Official NHL Regular Season Thread... Capitals win President's trophy

Originally Posted by AddictedToFreshKicks

Did anyone else hear that dumb comment Steigerwald made? (Pens $*!#@ homer announcer)


What'd he say?

The Devils as whole look phenomenal lately. All without Zubrus, Paul Martin, and Clarkson.
 
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[h3]Kovy on the block -- officially?[/h3]
8:41AM ET

[h5]Ilya Kovalchuk | Thrashers[/h5]
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Is Ilya Kovalchuk officially on the block? For the first time, GM Don Waddell admitted that there may be troubles in his negotiations with his star. "Our position is different than his position right now," Waddell told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Their position is fixed years with money and we have a different side of that."

It's rumored he wants a 10-year deal worth $11.3 million a season -- the maximum allowable contract in accordance with the collective bargaining agreemenet -- but GM Don Waddell has said he isn't willing to give it.

So here's a list of where he might end up:

Toronto Maple Leafs: They might save up and spend it all in one place.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/clubhouse?team=bosBoston Bruins: The Bruins have the pieces, but they have money issues -- and Kovalchuk wants a lot of money.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/clubhouse?team=phiPhiladelphia Flyers: The Flyers may also be interest, but there's a lot they have to take care of before working out a deal of this magnitude.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/clubhouse?team=losLos Angeles Kings: There was a lot of buzz about this one, but two sources say this rumor is false.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/clubhouse?team=cgyCalgary Flames: Calgary GM Mike Gillis' denied the rumors, as did other Canucks sources in the media, but it's possible they are playing this one close to the vest.

KHL: KHL president Alexander Medvedev might also swoop in with a huge deal. He said he's already talked to Kovalchuk and can offer a better deal than the NHL because of tax laws.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/clubhouse?team=colColorado Avalanche -- Here's why.

http:// [h3]Oilers collecting another big name?[/h3]
8:35AM ET

[h5]Edmonton Oilers[/h5]
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The Edmonton Oilers have a habit of collecting big names -- it's almost a goal of theirs. So a frustrated David Staples from The Cult of Hockey writes that he wouldn't be surprised if he saw a trade for, say, Vincent Lecavalier.

"Rather than dismantle the Oilers, isn't it more likely they would place some new bet on some new aging hockey ace, such as Vincent Lecavalier? I can see a Tom Gilbert, Andrew Cogliano, Fernando Pisani and Jordan Eberle for Lecavalier trade right now," he writes.

Instead, Staples says they need to dismantle the team. But it seems unlikely, despite all the rumored trades out there that have them trying to dump big-salaried veterans.

Staples adds, "This management team bet on this group of veterans, and it was a poor bet, and things are going to get worse unless someone can figure out a way to trade off some of these vets and build the Oilers in a different manner, almost certainly through the draft and through the judicious signing of no-name vets, as opposed to big name players."

http:// [h3]How Dubinsky affects trades[/h3]
8:28AM ET

[h5]Brandon Dubinsky | Rangers[/h5]
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The New York Rangers are not only looking for a scorer, but they've been rumored to be looking for a playmaker to set up Marian Gaborik.

But as Ranger Rants writes, "The chemistry that Brandon Dubinsky is showing on the top line, particularly with Marian Gaborik, should be a good step in kickstarting the Rangers' offensive output."

This might mean the Rangers' urgency in trading for a scorer or playmaker might be lessened slightly. However, GM Glen Sather's seat is getting hotter and hotter so he might be working the phones over the holiday trade freeze.

http:// [h3]Team USA's most dangerous weapons[/h3]
8:24AM ET

[h5]Ryan Miller | Sabres[/h5]
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Like most years, Team USA is an underdog in the upcoming Olympics. But ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun writes that there's one way the U.S. could surprise the world.

"Canada, Russia and Sweden are the top three favorites, but the player who can make the difference for underdog Team USA is Ryan Miller," he writes. "The Buffalo Sabres netminder would arguably be handed the Vezina Trophy if the award were given out today, as underlined by his league-leading save percentage (.937) and goals-against average (1.89) heading into Monday's action.

"He's America's greatest chance at knocking off one of the big boys come February."

But Miller may need to keep his conditioning up. LeBrun said Miller is easily the skinniest goalie in the league and Miller told him he's lost six pounds six the beginning of the season.

http:// [h3]Habs' heart and soul[/h3]
8:19AM ET

[h5]Andrei Markov | Canadiens[/h5]
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Apparently the Montreal Canadiens have been playing without a heart and soul since the season opener. Players say that Andrei Markov, who has been out since the first game, might be key in turning around a 17-18-3 season thus far.

Georges Laraque told FanHouse, "Andrei is the heart and soul of our team."

The Habs also get Brian Gionta back soon, so we might see a more energized team in the coming weeks.

http:// [h3]Laraque mulling KHL[/h3]
8:07AM ET

[h5]Georges Laraque | Canadiens[/h5]
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NHL enforcer extraordinaire Georges Laraque might be headed to the KHL soon.

