2006 NHL Offseason Thread

[Pyser]

wow, what could have possibly happened already?

i really thought nolan was the one that would be quickly gone, as usually happens in a gm-coach power struggle (not that there was one that we know of, but its odd that they were hired independantly of each other).

man, too bad the rangers are on the right track. i loved the rangers and isles futility/madness. least one still has it.

[bbor]

[quote=Pyser]wow, what could have possibly happened already?QUOTE]

Now really...what do you expect from the Isle?

Am i hearing this right?...Lafontaine is gonna be the GM?

[Honolulu_Blue]

[quote=bbor]

Originally Posted by Pyser

wow, what could have possibly happened already?QUOTE]

Now really...what do you expect from the Isle?

Am i hearing this right?...Lafontaine is gonna be the GM?

If that's correct, then this really does appear to have the stink of Ted Nolan all over it. I think LaFonataine was one of the key forces pushing to get Ted Nolan behind the bench in the first place. Apparently the two got along in Buffalo.

I also remember people noting how odd it was to announce a GM and coach simultaneously like that, when it was completely apparent that the Neil Smith really had no say in the Nolan hiring.

[Pyser]

garth snow is the new isles gm. :shrug:

life continues for me. nothing really changes. guess neil smith'll be back on tv now though.

[Maple Leafs]

Nolan better win this year, because he'll never be hired again in this league.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Pyser

garth snow is the new isles gm. :shrug:

Hell, I didn't even know if Snow was formally retired.

edit to add: Oops. I guess that he wasn't until today.

Which brings up a question -- has anyone ever gone straight from the playing field to the GM position before in U.S. sports? Of course there have been player-coaches, and players who became GM's without other front office experience, but I can't think of any off hand who literally went from the field to the desk like this.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Pyser

garth snow is the new isles gm. :shrug:

life continues for me. nothing really changes. guess neil smith'll be back on tv now though.

I don't understand any of this. Who knows if Garth Snow will be a good GM. He could be the greatest GM of all time. It's all just very... odd.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Hell, I didn't even know if Snow was formally retired.

Me either. Though if you take a minute to think about it, it really shouldn't come as any surprise.

Garth Snow is the guy on the left...



He was the king of the "big pads." He looked ridiculous out there. If the new pad reduction rules negatively effected anyone's game, it'd be Garth Snow's.

His retirement was inevitable.

[bbor]

Garth Snow???

Are you fucking serious?

AHAHAHAHAHAHAAH!!!

I can't see the arena in Long Island NOT being filled up this season.

[bbor]

AHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAH

Sorry i could'nt help myself.

Be cool if they fired Nolan now and hired Emilio Estavez to coach.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by bbor

Garth Snow???

Are you fucking serious?

AHAHAHAHAHAHAAH!!!

I can't see the arena in Long Island NOT being filled up this season.

Come on, now. If the Michael Jordan fiasco in Washington and the Isiah Thomas complete and under disaster in New York taught us one thing it is that a player's skill in a particular sport is no way, shape, or form an indicator of that player's success as a manager of said sport. They are completely separate skill sets.

All that said, I agree...

AHAHAHAHAHAHAAH!!!

[Draft Dodger]

not that Neil Smith is God or anything, but WTF?

[Maple Leafs]

This makes me like JFJ a lot more.

[bbor]

If i did'nt know for a fact the he is 6 feet under....i would say this has Harold Ballard written all over it.

[Honolulu_Blue]

The Hurricanes traded Josef Vasicek to Nashville for Scott Walker. If Walker can stay healthy, this is a great trade for the Hurricanes.

[Karim]

I've read on another forum that the LA Times is reducing its hockey coverage. No reporters will be travelling with the team and Helene Elliot's column will no longer be appearing in the paper.

Wonderful...

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by bbor

If i did'nt know for a fact the he is 6 feet under....i would say this has Harold Ballard written all over it.

Hm... has anyone checked his gravesite since 6/6/06? He's still in there, right?

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by Karim

I've read on another forum that the LA Times is reducing its hockey coverage. No reporters will be travelling with the team and Helene Elliot's column will no longer be appearing in the paper.

Wonderful...

I know she's not hot, but there's got to be a Chris Pronger joke in there somewhere, right?

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

The Hurricanes traded Josef Vasicek to Nashville for Scott Walker. If Walker can stay healthy, this is a great trade for the Hurricanes.

I emphatically agree.

[Johnny93g]

Originally Posted by RPI-Fan

Hopefully him and Tucker start fighting.

