The OFFICIAL 2008-09 NHL Offseason Thread

[samifan24]

Originally Posted by Suburban Rhythm

One more...Ottawa solves their goaltending issues....with Alex Auld, 2 years, $1M a year.

He was pretty good for the Bruins last year. Too bad he stays in the division with Ottawa. This will probably come back to hurt Boston this year.

[Suburban Rhythm]

Originally Posted by Pyser

not a bad price for a guy who has over 90 goals in the last 3 years and will help the pp a lot. not a great price, either, though.

maybe a year too long, but hey, ill take it.

Right, again it's the length of the deal, not so much the salary. I don't think NJ is in any kind of cap danger, but he's 33 isn't he?

Originally Posted by RomaGoth

Rumor has it that Edmonton is now interested in Hossa.

Saw that earlier today. Hossa has said he'd bypass money for a chance to win...so I guess we'll find out how true that is. Although, he could push Edmonton easily into the playoffs, they'd have a deep group of forwards.

[Logan]

Originally Posted by Suburban Rhythm

Right, again it's the length of the deal, not so much the salary. I don't think NJ is in any kind of cap danger, but he's 33 isn't he?

The problem is the Devils are cheap already. How much cheaper will they be when they have a 36 year old Roston on their cap for $5 mil?

[Pyser]

devils arent that cheap. before that signing we were about 10m under the cap

word is the devils are also bringing holik back, 1 yr, 2.5 mil

we are gonna win this 1995 cup, whether you guys like it or not

[Travis]

Originally Posted by RomaGoth

Rumor has it that Edmonton is now interested in Hossa.

Yep, supposedly at the $9 million per level (though I haven't heard any rumors as to what the deal length would be). If they were to ink him they'd have to shed around $3-$5 million and sign some cheap deals to round out the roster. I'd assume Roli and Pisani would be the attempted salary dumps, maybe Horcoff (3 combined make around $9-$10 million).

That's a 3 for 1 deal I'd be willing to make in a heart beat.

[Tekneek]

Devils are cheap when $10 million under the cap? I just read that Atlanta is $29 million under the cap and managed to sign zero players so far today.

[TazFTW]

Rangers re-sign Rozsival for 4 yrs, $20 million. They also signed Patrick Rissmiller to an undisclosed amount.

I guess they're not interested in Orpik now.

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

So the Blackhawks sign Brian Campbell to a $57M deal? That's 8 years at $7.1M.

They also sign Huet to that big deal.

Hmmm... Well, I guess Chicago feels like the time is now. They get Huet to shore up the goaltending (though I have no idea what they plan on doing with the Buhlin Wall and his massive contract). They get Campbell to shore up the D. They must figure that Towes and Kane will only be getting better and better. I think this is the new ownership, well the old ownership's son, trying to make a statement.

That's a lot of money for this guy, but anything that will bring a spark to the Central Division is ok by my book. Nashville, St. Louis, and Chicago are all pretty dull. That's 24 games, or almost 30% of the schedule, of more or less "bleh" games.

I don't know about all this for Chicago. That's a lot of money for Huet, a ton for Campbell, they still have Bhulin hanging around...

I'm glad the Sabres move Campbell with that kind of money. He's a solid player, but he's an offensive D who is a liability in the defensive end.

How is Lalime? Miller got way over-worked last year due to the crap play of backup T-bone. I can't stand that the Sabres don't spend to the salary cap (they have a self-impose budget since the cap came into play). I know it's business, but what good is a salary cap (when it's suppose to help small market clubs) when you don't use it?

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Coder

I don't think it's about the money for Sundin..

If it's not about winning (which we already know), and it's not about money, and it's not about location.... what exactly is it about?

Originally Posted by Coder

...even if he signs that 10 mil contract.. (which, apparently, is 5+5 per year, and the second year seems to be optional).

If by 5+5 you mean there are bonuses involved, the CBA doesn't allow for that this year. Well, it does, but the entire bonus counts against the cap whether its reached or not so there's not much point. Bob McKenzie did a piece on this on TSN yesterday.

