I agree, as ive read leaf message boards where people expect us to somehow offer the max to every legitimate star out there......I think the Toronto media is overlly critical of the leafs, ecspecially Howard Berger, who basically slams everything they do.....the players I mentioned are guys ive either seen say something, or read in the media, that want to play in Toronto, and I believe they are realistic targets. I very easily could be wrong, and we could get none of them, but as a fan, Id like to think its possible...

Fixed.

You can't blame 'em. Being the #1 franchise in the NHL and not winning a Cup for like a gajillion years.

Can you really be the former without having any of the latter?

In their minds, yes.

Cox is an Ass-clown...right up there with Fraser in my books.
Strachan...well....i don't read him....nuff said.
Berger is o.k....but he is real critical.....not Cox critical but close.
McCown knows nothing...i don't think he's been to a live sporting event since UNLV won the NCAA's.

If you listen to sports updates here every update they mention another player "coming" to Toronto....and they always add "and he's from Ontario so maybe he'll take less to come here"

Drives me fuckin nuts.

Free agency has been pushed back








12 hours. Instead of starting at midnight it will start at noon. The agents complained about being put into the position of having to call their clients during the wee morning.

Sabres not qualfying Satan is pissing me off. They should have tendered him an offer then traded him for ANYTHING since that's better than the nothing we'll get for him now.

Yea', but if he turns around and accepts the offer, and nobody wants him for that price, you're stuck with him. I suspect the Sabres had an idea that nobody would have traded for him at his QO level.

My absolute biggest beef with the Bettman regime was removing the traditional conference and divisional names/alignment in favour of geographical alignment to satisfy newcomers to the game who 'didn't understand the funny names'. It was unique to hockey and part of its history.

This article (use http://www.bugmenot.com to by-pass registration):
http://chicagosports.chicagotribune....s-hockey-print

suggests that a change back is being considered as early as next season. It would feature a return to the traditional 1 vs. 4, 2 vs. 3, divisional rivalries of the past.

The 'new' league structure could return as early as next season and would look like this:

CLARENCE CAMPBELL CONFERENCE

NORRIS DIVISION
Chicago Blackhawks
Columbus Blue Jackets
Dallas Stars
Detroit Red Wings
Minnesota Wild
Nashville Predators
St. Louis Blues

SMYTHE DIVISION
Anaheim Mighty Ducks
Calgary Flames
Colorado Avalanche
Edmonton Oilers
Los Angeles Kings
Phoenix Coyotes
San Jose Sharks
Vancouver Canucks

PRINCE OF WALES CONFERENCE

PATRICK DIVISION
Florida Panthers
New York Rangers
New York Islanders
New Jersey Devils
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Tampa Bay Lightning
Washington Capitals

ADAMS DIVISION
Atlanta Thrashers
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
Carolina Hurricanes
Montreal Canadiens
Ottawa Senators
Toronto Maple Leafs

This would be f***ing awesome!!! What a way to repay long-time loyal fans!

Leafs need to be back in the (Chuck) Norris division for things to be proper.

Interesting comment on Eklund's blog


If Eklund is not bs'ing I wonder who could that be. First thought was Modano because I also follow the Stars and the only thing I've heard on the Modano front was him saying his agent will meet with Doug Armstrong during the week but apparently that did not happen because Modano then said his agent will meet with Armstrong at the draft. The problem with Modano is that I don't think people would currently consider him as one of the best at his position.

Who else? Iginla? I haven't heard anything concerning him and the Flames. Lecavalier? St. Louis? Kovalchuk?

Can I get a HELL YEAH!!

Sutter met with Meehan in Ottawa. 'Initial talks' are underway but I think the deal could take too long and hamper Sutter's ability to sign any free agents. The RFAs really need to be in place BEFORE you go shopping.

Damn right. And we also need to battle with Minnesota for the last playoff spot every year, with it coming down to the last night of the season with both teams tied with 52 points.

Interesting snippet from a TSN article.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp...66&hubName=nhl

Can't wait to see how FA shapes up.

I would say Thornton too will be up there, possibly more than Niedermeyer.

just saw that the Avs drafted Paul Stastny (Peter's son). very cool.

I don't know if he would get that this year. The Bruins don't seem to want to pay him that much and because he is an RFA, I don't see another team paying the max and giving up multiple first rounders.

He's a good hockey player, saw him a few times on TV for DU.

Trade Toronto and Nashville and it'd work. Also, you can up the bloodsport quotient by moving Colorado into the Norris, especially if the new NHL is going to place emphasis on division rivalries.

