Topic: NHL is back! 20 of 30 teams make playoffs?

[Ian Sane]

I have serious doubts that Cloutier is good enough to win the cup.  These days the teams that win the cup have damn near unstoppable goalies and I don't see Cloutier in that light.  But I agree he deserves one more chance.  Last season he didn't get a fair chance because of his injury and the Canucks were kind of screwed anyway with Naslund playing hurt and Bertuzzi suspended.  This time, hopefully, we'll see how the current core does on even footing.

Logically they can't get a better goalie than Cloutier anyway and stay under the cap.  With all these recent signings it's becoming clear that in this new NHL each team gets only two high paid stars.  The days of buying a better goalie without sacrificing someone else is over.  I think the key to good goaltending now will be drafting or trading for hidden gems like Kipper who before going to the Flames was a no-name backup.

[Ian Sane]

Dang it!  The Canucks just lost Brad May to the Avs.  I really liked May.  He was one of those guys that busted his ass every night.  Regardless of how the rest of the team played I could always rely on Brad May to put in 100%.

What's happening with the team?  They've lost three core players but haven't signed anyone one new.  These aren't really crucial players but without them Vancouver is technically a little bit worse than they were before while Edmonton and Calgary are better.  I at least want a lineup as good as it was before.

[IceCold]

Damn - he and Cooke were the heart of the team...

Niedermayer's gone, but I thought of a defenseman - MARCUS RAGNARSSON! He played for the Flyers and has always been solid, but unnoticed. He's a bit old, but he still has some left in him, and he's Swedish, so he should feel right at home.

Kariya signs; 2yrs/$9M with Nashville. I had heard perpetual rumours since last season that he wanted to be with the Canucks, but if he will perform is really in doubt. I expect he will in fact have a bounce back year (about 70-80 pts) but you really have no way of knowing.

Pavol Demitra signs with Kings (3 yrs/$13.5M). He had 78, 93 and 58 pts respectively the last 3 seasons with St Louis. I really like him - he's quite a scorer.

Ziggy Palffy is still there - he is a great player, but like Forsberg and so many other of the free agents this season, he's getting older and he is injury prone. But last year before he was injured with the Kings he was tearing it up; there's no doubt he has talent.

And Selanne is still free I think - if he's willing to take a bit less I say go for it - he can't do much worse than last season. Lindros can also be got for cheap, but I don't know if he is worth it. The Leafs are thinking about getting him.

And finally, there's Jason Allison - ANOTHER great, freq. injured player. He got 95 pts in 2000/01, then 73 in 2001/02 (in only 72 games). He only played 23 games last season. All of these people are risks, but they may turn out very well if Nonis plays his hands well and gets a bargain.

But those are all forwards - the Canucks might need 1 or 2 role players on offense (especially someone to pair with the Sedins - King isn't ready and Linden can't keep up, and I don't know what happened to Arvedson, whom they were with when they caught fire for about a month last season)

[Ian Sane]

Allison has signed with the Leafs and Palffy (who performed very well for me in my hockey pool last season until he got injured) is on the Penguins.  Damn the Penguins are going nuts.  They're starting to look like a playoff contender.

So the Canucks are running out of guys to sign.  They're still a good team, and they were able to hold their own against the stacked Avalanche lineup before so I'm not worried about missing the playoffs or anything.  But some of these other teams are really improving while Vancouver sits on their hands.

[IceCold]

Any news on the RFAs? I heard they all got qualifying offers, but I don't know what happened.

EDIT: Peca got traded to Edmonton? Wow; they're really serious, though he hasn't being playing well the past couple of seasons.

Mathieu Schneider re-signed with Detroit. Damn, another good defenseman gone.

Thornton isn't happy at all in Boston for some reason (probably because of last season's playoffs, their "unwillingness to improve" etc) so a trade is definitely possible. He is a RFA too, so I don't know.

I read that after all of the restricted free agents are signed for the Canucks, they will be at about $34-35 million. I'm not expecting a trade for Thornton (especially since there would then be 3 superstars on offense), but a trade for a good defenseman or two, or an above average forward who isn't quite a superstar and could play with the Sedins would be perfect. And it would keep them below the cap.