HAHAHA.....thats very funny, not as funny as the islanders front office though. Good luck with that

[RPI-Fan]

Wow, this is bizarre. Garth freaking Snow... I guess we'll just see what happens.

[Maple Leafs]

Well, look on the brightside. At least Pat LaFontaine is an Islander for life.

[TazFTW]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Well, look on the brightside. At least Pat LaFontaine is an Islander for life.

He gone. http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=171665&hubname=nhl

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Well, look on the brightside. At least Pat LaFontaine is an Islander for life.

TazFTW beat me to it, but ... umm ... for LaFontaine's sake, I hope you're wrong about the connection between his lifespan & his job

[Draft Dodger]

sounds like we missed a soap opera.

Wang fires Smith because he didn't want to work as part of a team, and says that "Our fans should know that with Ted, Garth, Bryan and Pat helping to lead the way, the Islanders are in very good hands." And after the press conference, one of the guys keeping the Islanders in good hands quits - can we presume it's because he didn't get the GMs job?

[Draft Dodger]

Belfour now seems headed to Florida.

hmmm...Belfour + Bertuzzi + Keenan = a reality show I wish existed.

[bbor]

Originally Posted by Draft Dodger

Belfour now seems headed to Florida.

hmmm...Belfour + Bertuzzi + Keenan = a reality show I wish existed.

And somewhere...HB does the happy dance...

[JeffR]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Hm... has anyone checked his gravesite since 6/6/06? He's still in there, right?

You guys did remember to do the thing with the stake when he died, right?

Right?

(This is the third or fourth Ballard reference I've seen to this move, all in different places. When the only frame of reference people have for it is stuff Harold Ballard did, that's truly epic stupidity.)

[MikeVic]

Emilio Estevez and Garth Snow. That would be cool.

[Pyser]

The Nashville Predators dealt Hall to the Rangers in exchange for forward Dominic Moore. The Predators then flipped Moore and prospect Libor Pivko to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2007 NHL entry draft.

Both Hall and Moore have salary arbitration hearings set for Aug. 2 in Toronto and those remain set unless they sign deals with their new clubs.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Apparently Garth Snow wore a suit similar to this one at his most recent press conference.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by bbor

And somewhere...HB does the happy dance...

Indeed, even my dog was doing the happy dance when he heard the news.

[Pyser]

i love when fans just make up crazy trades that have no foundation in reality (i wonder if an edm fan had some spare time):

from hockeytraderumors.com:

TO EDM: Shane Doan, Scott Gomez, Derek Morris

TO NJ: EDM 1st Round Draft Pick, Phoenix 1st Round Draft Pick, Marc Andre Bergeron, Oleg Saprykin

TO PHX: Ales Hemsky, John Madden, New Jersey 3rd Round Draft Choice

[Draft Dodger]

Panthers have passed on Eddie the Ego as well.

[Karim]

Islanders fans, please say hello to your new General Manager. (Note the wedding band in the second picture).
http://www.meetmeinto.com/thread_con...pforum&total=3

Zherdev wants big money or he'll pull a Datsyuk and take his puck and go home.
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=171842&hubname=

And...

Daneyko still can't get his life on track.
http://cbs.sportsline.com/nhl/story/9562077/rss

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Draft Dodger

Panthers have passed on Eddie the Ego as well.

Hopefully the Wings have moved on and have allowed that ship to sail. If Keenan isn't willing to take a flier on Belfour, I think that should be a lesson to all. Stay away. Far, far away.

[Travis]

Originally Posted by Pyser

i love when fans just make up crazy trades that have no foundation in reality (i wonder if an edm fan had some spare time):

from hockeytraderumors.com:

TO EDM: Shane Doan, Scott Gomez, Derek Morris

TO NJ: EDM 1st Round Draft Pick, Phoenix 1st Round Draft Pick, Marc Andre Bergeron, Oleg Saprykin

TO PHX: Ales Hemsky, John Madden, New Jersey 3rd Round Draft Choice

So Edmonton would essentially trade Hemsky/Bergeron/1st rounder for Doan/Gomez/Morris

This is a trade that just tears at me to look at. Bergeron has all the tools to be a true #1 defenseman in a couple years, and Hemsky, well, my favorite player on the team. The pick isn't a big deal, but all this trade would do is overload us a bit up front and force another trade to pick up another defenseman anyways as Morris is just replacing Bergeron on the back end. Either way, I hope this doesn't go through, I really don't want to see Hemsky leave.

[Suburban Rhythm]

Not a huge move, but the Penguins trade a 2nd round pick next year (the pick they received from Carolina in the Mark Recchi deal, so should be late in that round) to San Jose. Getting LW Nils Ekman and G prospect Patrick Ehelechner.

