this thread needs more Kiel McCleod

Dola

Tavares is signed

It's got to be only mere minutes from now til an anvil drops on his head.

Or, as he'd refer to it, "the second worst thing to happen to me this summer".

Well done, I must say. LaRose is just about this entire paragraph to a tee. As a result, he's really become a fan favorite in these parts and certainly earned his re-upping, IMO.

See, this is why the Leafs have been so bad all these years.

I've only been getting 2-3 hours of sleep this week, so I've been in a half-daze and maybe I'm remembering something I actually saw, but I'm pretty sure I had a dream last night where Gary Bettman was trying to ban or suspend Brian Burke for conspiring to effect a coup and recreate the Norris Division. I think there was a quid pro quo with Jim Balsillie in there somehow.

Anyways, I'm gonna sit the next few plays out from this thread and DGB and get some sleep. :)

fixed

Pens sign Brent Johnson to backup Fleury
1 year $525K, excellent deal.

For comparison, they've signed Johnson ($525K), McKee ($800K), Fedotenko ($1.8M) and Guerin ($2M) at a combined $5.125M. They were payin Hal Gill and Miro Satan a combined $5.6M last year.

Winning has it privleges.

So the Islanders sign Biron for one year at $1.4 million.

They now have Roloson, Biron and DiPietro in net. I guess DiPeitro is still injured and wont be ready to play when the season begins. So, they will go with Roloson and Biron. Assuming DiPietro gets healthy and is ready to play, the Islanders will likely have two options:

1. Try to trade whoever was playing better between Biron and Roloson to a team that needs a goalie (either due to injury or because the starter is not panning out). Such a trade will be hard to pull, since everyone will know that the Islanders are basically stuck and will need to make a deal.

2. If there is no trade available, waive one of the two goalies.

What an odd organization...

Odd man out becomes Snow's Assistant GM.

Can't Snow just play until DiPietro returns?

Why waive one? The Oilers have shown you can manage a 3 goalie system...

Yeah, might still be a bit bitter.

Or, that said, does the Biron signing indicate that MacT might be added to the staff soon given his ability to manage said 3 headed goalie rotation?

I don't think he still counts against the cap

It's not like the Islanders would really be that good of a team with strong goaltending anyway. I thought they adequately addressed the issue with the Roloson deal. Even when DiPietro gets hurt again, didn't Yann Danis play well enough to earn a starting nod in DiPietro's absence. It seems to me that Danis and Roloson are adequate enough. Why add Biron to the mix? For that matter, why does Biron sign with the Isles knowing they already have two pretty good goalies in Danis and Roloson and one good but constantly injured DiPietro? Puzzling.

danis signed with the devils

Canes sign Ruutu for 3 years / 11.4 million.

A Russian paper is reporting Ilya Kovalchuck will resign in Atlanta for 11.36 mil a year. Obviously things from Russia get lost in translation but that'd be the worst contract in NHL history. I love Ilya but he's one dimensional and that also makes him untradeable.

I don't know how I missed that one. I would've thought he would've wanted to stay on the Island for a chance to remain a starter if DiPietro remains out. I do think what I said still stands though because at best Biron is entering a 1/1-A timeshare with Roloson assuming DiPietro isn't ready for the start of the season.

...and that pretty much takes care of the expected signings at this point. Carolina's already over their self-imposed $50 million cap. The only two players outstanding are Seidenberg and Babchuk and it's become fairly obvious that Carolina is ready to move on without them. JR's mentioned, however, that he wants a top-four D-man to pair up with Pitkanen, but since they aren't going to sign anybody else at this point, speculation is settling on somebody getting shipped out, most likely Patrick Eaves, plus other packageable items (who those are depends on the person making up the trade) and trying to get a defenseman from a team that's in a cap crunch or expected to be. It's also expected that they'll buy out Kaberle's contract to get some more cap space.

Given the signings and drafting this offseason, I'd say the run-and-gun days are over for good in Raleigh, though. The team went after size as much as they could, feeling that the team just didn't have the muscle to stand up to the more physical teams in the East. I just hope they haven't pushed things too far the other way and given up too much speed. Hard to hit others if you can't catch up to them.

If anyone cares Martin Gerber signed in the KHL.

Not sure if this was touched upon too much earlier, but this story with Hudler, the Wings, and the KHL is just absurd. Apparently, Hudler turned down a 5-year deal at $3mil per year from Detroit? Instead, he signed a 2-year deal with the KHL for $10mil ($5mil per year)?????

WTF? There is no way in hell this guy is worth even $3mil per year, never mind the $5mil per year he is going to get in Russia. What a joke.

NHL schedules July 30 arbitration hearing for Detroit Red Wings, KHL-bound Jiri Hudler - ESPN

The Bruins dealt Aaron Ward to Carolina for Patrick Eaves and a 2010 4th round pick and then promptly waived Eaves. The thinking is that the Bruins made the deal to free up enough cap space to re-sign Kessel. I liked Ward but if dealing him means bringing back Kessel I'm for it.

Looks like Ward just got punched in the face again...

When was this $3mil deal supposedly offered by Detroit? I only ask because they don't even have that much room.