[TazFTW]

"New York Rangers sign UFA defenceman Wade Redden to a six-year contract worth $39 million"

Um, wow.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by TazFTW

"New York Rangers sign UFA defenceman Wade Redden to a six-year contract worth $39 million"

Um, wow.

Uh. Yeah. Right. Sure.

[Suburban Rhythm]

I love the Rangers signing Rozsival and Redden, if only because it takes them out of the Orpik race, and presumably Hossa (cap wise).

[Pyser]

between redden, rozsival, gomez, drury and lundqvist (sp?) the rangers are over $30m. but i suppose dropping jagr (for now) evens out the redden signing.

but redden doesnt scare me. i wish they signed him for more.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Suburban Rhythm

4 years $5.6 per year

So the Hawks are paying about $12.5M for their goalies this year--unless they can dump the Bulin Wall

I like the Huet signing. Not really excited but solid. Hopefully they can deal Nikolai but at least he just has one year left on the deal.

Campbell, I'm a bit more worried about. 8 years for a 29 year old? Really? This isn't the NFL where they can give you 4 or 5 years and then you can cut them and take a little cap hit.

It's not a perfect analogy, but it's the Rockies giving Todd Helton a 9 year contract when he was 27. He was worth it for the first few years but now that contract is getting heavy in Colorado and they've tried to deal him the last couple of years. He's still worth quite a bit, just not what they are paying him and by an ever growing margin.

SI

[Vince]

For that money, Campbell would have been bad -- but I can't be happy that he's not returning to San Jose. A first rounder, basically for nothing. Blech.

[Logan]

Wow, happy about Redden. Too much money for Rozy though.

edit: I'd feel a little happier about Redden if it was a year and about a million less. Speculation that Tyutin will be moved for a forward.

[TazFTW]

Islanders sign Mark Streit for 5 years, $20.5 million. I would have liked that signing as opposed to Redden's and Rozsival's deals.

[Tekneek]

Anyone know what the penalty is for being under the cap floor? Atlanta is approximately $12 million under the cap floor right now.

[Dr. Sak]

Originally Posted by Tekneek

Don Waddell crashes and burns once again. He might end up having to offer inflated contracts just to hit the cap minimum.

Take Hatcher off of Philly's hand. We'll throw in Rathje for free too.

[DeToxRox]

Ryder to Boston, 3 years, 4 mil per.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Tekneek

Anyone know what the penalty is for being under the cap floor? Atlanta is approximately $12 million under the cap floor right now.

Have no fear. We'll overpay for a guy (or two) with nothing left in the tank.

[Wolfpack]

The Cole move wasn't totally unexpected. He's been speculated about for quite a while going back to last year and his contract/statistics made him the most tradable asset. Carolina, in spite of needs on defense, had been concentrating on offense much of the offseason (top pick at the draft was a forward, for example) so it stood to reason someone was being set up to leave. Turns out it was Cole.

Carolina fans seem to be of two minds on the deal. They loved Cole's speed and aggressiveness, but they also recognize the defense has been, to be polite, porous in the last couple of years and that Cole was in the last year of his current deal, so he was a marketable item for trade. If Carolina can get Pitkanen on board, they also continue the trend of getting much younger. Granted, that's pretty easy to do when Glen Wesley and Bret Hedican retire or leave the team, but the team is getting younger pretty quickly. Of the remainder, only Brind'Amour and Whitney are regular players who are over 35 (though there are a few who are 33 or 34).

Cole definitely was a fan favorite and up until he got injured, you certainly held your breath when he charged the net on a breakaway because he was just ferocious in attacking. He's not been the same since that neck injury back in '06, IMO. He's got flashes of what he was that year and back in '02 when he first blossomed in the playoffs, but he's not been as consistent. Still, he was fun to watch and will be missed.

His leaving takes $4 million off the books of which a fair amount will be used to try to sign Pitkanen. So, Carolina's sitting on around $42-44 million in contracts right now. While the cap's up around $56 million, Carolina is not expected to come near that number, probably topping out perhaps around $46-47 million.