[Ian Sane]

Bertuzzi's back, baby!  I was worried he wouldn't be playing for the first few games but he's back for the season opener.  I just hope he can still play at the level he was at before.  And he better be really careful about penalties because they're going to be watching his ass.  The refs aren't going to give him any slack.

But aside from that the big line is reformed and I can't wait until the season starts.  Last year was so boring without the Canucks.

[IceCold]

Good news! I was worried too that he would get a 10-game or so suspension, but I guess they felt he had been through enough, and they needed him as a superstar for the beginning of the season. And yeah, I'm also worried about two things. One; can he play at his potential fairly early in the season, or will he have to shake off a lot of rust? He's been out longer than all of the other players, even those who didn't play in Europe. I know he's been working out and all, but it doesn't compare to real game situations.

Next; will he be afraid to play aggresive for fear of getting penalties because the refs will be watching him like a hawk for a long time to come. He does take some silly penalties, and those will be called even more. But I don't want him to stop laying out a legal big hit because he's scared. That's his game, and he should stick with it.

The Sedins have been signed - only $1.25M a year apiece - what the hell? I would have thought they would get at least $2M a year, if not more... Anyway, I expect them both to get more than 55-60 pts, and it would really help if they got a solid linemate. Is Arvedson still there? King isn't ready, as I've said before, so maybe a signing or a trade is necessary to help them succeed this season - there's still room in the cap.

I can think of only Selanne and Ragnarsson still left, but there might be a few more notables.

Oh, and Gretzky is going to coach the Coyotes next year - I don't know about this decision. He's so respected and admired for his success as a player, but being a coach is hard. They don't have an exceptional lineup, and they certainly won't be near the top of the league, and he'll be held responsible. After all, Maurice Richard only coached 2 games before he decided he had had enough. But it's his decision.

[Ian Sane]

Gretzky has to try coaching for one reason above all else: he's a draw and after the lockout Phoenix needs something to get butts in the seats.  Everyone knows who Wayne Gretzky is.  Someone in Phoenix who doesn't follow hockey isn't going to know who Shane Doan or even Brett Hull are.  But they'll know Wayne Gretzky.  He may make a good coach and he may not but the important thing is that him coaching will get the Coyotes more coverage by the media in Phoenix and they need that because Americans did not really notice that hockey was gone.  At least not to the extent that Canadians did.

Plus he might as well give it a try.  Is Rocket Richard remembered for being a lousy coach or for being one of the greatest players of all time?  Wayne could bomb as a coach but that wouldn't take away the records, the trophies, and the Stanley Cup rings.  They're not going to unretire his number if Phoenix has a bad year.  He'll still be considered the greatest hockey player ever.  Coaching is not going to hurt his legend and this way there's a chance that his legend could grow if he becomes a great coach.

The only way Wayne Gretzky could damage his reputation is if he came out of retirement and sucked.

[Ian Sane]

Another major free agent has been signed.  John LeClair has singed with the Penguins.  The Penguins now have Sergei Gonchar, Ziggy Palffy, Sidney Crosby, and Mark Recchi, along with Mario Lemieux.  I'd be very surprised if they didn't make the playoffs this year with that lineup.  They've gone from the worst team in the league to one of the most stacked.

[IceCold]

Yeah - Pittsbutgh is going to be in the game for a few years now with all of the talent they have been amassing with high draft picks. And I really want to see what Marc Andre Fleury can do this year. He was the #1 pick and a goalie too, but his first year after playing him for 25 games and using him as their number 1 goalie, they sent him down to the minors because if he played any more games then he would be in for a bonus - the cheap bastards. Anyway, he's had 2 years to develop and he was already a talent, so I want to see what he can do.

Salo agreed to a 2 year deal. Morrison has signed, so has Sedins. Ohlund, however, is going to arbitration. He wants a long term deal; his qualifying offer was 2.28 million. If they can get him for $2.5M over a few years, it's a good deal. Cloutier signed for $2.34M. Bryan Allen signed as well. So the core is intact, but just one or two signings or trades would be nice.

