NHL Off-season Moves

[Ayepecks]

I was mainly talking about the draft picks first and foremost, then when you factor in Lupul it's too much for just Pronger.

I don't hate Pronger, but I wouldn't say he's in the prime of his career, and I just simply don't think he's worth that much. It wouldn't matter to me if Anahiem had the best farm system in the universe, I think they overpaid for a player who doesn't give an all-out effort.

Want an example of a player who didn't always go all-out and people are regretting signing him/trading for him? Look at Sergei Fedorov, another player the Ducks coveted but quickly got rid of. Now, I love Fedorov, but if you mean to tell me he's still got great years ahead of him, you're crazy. He had a decent time in Anahiem, and I don't expect much more from Pronger (although he's a defenseman and Fedorov was a forward, but you get the idea).

[bayrider]

Pronger and Federov is apples and oranges. Lupul was being a bitch about signing and remaining in Anaheim. They were going back and forth and Lupul was hesitant, and had yet to sign his qualifying offer anyways. If Lupul was hinting on leaving today, or tommorow, why not get something good in return? Lupul is going to be good, but even then, for the short term (3-4yrs) Anaheim wins, in the long run 5+ years, Edmonton wins. Its a win win situation.

And those 2 picks are conditional on Anaheim making the Finals.

[Ayepecks]

Pronger and Federov is apples and oranges. Lupul was being a bitch about signing and remaining in Anaheim. They were going back and forth and Lupul was hesitant, and had yet to sign his qualifying offer anyways. If Lupul was hinting on leaving today, or tommorow, why not get something good in return? Lupul is going to be good, but even then, for the short term (3-4yrs) Anaheim wins, in the long run 5+ years, Edmonton wins. Its a win win situation.

And those 2 picks are conditional on Anaheim making the Finals.

Both the picks are conditional?

[bayrider]

I think the 2nd rounder in '07 and the 1st rounder in '08 are conditional if the Ducks make it to the Cup or Confrence finals.

[Erich]

Well, i'm probably WAY LATE on the whole Crosby vs Ovechkin debate, but i got a few points to bring up...

1. Don't lump all canadians into canada lovers.

2. Who cares, they're both good - statistically speaking, Ovechkyn is a better scorer and a flashier player

3. I don't wanna hear any more F**KING CROSBY VS OVECHKIN, the g*****n season is over and they're not rookies anymore, I was sick enough of it during the season. Neither of them will be a Mario Lemieux or Wayne Gretzky, so who cares.

EDIT:

And pronger for anaheims few of lush pool of prospects I think was a good trade. Unfortunately pronger staying in Edmonton wasn't an option... if it was, I would have prefered that. But for what they got out of the deal, I really look forward to having another hometown boy and seeing how this Smid plays. As well they need a few picks to make up for what they gave away for this playoff run BUT UNFORTUNATELY, edmonton's scouts aren't quite as good as Anaheims. Anyhoo, if Smid can prove to be a top4 defenseman in his rookie season, I think Oilers will be sitting pretty. HOPEFULLY - repeat, but... once again a player like pronger is irreplaceable - he makes everyone on the ice with him better.

And Scott Neidemayer and Chris Pronger on the same team... ZOMG look out for the ducks next season, they're going to be a force, I fear them so much.

Also I really didn't like the fact that they resigned roloson when much better younger goalies were on the market, Biron still hasn't been dealt either, and his career is just peaking. (30 seems to be the magical age for goltenders)

I sincerely hope oilers keep a hold of Samsanov, get a couple blueliners and a couple goal scorers to clean up the weak links like staios and dvorak out of our roster.

Should be an interesting season once again =)

Edited July 5, 2006 by Erich

[Razorwing]

Ian White was called up from the Marlies and scored on his first shift.

Luke Richardson is one of those 37-year old veteran/former Leaf players that Toronto likes to sign when they are way past their prime. Just wait, Toronto will sign Gary Roberts for another kick at the can.

oh yeah.. I forgot.. lol.. but I don't think Toronto is going to sign Gary Roberts.. I mean he is pretty old already.. as old as Belfour.

and yeah I didn't know that Toronto signed Raycroft .. lol so I guess he will replace Belfour.

[Steffan]

More signings and trades...