It's a bit of a gamble to trade Cole for a RFA, though. As the local newspaper blogger pointed out, a division rival could really screw with things by laying down an offer sheet with a pile of money on it. I can only assume JR pulled this because he's already got the paperwork ready to go.

Also, welcome back Anton Babchuk. No hard feelings. Maybe. *scratches head over this move* The Canes also signed some of their minor leaguers who did a good job keeping the team afloat through all the injuries last year and the team got some static from the fans for sending them down right at the end of the season when Carolina went into that 1-3 slide that gave Washington the last playoff spot.

Carolina isn't done yet as they still need to get LaRose and Seidenberg signed up again and speculation is they'll also be signing up another defenseman from somewhere.

[Suburban Rhythm]

Originally Posted by bsak16

Take Hatcher off of Philly's hand. We'll throw in Rathje for free too.

Darryl Sydor has gone to the Cup Finals with 3 teams now...he might be good luck for Atlanta.

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

Ryder to Boston, 3 years, 4 mil per.

So the top 2 RW in Boston now are Ryder and Murray-- is there a more streaky pair in the NHL?

I love this deal, because, again, it removes someone from the running for a Penguin. Is it now down to Edmonton and Pittsburgh for Hossa?

[Arctic Blast]

Originally Posted by Travis

I know I weighed in on this earlier, and just wanted to clarify my thoughts on the matter. It's not so much getting Cole that I'm disappointed in, it's that they didn't package Pitkanen up to get a true first liner to pair up with Hemsky. I'd have much rather seen Lowe take a run at Jokinen with Pitkanen as part of that package (for a guy who has two years left on his contract and at a time when dealing Joni's rights would have likely been worth a bit more than today). Maybe Cole can step in here and light it up, but given his history, I can't imagine we can realistically expect a 30 goal season out of him and that's the sort of player Lowe should have been looking for at this juncture (imho). I'd have much rather seen them sign Stoll to a one year deal and see what he could have done this year than to add Visnovsky at $5.6 per for the next 4 seasons when Pitkanen could have been had for that or less and we'd have also been able to keep Greene.

For better or worse, they dealt Stoll at a low value point, failed (again, imho) to fully capitalize on their best trade chip in Pitkanen and are now faced with having to move some bad contracts with only prospects and draft picks to sweeten the pot in those instances. For a team having a hard time attracting UFA's you've got to really capitalize on trades and while I hope to be proven wrong, the only deal I'm a fan of right now is the Torres for Brule move.

First off, who's to say they didn't take a run at Jokinen, who, I agree, would obviously have been a bigger get? However, I don't think Pitkanen has near the market value out there that you do. This is a guy who's basically been run out of two places in 2 years for a lack of work ethic, and his ex-teammates were hardly crying as he was punted out the door. On top of that, he's still an RFA that Carolina has to sign. That doesn't equal a whole heck of a lot of value out there. And, with Florida already having one RFA D-man in Bouwmeester, would they have really wanted to add a second one?

Yes, Pitkanen could have been had for less than Visnovksy...he's also less of a PLAYER than Visnovsky, who is top 3 for points from the blueline over the last 3 years. (I have more of a problem with the stupid money they gave Souray last year than what Visnovksy makes, simply because Visnovksy is more of a proven commodity).

I think they had to move Stoll, just like they had to move Torres. The fans had given up on both of them. I don't think things would have gotten any better. A couple seemingly weak games in a row, and they would have been ridden out of town on a rail. And, again, they got a player for an RFA, which is a pretty nice move.

I DO agree completely that they have to replace Greene's size on the backend, unless they're going to gamble than Souray is going to keep his shoulder held together for a year while throwing his size around.

[Pyser]

Originally Posted by Suburban Rhythm

I love this deal, because, again, it removes someone from the running for a Penguin. Is it now down to Edmonton and Pittsburgh for Hossa?

never, ever, ever count the rangers out.

if im pitt, id rather have jagr, to be honest.

either way, the devils are screwed.

come on, oilers!!

[Coder]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

If it's not about winning (which we already know), and it's not about money, and it's not about location.... what exactly is it about?