[Ian Sane]

Anson Carter just signed with the Canucks.  I didn't really see that one coming.  I don't know much about the guy to really form an opinion on him though.  Though apparently the Canucks are getting close to the cap limit so they may have to drop Cooke or Ruutu.  I think it's pretty damn obvious which of those two I would like to see go.  Here's a hint: he didn't play on the top line during the playoffs last season.  

[IceCold]

Wow - surprise, surprise... They got him for $1M - that's pretty good. I remember he actually was a first liner in Edmonton, and got 60 pts or around that for 2 years. Then, as Edmonton usually had to do with their top players, they traded him to the Rangers. He wasn't too good then, but he does have potential.

I just looked it up - he's a Right Wing, while Daniel Sedin plays Left, and Henrik plays Centre... Maybe he's their new linemate. I would like to see how this plays out, and if they can play well together.

And yea, if the case is that either Ruutu or Cooke should be traded, Jarkko better get ready to pack.


Lecavalier signed a huge extension; 4 yrs $27.5M... Cujo goes to Phoenix - I think he's well past his prime now and won't really have much of an impact. And Alexander Mogilny went to New Jersey - another veteran who isn't at his best.

So, with everything basically wrapped up barring a trade and Ohlund's contract, we'll see what happens this season.

[IceCold]

There you go, Selanne signed with the Ducks. No more major free agents now, maybe a trade or two for the Canucks.

And this is a shocker. Danny Heatley awas traded to the Ottawa Senators for Marain Hossa and Greg de Vries! I would never have seen this coming. Firstly, the Senators said that they were done with signings and trades, but then they do this?? THeir best goalscorer and a solid defensemen. Yet Hossa is getting old, and Heatle is on the rise if he can bounce back fully. It's a risk for both sides, because Heatley and Kovalchuk would have been the best duo of young players on any team. I don't know who will win from this deal in the end, guess we'll find out

[Ian Sane]

Yeah that trade really caught me by suprise.  First I read that Ottawa had signed Hossa to a three-year 18 million deal and I was like "HUH?"  The Senators were doing a pretty good job of staying within the cap and this just seemed out-of-character.  Hossa is a great player but he's not worth that much of the cap.  So then the trade happened and it was all "a-ha!  It was all part of the plan."

Hossa's a great player but then Lalime was a great goalie but Ottawa felt he wasn't delivering in the playoffs so they got Hasek.  This is the same thing as Hossa also hasn't delivered in the playoffs.  Heatley is a comparable scorer but unlike Hossa he's not a pussy.  He's willing to be more physical.  But Hossa didn't kill his team mate in a car accident.  Heatley hasn't fully recovered from that tragedy.  He's younger though so I think it's worth a shot and the change of scenery will probably help him recover.

Either way Ottawa is a cup contender and I could see them and Philly in the Eastern Finals.

[IceCold]

This is exactly what I wanted to hear - Ohlund signs a 4 year/$14M contract ($3.5M a year). I'm glad that they understand how valuable he is and that he is worth every penny. They avoided arbitration, which would have been bad because it would have only been a 1 year deal, and I think next year he would be an unrestricted free agent.

Martin St Louis signed a long term deal - 6 yrs, $31.5M. Thats about $1.75 million a year less than what Lecavalier got (probably because he went for 6 years, and Lecavalier is bigger, more physical and probably will have a better future). I seriously doubt he'll get 93 pts again - realistically about 70-80 at most. The Lightning, though, are still in big trouble even after these signings. They don't have a proven goalie.

[IceCold]

I've officially started my pool. And some online ones as well. The one that I'm really going to put most of my effort into is this one - fantasygames.sportingnews.com.

It's a different type of fantasy game, as there is no trade and everyone can have the same player. But you have a $30 million cap, and they set how much each player is worth. The players collect points based on goals, assists, penalty minutes, +/- ratio (negative pts for minus) , shots on goal etc. Goalies get points based on wins, shots saved, and get points off for penalty minutes and goals allowed.