Thrashers signs Fred Brathwaite, Jason Krog, and Darren Haydar

Coyotes signs Jeremy Roenick

Lightning signs Marc Dennis and re-signs Norm Milley

Maple Leafs signs Andrew Raycroft

Blues re-signs Peter Cajanek

Penguins signs Jarkko Ruutu

Flyers signs Randy Robitaille

Islanders signs Andy Hilbert

Kings signs Brian Willsie

Oilers signs Marty Reasoner

Wild re-signs Marian Gaborik and signs Paul Albers, Mike Madill, and Ryan Hamilton

Panthers signs Bryan Allen and Branislav Mezei

Ducks re-signs Andy McDonald

Flyers re-signs Antero Nittymaki

Rangers signs Daniel Girardi and Stephen Valiquette

Islanders re-signs Joel Bouchard

Stars signs Jeff Halpern and Matthew Barnaby

Canucks trade Dan Cloutier to Kings for 2007 second round and 2009 conditional pick

Canes re-signs Erik Cole

Flames re-signs Alex Tanguay and signs Jeff Friesen

Sabres signs Jaroslav Spacek

[Steffan]

Even more signings...

Bruins signs Mark Mowers

Flames signs Jamie McLennan (Panthers lose another goalie)

Oilers signs Daniel Tjarnqvist

Canes re-signs Glen Wesley and signs Trevor Letowski

Habs re-signs Mike Ribeiro and Jean-Philippe Cote

Senators re-sign Ray Emery

Flyers re-signs R.J. Umberger

Lightning re-signs Ruslan Fedotenko and signs Doug Janik

Capitals signs Sasha Pokulok

Blue Jackets signs Ty Conklin and Tomas Kloucek

Wild signs Branko Radivojevic and re-signs Derek Boogaard

[Fred Derf Veteran]

oh yeah.. I forgot.. lol.. but I don't think Toronto is going to sign Gary Roberts.. I mean he is pretty old already.. as old as Belfour.

and yeah I didn't know that Toronto signed Raycroft .. lol so I guess he will replace Belfour.

Toronto traded for Raycroft who had a one year contract and then signed him to a 3 year deal.

Toronto would also have to trade for Gary Roberts as he is not a free agent. I think Toronto would be better off signing Michael Peca than Roberts. Peca had a poor season but was good in the playoffs. He is apparently quite willing to take a paycut on his $4 million dollar salary.

[Matrix XII]

All I want to hear is "Canucks sign Carter" :(

[bayrider]

Any mediocre player that plays alongside the Sedins will produce like Carter did. I wouldnt pay $3M + Carter is asking, especially with Vancouver's tight cap situation.

[Matrix XII]

I know what you mean, but I like him as a person, he's loved here in Vancouver, and we know he worked well with the Sedins. It is a pretty high price to pay though.

[Steffan]

Free Agent signings are slowing down...

Wild signs Riley Emmerson

Maple Leafs re-signs Ben Ondrus

Kings re-signs Mike Weaver and signs Gabe Gauthier

Canes signs Patrick Dwyer

Islanders signs Tom Poti

Rumor: Rangers signs Brendan Shanahan

[Ayepecks]

It's official now. Meh.

[bayrider]

A big 3 way deal tonight:

Chicago gets Havlat from Ottawa and re-signs for 3yrs $6M per

SJ gets Mark Bell

Ottawa gets Preissing, Hennessey and a 2008 2nd round pick from Chicago.

Also, not that many of you care, but Chris Higgins re-signed with the Habs :)

[Ayepecks]

Good deal for Chicago, but I think $6 million is a bit much with the salary cap (even it being bumped up $4 million or whatever it is).

[Matrix XII]

The Hawks got a couple good players, but that's a hefty price for Havlat, hopefully he performs well for them this year.

[Detroit]

Smokes is terrible........

[Steffan]

More signings...

Wild re-signs Brent Burns

Ducks re-signs Stanislav Chistov

Coyotes re-signs Josh Gratton

Capitals re-signs Shaone Morrisonn

Maple Leafs re-signs Nik Antropov

Sharks signs Patrick Traverse and Mattieu Darche

Devils re-signs Colin White and signs Michael Rupp

Habs re-signs Chris Higgins and Mike Komisarek and signs Mattieu Aubin, Matt D'Agostini, and Mikhail Grabovski

Stars re-signs Steve Ott and signs Marty Sertich

Kings signs Kevin Dallman and Brendan Buckley

Oilers trades 2007 7th round pick to Sabres for Jan Hejda

Red Wings re-signs Dan Cleary

Blackhawks trade Mark Bell to Sharks for Tom Presissing and Josh Hennessy and then trade Presissing and Hennessy to Senators for Martin Havlat and Bryan Smolinski and re-signs Patrick Sharp and Lassa Kukkonen and signs Tony Salmelainen

Sabres signs Andrew Peters

[bayrider]

Steffan, those Rangers are looking pretty good eh? Last season they were a good team but cracked under pressure. They had no real guidance and leadership on that team. Now with Cullen and Shanny on board, I expect them to do a lot better.