According to Sport-Express.ru (via Hockey30.com) Laraque said he almost went to Russia two years ago but decided to stay in the NHL instead.

"I must admit, I always think I might even be better paid [in the KHL than in the NHL]," he said. "And the KHL has become a serious league."

He currently makes $1.5 million per year and has one year left on his contract. But he plays just three to six minutes a contest with little contribution to the actual game, so the Habs might be happy to dump his salary.

http:// [h3]Byfuglien to Habs?[/h3]
7:57AM ET

[h5]Dustin Byfuglien | Blackhawks[/h5]
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Dustin Byfuglien might be headed to the Montreal Canadiens, according to Hockey30.com.

The website says it talked to a "reliable source close to" Habs GM Bob Gainey, and that Gainey has contacted Hawks GM Stan Bowman about acquiring Byfuglien.

Byfuglien has been rumored to be a possible trade target this season because the Blackhawks need to dump salary next offseason. However, the rumored deal out there has the Blackhawks trying to acquire goalie Jaroslav Halak and a second rounder for Byfulgien, which seems off given that they already have two goalies.

It has been suggested that the Blackhawks might try to dump Cristobal Huet and go with the cheaper Halak, but the ducks don't seem to be in a row for this one to happen.

http:// [h3]How the Oilers land Jagr[/h3]
7:48AM ET

[h5]Jaromir Jagr[/h5]
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Yesterday we told you the http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/clubhouse?team=edmEdmonton Oilers may be eying http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/players/profile?playerId=405Jaromir Jagr for next season, when he's out of his KHL contract.

But the Oilers need to get some things in order before they can bring in the future Hall of Famer.

Illegal Curve writes that the Oilers need to shed some salary in the offseason, while exposing owner Daryl Katz to the possibility -- because "Katz likes to try and acquire big-name talent."

The Oilers have been rumored to be trying to dump several high-priced players lately, including Shawn Horcoff and Sheldon Souray, but have been unsuccessful.

Jagr still has a lot of connections with the Oilers. The Edmonton Journal writes, "He has good relationships with the Edmonton Oilers assistant coach Wayne Fleming, who coached in Omsk last season, and Oilers assistant Tom Renney, his head coach in New York. He also has a close friendship with http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/players/profile?playerId=1885Ales Hemsky from the Czech national team."

Fleming said he is still very impressed with Jagr -- especially his conditioning -- and that last year he was still the best player on the Czech national team.

http:// [h3]Lightning shopping defenseman[/h3]
7:41AM ET

[h5]Tampa Bay Lightning[/h5]
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The Tampa Bay Lighnting are shopping Lukas Krajicek after GM Brian Lawton told the Tampa Tribune that he refuses to put him on re-entry waivers.

Lawton feels he can deal the defenseman soon, because he said this move has to do with saving money in the long-run. If Krajicek was put on re-entry waivers and claimed by another team, the Lightning would have to pay half his remaining salary this season, which comes out to about $400,000.

Tampa was previously rumored to be talking with the Philadelphia Flyers about a potential trade -- and we know the Flyers will be looking to move after the holiday trade freeze expires -- so there may be something brewing there.
 
http://kings.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8471677
Jack Johnson, Brandon Segal, Wayne Simmonds and Ryan Smyth, who have all missed time over the past month, all returned to the practice ice Monday morning and all are expected to return to action when the Kings resume play on Saturday at Phoenix.

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Originally Posted by GingersAintBad

Originally Posted by AddictedToFreshKicks

Did anyone else hear that dumb comment Steigerwald made? (Pens $*!#@ homer announcer)


What'd he say?

Errey: "And the Hobey Baker award winner goes down"
Steigerwald: "Yea, but not as hard as Hobey Baker did!"

And then Steigerwald starts cracking up at his own joke

(Hobey Baker was killed in a plane crash)
 
Originally Posted by AddictedToFreshKicks

Originally Posted by GingersAintBad

Originally Posted by AddictedToFreshKicks

Did anyone else hear that dumb comment Steigerwald made? (Pens $*!#@ homer announcer)


What'd he say?

Errey: "And the Hobey Baker award winner goes down"
Steigerwald: "Yea, but not as hard as Hobey Baker did!"

And then Steigerwald starts cracking up at his own joke

(Hobey Baker was killed in a plane crash)
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He should be fired for that.........
 
Originally Posted by cquan05

Originally Posted by AddictedToFreshKicks

Originally Posted by GingersAintBad

Originally Posted by AddictedToFreshKicks

Did anyone else hear that dumb comment Steigerwald made? (Pens $*!#@ homer announcer)


What'd he say?

Errey: "And the Hobey Baker award winner goes down"
Steigerwald: "Yea, but not as hard as Hobey Baker did!"