Overall, this points system is great - it really shows who is doing best statistically and doesn't favour offensive defensemen as much as other pools, because a lot of pts are taken off for being negative in +/- ratio. So the players collect their pts over the season, and their value goes up or down.

How much a player is worth is an ingenious system. It works like the stock market; if the player is bought by many people, then his value goes up. If he is sold, his value goes down. And you only have 2 trades per week to buy/sell players. So lets say someone is $5 million. He plays badly for a week, so people drop him. His value goes down to $3 million. If people see that his value is going down, they are likely to drop him too, so his value goes even lower. So, then YOU buy him when he is down at the bottom of the barrel. Remember, he's a good player, but just going through a slump. It's at this times where you need to know the inside information - who his team is playing next, whether he has a chance to get out of slump etc. And if the player is injured then his price is fixed. So you also have to know before anyone else when someone is injured, and things like that. On top of this all, you have to conserve your trades, because if you have none and someone gets injured, you're screwed.

Oh sh!t, this was waaay too long of a post. But what I am trying to say is that if you're interested in joining a fantasy hockey game, then that's definitely one of the more fun ones.  

[Ian Sane]

I love Ohlund so I'm glad he's signed though Vancouver is very close to the cap now so I'm worried about Cooke.  I think we might lose him and that sucks because he's one of my favourite players on the team.

I'm hoping that the people in my office will want to do a hockey pool this year.  We did one last season and it was pretty popular.  We keep it simple though.  We're allowed so many players, one goalie and a minimum amount of d-men.  Then we just tally up points.  In the case of the goalie a win is worth 1 point and a shutout is worth an addition 5.  You get 5 trades or so for the year and you have pay $2 for each one.  There's no draft: anyone can pick anyone.  It worked pretty well though at the end I was stuck in fourth because I had too good of a team to go down but the people above me had Brodeur as their goalie and their shutout points shut me out.  I'm suggesting we revise the goalie rule because it really unbalanced things the way we had it.  In the end my other picks (and I made REALLY good picks for forwards) were nullified just becaues I picked the wrong goalie.  I'm going to suggest only like 2 extra points for a shutout because the pool just turned into "pick a goalie" and this time EVERYONE will pick Brodeur if we keep things as is.

We could have a more complex pool but the idea was to get as many people involved as possible and if we went with +/- and stuff like that only like three people from work would go in it.

[Ian Sane]

TSN.ca has an article on the Canucks cap situation.

"'There's room to sign Matt [Cooke],' said Nonis. 'Matt is due for a very good pay raise and he will get one.'"

THANK GOD.

[Ian Sane]

Jarko Ruutu has been singed to the Canucks.  Him and Cooke were pretty much the only ones left.  Now with even less cap room for Cooke I'm thinking we're not going to get him.  He's holding out for a fair chunk of change that's, in my opinion, more than he's worth.  I like him a lot and I want him on the team but he deserves at most $1 million even.  There are rumours of him wanting more than Carter and the Sedins.  That's the second line.  He's going to be on the third line tops.  He's got a good work ethic and he busts his ass but he's not THAT good.

He's not going to get more money some place else either so he should just accept what the Canucks are offering and leave it at that.  Plus now that there's a cap, teams aren't going to be offering inflated contracts to guys anymore.  The cap is going to shrink next year and teams are going to start taking players who don't deliver to arbitration.  There are limited dollars now and every player is going for as much as he can.  So when someone offers you some fair change you take it because if you're not an all-star "name" player teams aren't going to make room for you.  And timing matters now too.  If you wait too long you're going to get peanuts.  We're already seeing some major players signing for what before would be considered low salaries for their talent.

[IceCold]

Link

Quote
Vancouver $37.5 million. Canucks have to re-sign Matt Cooke and Jarkko Ruutu. Not much space for Vancouver, trades will be coming

Now that Ruutu has signed for 600k (that's it isn't it?) and Brent Johnson (terms not disclosed but he earned $1.1M last year, and with the rollback and cap and lack of cap room, I doubt he got more than 600K.