[Steffan]

Sather is finally doing his job correctly. I was shocked that Shanny signed with the Rangers. 2/3 of their problems are solved, now they have to do something about their D. Hopefully, they can bring back Leetch for another season.

[R-Flex]

Bayrider, what do you think of the trades by Montreal?

[bayrider]

Bayrider, what do you think of the trades by Montreal?

I'm glad you asked. Let me point out who went where first:

Richard Zednik to Washington for 2007 3rd round pick

Mike Johnson to Montreal for 2007 4th round pick

David Aebischer re-signs 1year

Sergei Samsonov signs 2 years $7.05M

At the end of last season we all knew there were going to be changes. Bulis wanted out, and the organization wasn't pleased with Sundstrom and Zednik. They all left. Now we have holes in our lineup to patch.

Essentially, Johnson replaces Zednik and Samsonov replaces Bulis. Johnson has similar talent as Zednik in terms of their goal production the last few seasons. The only difference is that Johnson is responsible in the defensive zone, yet has better vision on the ice; he is a better passer than Zed. He also has the potential to put up bigger numbers th than Zednik (who I believe has plateaued).

Bulis was our speedy winger, but lacked finish and dfensive responsibility. In Samsonov we certainly get an upgrade over Bulis in terms of goals and assists. Samsonov, though he is smaller, is pretty chippy and can dish and take abuse, unlike Bulis who was soft and was scared to go near the boards. Samsonov also can skate fast and control the puck, he can put on a show with his stick handling, but isn't the best goal scorer. He is better than Bulis though and should put up 25-30 goals playing with Kovalev.

I like Johnson because he is a capable center. With Koivu's eye injury, you never know what could happen. And if something unfortunate did happen (god forbid), we would be lost at center. Ribeiro is not a #1 center. At least Johnson @ 6'3 and 200lbs could take over if the need arises. Last season we missed Koivu for some games and also in the playoffs; we were a mess without him.

As for Aebischer, he will probably get traded. He expressed his desire to be a #1 goalie. With Huet re-signed, I don't see Abby being to happy as a backup, or as a platooning combo.

My biggest peeve is that we picked up 2 wingers instead of a #2 center. We have an amazing group of prospects (ranked near the very top of the league). The ones that are ready to make the jump to the NHL this season are wingers. Now that we patched the 2 empty spots available on the wing, there is no room for our prospects to come up unless there is an injury. Had we gone after a #2 center and replaced Ribeiro, and maybe picked up one of Samsonov or Johnson, we would have an available spot for Kostitsyn or Latendresse (our prospects) to make the jump.

Edited July 13, 2006 by bayrider

[R-Flex]

Eric Lindros is reported to have signed with the Dallas Stars with a one-year contract. Maybe he'll play more than half a season this year.

[goodcase]

Peca goes home to Toronto

July 17, 2006

TORONTO (CP) -- The Toronto Maple Leafs have landed veteran centre Michael Peca.

The NHL team scheduled a news conference for 11 a.m. ET Tuesday to announce the signing of the unrestricted free agent.

Peca, 32, has agreed to a one-year deal worth $2.5-million US, a source told The Canadian Press.

The 11-year NHL centre, who earned $3.99 million US last season in Edmonton, rebounded with a strong second half and playoff after a slow start to the regular season.

He recorded six goals, five assists and a plus-5 rating in 24 playoff games, winning key faceoffs and killing penalties while centring a line between Fernando Pisani and Raffi Torres that was instrumental in the Oilers' post-season run. He had nine goals and 14 assists in 71 regular-season games.

Peca, who has 394 career points (160-234) in 693 regular-season games with Vancouver, Buffalo, Long Island and Edmonton, was traded to Edmonton from the Islanders last Aug. 3 in exchange for forward Mike York and a fourth-round draft pick.

Peca, a junior star with the Ottawa 67's, was also a member of Canada's 2002 Olympic champion team in Salt Lake City.

The Toronto native, a two-time Selke Trophy winner as the NHL's top defensive forward, makes his off-season home in nearby Buffalo.

source: www.sportsnet.ca