Ekman has had back-to-back 20+ goal seasons. He would probably have to be God awful in camp not to win a job next to Crosby or Malkin on one of the top two lines.

[Draft Dodger]

just realized the Avs are playing in Boston...on my birthday. I don't see how I can't make this the first Colorado game I see in person.

[bbor]

Crappy new on Daneyko,i hate to hear shite about guys like that.

Hard to beleive he played 20 years in the NHL with a drinking problem

[Wolfpack]

Marino-Cuban bid for Pens ownership turned down

Interestingly, the apparent high bidder at the moment is a real estate developer from Hartford (Hartford Penguins?) who has ties to Kansas City (Kansas City Penguins?), but says he's interested in working things out in Pittsburgh (still the Pittsburgh Penguins?).

[henry296]

The NHL basically said this year that if there is a "viable" arena deal out there, they won't approve a relocation. The city has been putting together multiple offers for how to finance a new arena. While nothing is a done deal I think the odds are very good (90%+) that they don't move.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Woah.

Mike York has a 50 pt. season and the arbitrator awards him a $2.85 million dollar deal. That's about an $800k raise from last year.

Briere, who had a great year, is awarded $5 million a year.

Both look like wins for the players.

Buffalo has a few more guys up and will be hard pressed to keep everyone if players continue to get these kind of awards. This is good, because the more pressure Buffalo is under to try and sign guys the more desperate they become to get rid of, say, Martin Biron...

[NoSkillz]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

Woah.

Mike York has a 50 pt. season and the arbitrator awards him a $2.85 million dollar deal. That's about an $800k raise from last year.

Briere, who had a great year, is awarded $5 million a year.

Both look like wins for the players.

Buffalo has a few more guys up and will be hard pressed to keep everyone if players continue to get these kind of awards. This is good, because the more pressure Buffalo is under to try and sign guys the more desperate they become to get rid of, say, Martin Biron...

It looks as if the arbitrators are single-handedly restoring the finances to pre-lockout numbers.

This is a huge blow for Buffalo. There are already rumours that Briere is being offloaded now after this unfavourable ruling and the Sabres still have to look forward to Kotalik (60+ points), Dumont and Afinogenov (73 points) going to the arbitrator as well. Ugh.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by NoSkillz

It looks as if the arbitrators are single-handedly restoring the finances to pre-lockout numbers.

This is a huge blow for Buffalo. There are already rumours that Briere is being offloaded now after this unfavourable ruling and the Sabres still have to look forward to Kotalik (60+ points), Dumont and Afinogenov (73 points) going to the arbitrator as well. Ugh.

You're not wrong. There is no way teams are going to be able to keep up with these kinds of rulings. There's just not enough cap space for it. What will have to happen is that they will be traded or the team will be forced to walk away from the ruling. There really aren't too many teams left who could take on a $5 million player.

[NoSkillz]

Well, Kotalik just got signed this afternoon to a rumoured three-year deal so there's one less thing for us Buffalo fans to worry about.

I'm happy with this signing. Kotalik had tears in his eyes after the Sabres lost game seven against Carolina in the Conference Finals last year...Buffalo needs guys like this on their team.

[Suburban Rhythm]

Originally Posted by NoSkillz

It looks as if the arbitrators are single-handedly restoring the finances to pre-lockout numbers.

This is a huge blow for Buffalo. There are already rumours that Briere is being offloaded now after this unfavourable ruling and the Sabres still have to look forward to Kotalik (60+ points), Dumont and Afinogenov (73 points) going to the arbitrator as well. Ugh.

So which guy do you want to send Pittsburgh's way??


Per NHLPA website, Mark Recchi and Ronald Petrovicky listed on the Pens roster. Recchi listed at $2.28M, which I know is incorrect. That was the amount of the team option Carolina would have held at year end, and did not exercise.

Also, Brooks Orpik signed for 2 years, $1 mil this year, $1.075 next year.

[Draft Dodger]

wtf? Avery re-signs with Kings?

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Draft Dodger

wtf? Avery re-signs with Kings?

I guess Avery had a beef with the coaching staff and they're all gone pretty much. I'm sure he'll get along great with Crawford. They're both assholes, so I'm sure they have a lot in common.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

I guess Avery had a beef with the coaching staff and they're all gone pretty much. I'm sure he'll get along great with Crawford. They're both assholes, so I'm sure they have a lot in common.

see, we really should hang out or something. we do think alike.