And then Steigerwald starts cracking up at his own joke

(Hobey Baker was killed in a plane crash)
indifferent.gif


He should be fired for that.........
Agreed.
 
Funniest @!#$%#$ thing I've seen in a while
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and if you aren't watching it's always sunny in Philadelphia, GET ON IT!!!
 
just picked up my winter classic beanie
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they had the jerseys for $150, but they looked bootleg as hell
 
awesome offensive effort tonight...hopefully this gives us a spark. defense and tim thomas' goaltending was anything but stellar
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The embroidered logo B thing on the front of the jersey is so friggin big.. it doesnt flex at all when you like sit down.
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I have a feeling if Kovalchuk doesnt resign with the Thrashers, or gets his 10 mil, he'll end up going to the KHL. Lets be serious, hes not as marketableas a few of the top, obvious stars. He'd probably be better off taking the bigger deal, and maybe returning to the NHL in a few years.
 
I pray to god that the Leafs land Kovalchuk. He'd automatically become the most talented winger this franchise has had in decades and I'd considersupporting this garbage franchise after giving up on them around 2000-2001.

Unfortunately though, Kovalchuk aint the typical Burke player AKA North American, scrappy, talentless, slow, physical, etc.

I have a feeling if Kovalchuk doesnt resign with the Thrashers, or gets his 10 mil, he'll end up going to the KHL. Lets be serious, hes not as marketable as a few of the top, obvious stars. He'd probably be better off taking the bigger deal, and maybe returning to the NHL in a few years.
I think a bunch of teams would be more than willing to give him the 10 year/$110+ million deal that he wants. I think you are under-estimating howgood and marketable Kovalchuk really is. He's been playing in one of the worst NHL cities for his entire career where many people have never cared forhockey. The guy has put up 40-50+ goals and averaged 1 ppg without having any good team mates. He's also been healthy his entire career which means thatmore teams will be interested in him then say an oft-injured guy like Marian Gaborik (last summer).

Put Kovalchuk on a line with a good center and you're almost guaranteed 50 goals and 100 pts from him.

With the cap gradually increasing in the future, and the crop of elite unrestricted free agents decreasing, I think that several teams will make serious offersto Kovalchuk near the $100 mill region.
 
I'm definitely not underestimating how good he is. Maybe how marketable he is. I just think being in ATL for so long has hurt him in a sense that anaverage sports fan geared toward Baseball and Football wouldnt know who he is. If he were to go to a big hockey town with knowledgeable fans, tahts a differentstory.

Another thing is, how many teams can afford 10 million a year? I'm sure a ton of teams would want to give it to him, but a lot of contenders are probablygoing to be cap-strapped. But I dont know what the cap hit would be on a deal that long, so it could be possible.

Going to the leafs would be insane if you could land even a decent, 35+ year old experience center. Imagine having back to back lines with Kessel and Kovy? Oreven the same line in big spots? That would be trouble.

For the Bruins draft pick-sake, I hope that doesnt happen.
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Originally Posted by Carlos Tevez

I pray to god that the Leafs land Kovalchuk. He'd automatically become the most talented winger this franchise has had in decades and I'd consider supporting this garbage franchise after giving up on them around 2000-2001.

Unfortunately though, Kovalchuk aint the typical Burke player AKA North American, scrappy, talentless, slow, physical, etc.

I have a feeling if Kovalchuk doesnt resign with the Thrashers, or gets his 10 mil, he'll end up going to the KHL. Lets be serious, hes not as marketable as a few of the top, obvious stars. He'd probably be better off taking the bigger deal, and maybe returning to the NHL in a few years.
I think a bunch of teams would be more than willing to give him the 10 year/$110+ million deal that he wants. I think you are under-estimating how good and marketable Kovalchuk really is. He's been playing in one of the worst NHL cities for his entire career where many people have never cared for hockey. The guy has put up 40-50+ goals and averaged 1 ppg without having any good team mates. He's also been healthy his entire career which means that more teams will be interested in him then say an oft-injured guy like Marian Gaborik (last summer).

Put Kovalchuk on a line with a good center and you're almost guaranteed 50 goals and 100 pts from him.

With the cap gradually increasing in the future, and the crop of elite unrestricted free agents decreasing, I think that several teams will make serious offers to Kovalchuk near the $100 mill region.

I know I never post in this thread so nobody has any reason to believe me, but I know a guy whose dad is Ovechkin's lawyer, and he also playsadult league with one of Semin's good friends. Anyways long story short, he told me that they were all over at his place yesterday and they said the Capsare trying to land Kovalchuk. I did not get any detailed info other than that they'd have to shelve Theodore in order to make it work.

Not saying anything is gonna happen, just relaying what I heard.
 
^ thanks for the info... thats very odd that they're trying to get Kovalchuk. Like I said earlier in the thread, the Capitals would be better off using thecap space on a shutdown defenseman. Kovalchuk is not necessary for Washington.
 
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