So, it'd be a Norris Division of Detroit, Toronto, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Colorado, Minnesota and St. Louis. Feel the love.

*salivates*

Stars re-sign Sergei Zubov to a 3 year deal worth $12 million.

Interesting... helps set the benchmark in the "new" NHL. That seems higher than what I thought he'd be worth.

I was thinking the exact same thing. So a 35 year old mobile, puck moving defenseman is worth $4 million a year? So when he's a 38 year old mobile, puck moving defenseman he will be counting $4 million against the cap? Huh.

Wait, Zubov is 35?

Jesus, I must be 100 years old now...

That must make Muckler 175 years old then.:)

This is the guy who paid Pierre Turgeon $7 million per year.

I have been checking out this Eklund guy's site. Since I have been following it he's batting .000. That said, it's still a fund place to check out rumors even if they're as about as accurate as me taking a dart with a free agent's name on it and throwing it at board with all 30 teams. It's about that random.

Still, I love the idea of Thornton being traded to Detroit even if it did cost us Datsyuk.

Leafs qualify Belak and Perrot, which would seem to be a bad sign for Domi sticking around.

They also wisely held onto Pilar... I really think this kid is going to be a good defenceman.

And the free agency period begins!

Since I've recently gotten into EHM, it was fun to look at the Thrashers tendered/non-tendered group and feel like I knew who they were. :)

No announcements yet.

Maybe Naslund, Forsberg and Neidermayer's chartered plane was delayed on the way into Toronto?

The only likely explanation.

So, the Bruins get Isbister from the Oil for a 4th rounder. I hope that wasn't the "HUGE" deal O'Connell was refering to.

It's odd. The Leafs get O'Neill for a conditional 4th rounder. Isbister goes to Boston for a 4th rounder. But Philly gets a 2nd round pick from the Ducks for Todd Fedoruk? Huh?

Roberts and Niewy to FLorida

Roberts and Nieuwendyk look like they signed with the Panthers. Both 2 year deals for 2.25 million a season.....thats a little rich, and a longer contract then i would have given them....Both still good players, but in this system, i say both are overpaid

Wow. I agree. Jeff O'Neill gets $1.5 and Nieuwendyk and Roberts $2.25 each? Sacre bleu! I don't know what's going on. It's all so confusing.

Well, the Panthers get a lot older and the Leafs get younger. Keenan is a mad man.

I see this as a couple of old buddies deciding to kick it Florida-style in the twlight of their careers. Some sun. Some beach. Some fishing. It's all good...

I guess JFJ and Quinn had made up their minds that they weren't interested in keeping Roberts and Niewendyk. Good signing by FLA... can't believe the Sens didn't make a run at those two.

Eklund says Iginla signs a 3x$6.5M deal, effectively setting the bar.

Oilers trade Brad Ibister to the Bruins for a 2006 4th rounder.

Yup.

If that's true and it is the bar. The Stars better bring back Modano, the cheap bastards.


Eklund added that Iginla said he would sign for less if they went hard for Niedermeyer.

It'll be an interesting time. I think the GMs are going to be struggling a little bit with their spending, particularly the ones that used to have a blank check. It took NFL GMs a while to get used to the cap there, but it's become such a science now. Wonder how long it'll take the NHL GMs to get used to the system and thinking in terms of both present and future cap numbers?

I've heard that some of the teams hired ex-NFL and/or ex-NBA guys to help navigate the cap.

Ville Niemenen was the only 'name' player not qualified by Sutter.

No doubt Sutter is working on the Iginla deal as I type because he stated unequivocally several times that no one else can be signed until Iggy is inked. It shapes the entire payroll/roster.

TSN is reporting that the Wild have signed Andrei Nazarov (no terms available) and the Blues signed Aaron Downey (no terms available).

I guess it starts not with a bang, but with a whimper...

What's with all these teams gathering tough guys? Fedoruk getting trader. Perrot/Belak signed. And now Nazarov and Downey... I love the tough guys, but I thought this was supposed to be the "kinder/gentler" NHL where speed, grace, and skill were valued over this type of brutishness.

And who better to make sure the speedy, graceful skilled guys are allowed to do their thing?

(Yes, I'm a caveman.)

what are the Devils doing?

well, the ex-NBA guy thing hasn't worked out for them so far... :rolleyes:

Downey one punched that guy from Carolina a few years ago...thing of beauty.

Hrm.....Newy and Roberts are gone.

Who fills the holes?

Fans love hockey fights?



Also I think they want to draw in more fans by getting them nostagic for their first glimpse of hockey.






Go fat guys!