he's been the invisible man. Plus when Mike Johnson went for a 4th rounder to Montreal earlier in the month it pretty much set the precedent giving his point production over the years.I don't really see a glut of quality forwards in San Jose. Acquiring Bell to go along with Marleau, Cheechoo, Thornton and Ekman gave them some depth. I think they were weakened today by the loss of Ekman. Sure a 2nd round pick is nice, but I thought the Sharks were gonna make a push this season. When you consider that in the last week or so they've lost Preissing, Hennessy and Ekman from the lineup and only acquired Bell to step in, it seems like two steps back, one step forward to me. Link to post Share on other sites
Meatwad 0 Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Just about everyone knew Ekman was on his way out months ago given his playoff performance and his extreme streakiness all season I think he was on thin ice with the organization. He's a victim of trying to fill a role he wasn't meant to be in playing on the top line. I'm actually very happy with the forwards right now because Bell, Brown, and Grier already addressed some glaring weaknesses concerning grit and crashing the net.Basically the lines should look like:Bell-Thornton-CheechooMichalek-Marleau-BernierBrown-Goc-GrierNieminen-Smith-Stevenson/CloweIdeally I'd like an agreement with Korolyuk to come back from Russia but I doubt that'll happen. Hennessey would have been nice to keep but he was expendable with Michalek and Bernier showing they could cut it plus Setoguchi, and possibly Kaspar, set to crack the roster in the next couple of seasons. It was a necessary move in order to grab Bell who Doug Wilson has been trying to acquire since last season. In another season or so he should be ready for the NHL.Priessing did some good here but he has no role left. The offensive responsibilities are primarily going to be Ehrhoff and Carle who are much more gifted in that area. Sharks need to acquire the a stud dman who can move the puck well which they missed out on with Niedermeyer and Pronger. Hopefully that changes before the start of the season but of course they're in high demand but even a tier below those guys is better than the dmen the Sharks have right now. Really I only see Hannan and Carle as untouchable, then maybe Ehrhoff and McLaren, but if the right guy comes along you have to be willing to part with someone.All in all we won't know until the games are played but I definately think, if the team makes the playoffs, they'll be in better shape for a cup run than last season. Link to post Share on other sites
digitalmonkey 929 Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 I like your posts Meatwad, but I still see the Sharks as a better team with Ekman in the lineup even if he's demoted to the 3rd line. I guess Wilson wasn't too interested in paying $1.1 million to a 3rd liner though.Obviously any team with Thornton, Marleau and Cheechoo has a shot at winning it all, but I just don't think the Sharks have the depth to compete with the upper echelon teams in the west like Anaheim and Calgary. Link to post Share on other sites
WestcoastCanuck 0 Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Basically the lines should look like:Bell-Thornton-CheechooMichalek-Marleau-BernierBrown-Goc-GrierNieminen-Smith-Stevenson/CloweThis does look pretty good, but it is relying a lot on unproven rookies / second year players. If Michalek or Bernier or even Goc struggle, San Jose suddenly looks thin at forward. I have to believe there is a free agent signing coming. Link to post Share on other sites
digitalmonkey 929 Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 Oilers sign Sykora.http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=173939&hubname= Link to post Share on other sites
The Nuts 0 Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 Shanahan goes to my beloved New York Rangers. Link to post Share on other sites
digitalmonkey 929 Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 Shanahan goes to my beloved New York Rangers.Did you just hear about this? Link to post Share on other sites
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