That's what's been reported. I think Holland said that they were willing to offer that much and shed some contracts to get everyone under the cap. He said he was less willing to do that kind of thing for a free agent.

Interesting. I have to agree with RomaGoth though. No way Hudler is worth even $3mil per, much less 5. Flip is worth it, but Jiri is not.

Yes, I agree as well. As mentioned just before the outset of free agency:

The Wings should keep his rights though, otherwise the NHL is more of a mess than I originally believed.

Definitely for it, if it brings back Kess. And I really like Ward too.

I'm also seeing Derek Morris and the B's have agreed to a contract 'in principle.'

So if they Bruins can trade Ward and turn that into DoMo and Kessel staying, I'd be very pleased w/ Chia.

I don't know much about Morris, but I imagine he's an adequate Ward replacement.

Just hilarious that we got Ward back. It's already lead to a pleathora of "getting the band back together" jokes among the fanbase (of course, that's been sort of the running joke since they brought Matt Cullen back from New York a couple of years ago). This team is now very much the same team that won in 2006. Basically, we've replaced Ladd, Commodore, Stillman, Hedican, and Wesley with Jokinen, Pitkanen, Ruutu, Walker, and Corvo, but otherwise the gang's all here. Oh, yeah, and Laviolette for Maurice, but I don't think we're rewinding back to 2002 (yet--we did let Jeff O'Neill skate around some in preseason tryout camps last year but it didn't go further than that).

At any rate, I think Carolina's now done aside from buying out Kaberle's contract which should be happening in the next week according to JR.

Morris is a good puck moving defenseman which is really what the Bruins needed all along anyway.

i dont get how this freed up cash for kessel, since ward made 2.5 and they signed morris for 3.3 to replace him...but oh well

:+1: :withstupid: and whatever others I missed.

I really don't understand it. Morris is an upgrade from Ward, but at nearly $1M more. And Boston is still trying to clear space?

The way I am reading this regarding Eaves-- they are waiving him, and should he clear, he'll be bought out. A cap hit of $250K this season, a credit of $50K next year, then $250K hit in 11-12 and 12-13. So, somebody grabbing him off waivers saves Boston an additional $250K this year.

I guess Kobasew is the guy on his way out now...and it will be strictly for picks?

Well since they signed Morris for an astounding 3.3 Mil, it didn't free up room for Kessel. I posted what you quoted before they announced the Morris contract. Some are speculating that either Bergeron or Kobasew will be moved to free up cap space. If that's the case it will be a tough pill for Bruins fans to swallow.

A few moves today. Two 'meh' moves, and one 'what the fuck?'

Toronto trades Anton Stralman, Colin Stuart and a pick for Wayne Primeau and a pick

Canes buy out Frankie Kaberle

And...

Tampa buys out Vinne Prospal! 1 year into, I believe, a 4 year deal. Rumored they will "use the savings to go after another player". Makes sense that be Tanguay, the only true top 6 forward left.

But is Tanguay that good to pay whatever he's getting, plus the $1.6M per in dead cap space the next 6 seasons on Prospal?

Tampa is an utter clusterfuck. The Raiders of the NHL.

What better raiders or lightning?

Lightning. At least they have a championship to show for it ('04).

That year hurts more than any others.

Remember when TB was stupid for passing up Pitkanen?

Although, he eventually turns into Pronger, so the deal still could work for Philly.

They traded that pick which ended up to be Pitkanen for Fedatanko.

Could Bettman and his cronies be any more transparent regarding their obvious agenda of not wanting the Coyotes moved to Canada? Instead, they want to "keep" the team in Phoenix, at least until they can get out of the lease and move the team to another U.S. city, probably K.C.

Jim Balsillie's bid for Phoenix Coyotes unanimously rejected by NHL board of governors - ESPN

Dola

Just saw this piece of news. Not sure why the Wings want/need Delmore, but meh...

Detroit Red Wings - News: Red Wings sign Andy Delmore - 07/28/2009

Or as he's known in Pittsburgh....Andy "FUCKIN" Delmore. HAHAH

Come on, Bettman knows best when it comes to potential owners. I mean, he hand-picked Boots Del Biaggio to save the Nashville franchise.

Two words: Grand. Rapids.

If I recall correctly, I think the Winds signed Delmore a few years back to be a depth guy in Grand Rapids, but then he bolted for Europe.

The Wings signed him for the same reason they signed Kris Newberry. They just need some veteran depth guys in Grand Rapids to fill out the roster, help the younger kids, etc.

The only way Andy Delmore sees time in the NHL is if things go horribly awry or there is a plague of injuries.

Well, 15 year contracts always sounded like a good idea

SI

Life contracts! :D

I didn't realize Danis had signed with New Jersey when I wrote that but I think my point holds true with just DiPietro, Roloson and Biron in the mix.

Yeah I was trying to say TB was blasted for the move, but turned it into a Cup.

For Philly, Pitkanen turned into Lupul who turned into Pronger.



Or An_y _elmore

NHL is investigating Hossa's contract:

London Free Press - Hockey - NHL investigating Hossa's new contract

Wow what else can go wrong this off-season in Chicago?