Johnson's a great pick as back up - reliable but not a star - like Mathieu Garon from Montreal. He got 34 wins with the blues in 2001-2002, but hasn't done anything since then. So he'll relieve Cloutier and keep him on his toes. But Alex Auld wasn't really bad or anything, and he could have served as a backup. And this takes up valuable space.

If they hadn't signed Johnson, then there would be 900K left. That would be a fair deal for Cooke - he deserves a bit more but that's fair. But now that this has happened, there's no telling what will happen. Maybe those numbers are wrong, and they could squeeze him in with a just deal, but we'll see. More likely trades will happen, either including him or other players. Either way, the team will change. Maybe a sign-and-trade deal.

Also, I heard on the radio that Nonis doesn't want the payroll to be anything over $38 million at all so that he has $1M leeway throughout the season. Obviously right now barring some trades that's not going to happen, but I heard him say that.

[Ian Sane]

The only reason I can see for them signing another goalie is that maybe they want to keep Auld as the number one goalie for the Moose so that he has more experience playing.  He's not going to develop much sitting on the bench for the Canucks.  Still the Johnson signing really caught me by surprise.  It's the first move by Nonis that I question, too.  I want to know what the plans are because it seems like an unnecessary use of cap space.  

[Ian Sane]

The Canucks lost their first pre-season game to the Oilers by shootout.  Hooray.  I hate this stupid change already.  I say if you're good enough to keep the other team from scoring after a period of overtime you deserve to not lose.  They might as well flip a coin to see who wins.  That's pretty much how accurate a shootout is.

The Canucks will probably be fine but you know some team is going to just miss the playoffs and realistically if it weren't for this shootout bullsh!t they would have made it.  One undeserved point for another team could change everything.  You're deciding the outcome of a TEAM SPORT with one-on-one play.  Only American businessmen who don't know sh!t about hockey would ever think this is a good idea.  This is like when Ubisoft redesigned Prince of Persia to appeal to the people who DIDN'T buy the first game.  The NHL should stop looking at who isn't a hockey fan and work on pleasing who IS.

Canucks signed Cooke too which I'm quite happy about.  He's overpaid as hell though so he better really bust his ass.

Apparently the crackdown on obstruction has made the pre-season games giant powerplays.  I can live with that temporarily though if it cuts down on all the trap junk.

[IceCold]

Yea I just heard about the Cooke signing as well - great news! But it makes me wonder about the state of the cap - I thought that this would tip it over. And I know that Nonis said that he wanted at least a million dollars of space for more leeway, but so much for that, I guess.

The scoring is definitely bloated, but you're right, they NEED to cut down obstruction, and if constant power plays until the players learn are the solution, then that's fine. And after all, it is the pre-season - I'm waiting until the regular season begins to see how everything will work out.

About the shootout, yeah there will be a total of 3 pts handed out in the game instead of two, and it could definitely be unbalanced by the end of the season. Let's see how the standings go, and if a bubble team would have got in under the old system.

There's one thing I don't get. I was watching the highlights of the Penguins-Bruins game, and Boston won it in OT, but they STILL had the shootout? Do you know why this happened? Maybe just to show the fans how it would work and to give them a show becaus it is pre-season, but I'm not sure about this.

[couchmonkey]

All I have to say is Go Flames!  One down, some 80 or 90 to go.

[Ian Sane]

"Do you know why this happened? Maybe just to show the fans how it would work and to give them a show becaus it is pre-season, but I'm not sure about this."

That's exactly why.  They want to demonstrate the concept to the fans so every pre-season game regardless of outcome is going to have a shoot out.

I was watching the highlights of that Penguins-Bruins and Crosby was looking pretty cool.  Plus I saw someone pass the puck to him across the red line and it set up a scoring chance.  YES!  It's about time they allowed guys to break out like that.  Seeing that long pass was beautiful.

Maybe now when the Wild play the Canucks I won't be so damn frustrated by their "get ahead one point and then play 'keep away' with the puck" routine.  Of course then I'll miss when the Canucks would tie the game up and the Wild would get all panicky because they were always so defence focused that they never tried to increase their lead.