If by 5+5 you mean there are bonuses involved, the CBA doesn't allow for that this year. Well, it does, but the entire bonus counts against the cap whether its reached or not so there's not much point. Bob McKenzie did a piece on this on TSN yesterday.

There are bonuses involved, but like you said, they can't count that towards next year like they've done lately, so the 5+5 breakdown is a bit strange but I'm sure there's a reason. From what I read it's 5 signingbonus and 5 salary, and the next 5 is if he decides to play next year and will be paid July 1st next year in that case, and then he'll get a salary of 5 for the season..

As for the first part.. I have a feeling something is up between Sundin and the Maple Leafs front office.. something went sour around the trade deadline, something neither side is willing to talk about.

For Mats, maybe he wants to try something else for the first time since Quebec, and in that case his priorities are 1. Winner, 2. Location and 3. Money.. Apparently his girlfriend is from New York, so maybe that plays a part.

[Suburban Rhythm]

Revising an earlier posting.

Mark Eaton back to Pittsburgh 2 years/$4M.
It was originally reported by the PG as $2M TOTAL, not $2M per.

A little more than expected for a guy who has missed about 80+ games over the last two seasons. And high when you consider, if they are able to retain Orpik, gives them 8 NHL ready D on the roster and arguably 1, Alex Goligoski, in the minors. As long as it means Sydor is gone though, I am all for it.

[Logan]

Originally Posted by Pyser

never, ever, ever count the rangers out.

if im pitt, id rather have jagr, to be honest.

either way, the devils are screwed.

come on, oilers!!

The only way the Rangers will be able to get a deal done is if they can turn a couple guys like Tyutin and Sanguinetti into two top 6 forwards, which I don't think is possible unless more assets go than we can afford to lose. Just too many holes among the top 6 to spend so much on Hossa.

[Dr. Sak]

Originally Posted by Suburban Rhythm

Revising an earlier posting.

Mark Eaton back to Pittsburgh 2 years/$4M.
It was originally reported by the PG as $2M TOTAL, not $2M per.

Along the same lines the Flyers signed RFA Randy Jones to a 2 year deal worth about $2.75 mil per. I don't think he is worth much more than $1.75 mil but after seeing what some of the others got (aka Jeff Finger) I can see why he demanded so much.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Coder

As for the first part.. I have a feeling something is up between Sundin and the Maple Leafs front office.. something went sour around the trade deadline, something neither side is willing to talk about.

Here's what went sour: the Leafs actually asked him to waive his no-trade. Apparently Mats thought the clause meant that the team couldn't even think about trading him, so when they actually asked him about it he got offended. I guess it hadn't occured to him that a team that was desperate to rebuild might actually want to trade a veteran at the deadline.

Sundin's had a reputation for years of being a "class" guy, mainly because he always does media interviews and never gets arrested. But there's no way around it, he's pulling a suck on this one, no different than any other lifetime underachiever who pouts about not feeling "respected" by the team that's built his mansion.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by TazFTW

"New York Rangers sign UFA defenceman Wade Redden to a six-year contract worth $39 million"

And with a late push, the Rangers and Wade Redden edge out Jeff Finger for "worst contract of the day".

Does the money include a signing bonus for the giant fork that's been sticking out of Redden's back for two years?

[DeToxRox]

Redden to NY? At least Averys dealer isn't affected anymore.

[Dr. Sak]

Now I know why Maple Leafs hates Mats so much...When Mats was acquired, Toronto traded Wendel Clark as part of the deal to Quebec. Makes sense now.

[Dr. Sak]

The rumors keep getting funnier...from the Pittsburgh Sports Insider..

Sources indicate Penguins eye Jason Smyth as a short term replacement for Brooks Orpik but the Penguins can't move on Smith until they get a answer from Orpik.

I wonder how Sid would like to play on a team with someone who called him an out right diver to his face? HAHA.

I do like Jason Smith he brings a lot of leadership to a team, but I dont think he'd be the right fit in Pittsburgh.

[BishopMVP]

Hilarious article on ESPN regarding Day 1 signings - http://proxy.espn.go.com/nhl/columns...ott&id=3470156

Grades: NYR/Redden "There's always a danger when you lock in a player to a long-term deal, especially when his game has tailed off." B+
TOR/Finger "Title - You Signed Who? For What?" B-
NJ/Rolston A-
CHI/Campbell A+

What sort of a scale is this?

[Dr. Sak]

NHL Live on the NHL Network is reporting that Hossa has signed a 1 year deal with Detroit.

[johnnyshaka]

Jebus!!! How the hell does the Stanley Cup winning team get even better the following season?? WOW!!!

[Dr. Sak]

Hossa signs a 1 year deal for 7.5 mil with detroit...

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by bsak16

Hossa signs a 1 year deal for 7.5 mil with detroit...

Oh my...

[Dr. Sak]

Report from TSN

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=2422...s=topStory_nhl

[Travis]

Am I the only one quite shocked that he'd settle for a one year deal even if his main aim was to hook up with a Cup favorite? I'd have thought he'd want at least 3 years.

[DeToxRox]

amazing signing. One year? I love it. God bless you Kenny Holland.

[Dr. Sak]

I now declare the Red Wings the Patriots of the NHL.

HATE AWAY!!!

[Honolulu_Blue]

This is the kind of move Holland was looking to make. A big name forward to a big, one year deal. With Franzen, Zetterberg, and Hulder all playing with very, very manageable contracts for one more year, the Wings had the cap space for a big time, one year deal.

Most thought it'd be Sundin, but I'll gladly take Hossa.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by bsak16

I now declare the Red Wings the Patriots of the NHL.

HATE AWAY!!!

WHAT?!?!

Don't you remember the good times?

Originally Posted by bsak16

Hey Wings fans, is there any room on the bandwagon for another fan for say about two weeks?

[Maple Leafs]

Wow.

Hats off to Detroit.

[MikeVic]

Originally Posted by bsak16

I now declare the Red Wings the Patriots of the NHL.

HATE AWAY!!!

They're gonna go 82-0 and then lose in the Stanley Cup Finals to the New York Rangers?

[Dr. Sak]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

WHAT?!?!

Don't you remember the good times?

Okay Okay...I'll still root for them over the Pens. Just like I would root for the Pats over the Cowboys.

Better?

[RomaGoth]

Originally Posted by bsak16

Hossa signs a 1 year deal for 7.5 mil with detroit...

Wow what a move. Ken Holland once again shows why he is the best GM in the NHL, and possibly in all of sports. A one year deal works well for both sides, as Hossa can again test the waters next year or resign with the Wings, and Detroit can see how well he does without a long-term commitment if he is sub-par (which he probably will not be).

Nice move. I absolutely love being a Red Wing fan (since 1982 to be exact )

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by bsak16

Okay Okay...I'll still root for them over the Pens. Just like I would root for the Pats over the Cowboys.

Better?

It's a start.

Just remember, before you get all Anti-Wings, they saved you from a lot of pain and suffering this summer. Who knows what you could have been driven to, but for the Red Wings?

Getting fired, perhaps?

Originally Posted by bsak16

I know I am going to take grief. I've taken grief for the 29 years I've been a fan. But I can't stand stupidity. My boss today made a totally irrelevant, asinine comment about the Flyers to which I responded "I am going to walk away and pretend I never heard what you said. Because if I did hear it, I can never in good faith talk sports with you again."

Going to jail, maybe?

Originally Posted by bsak16

I am about to drop my fucking cubemate. I understand that I will take shit living where I do, and rooting for their rival. But the guy didn't watch a hockey game all year and probably doesn't know the difference between a puck and a hole in the ground yet he comes in to work telling me what a piece of shit team the Flyers are and how they stink. When I explained to him that the Flyers are without their top two defensemen he said "Losers don't make excuses."

He won't be laughing when I give him two black eyes and he cant watch the finals cause his eyes are swollen shut.

See, the Red Wings treated you well. They welcomed you with open arms in your time of need and carried you, just like Jesus and those footprints in the sand.

Do not forget.