I figured it was time for a new thread since the playoffs are over and we’ve got about 3 months until training camps and preseason starts.
Any predictions on where Zach Parise ends up? I’m hoping anywhere but Detroit. I know the Wild seem to really want him, but I’m not sure adding Parise to the wild immediately makes them a top playoff team.
It looks like some of the pre-season schedules are up – at least Pittsburgh’s are.
I’m taking a cruise before the season starts and trying to decide what to wear at the various ports. I’m thinking a Bradon Holtby or Joel Ward jersey during the Boston stop and a David Steckel winter classic jersey in Halifax. I don’t have any ideas for Portland, ME or St. John, NB.
Anywhere he wants?
Supposedly the Wild are going to throw a ridiculous amount of money at him, so it’ll depend on just how important the money is to him. I don’t think he will change their fortunes much as they’re simply not a very well constructed team right now. Detroit has as good a chance (in both resources and potential attraction to a player) as anyone of signing him, though I think their top priority will be Suter and Parise would just be gravy.
The consensus among Devils fans is that $7.5-8m is about the max cap hit that’s acceptable for him. If he wants more, as tough as it would be, they’ve got to let him go. Lou is pretty good about not mortgaging too much for one player. In the recent past he’s let Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez and Bobby Holik–all fan favorites and players whose skills the team wanted to keep–leave for greener pastures to sign ill-advised deals NJ couldn’t and shouldn’t have matched that, with the benefit of hindsight, mostly turned out to not just be bad, but terrible deals (sorry mnemosyne).
Darcy Verot (a cousin of my wife) played for both Portland and St. John a few years back and is pretty memorable for the PIMs he put up for both teams…he’s a crowd favorite. Pretty sure he was #7 for both teams.
No need to apologize - no love lost for Gomez over here!
Honestly I’d be surprised if the Wings got either. They’re pretty tight about contract money and I can see them easily getting priced out by other teams who feel they are “one player away” from a cup. I think they’ll be even tighter with the current CBA set to expire at the end of the season.
The Wings did make a move today. They signed Darren Helm to a four year contract worth $2.125 million. Makes me happy. The kid is possibly Detroit’s best penalty killer, a solid defensive forward, and fast fast fast.
The Helm deal was much lower then I was expecting, I figured 3.5-4, and assumed we would probably lose him. He is a very key, as one of the better PKers in the game, gives Datsyuk and Zet some needed rest, I wonder if he got other better offers and just wanted to be in Hockeytown, or if most GMs just don’t like him as much as I do.
I get the sense Detroit may open the purse wide this year for a big name or two, and fill in the rest with some of their kids who have been getting time the last couple years with all the injuries.
He was a restricted free agent meaning Detroit only had to offer him a qualifying offer that he could accept or fight through arbitration. They obviously recognized his value and gave him a little raise.
Being an RFA no other team could have given him an offer. The best they could have done was tried to poach him with an offer sheet, which Detroit would have been given the opportunity to match or receive compensation for had they opted not to.
Supposedly the Wings are tops of Suter’s wish-list, but it’s entirely probable that someone throws way too much money at him. It is the way of free agency, after all.
They’ve currently got a lot of cap space, though, and looking at their defense right now (Kronwall, Ericsson, White, Kindl, Smith and RFA Kyle), they’re going to have to do something to shore it up. The free agent class is pretty weak, so barring a trade Suter is their best option. If they don’t get him the other options aren’t nearly as exciting… Dennis Wideman and Jason Garrison head the list and quickly drop off to guys like Filip Kuba, Bryce Salvador and Sheldon Souray.
As to Parise, it’s just a personal hunch but you’re probably right. Detroit has 12 forwards signed and still have Abdelkader a pending RFA, and Hudler and Holmstrom (is he retiring?) as UFAs. Even without re-signing the two UFAs they’ve got a pretty solid top 9.
No question the Wings need defensive help, but they just don’t like to overpay players. If I remember right, their limit has previously been around 8 million per season average. Basically nobody made more than Nick Lidstrom. Can’t see Detroit offering Suter anywhere near that much, but other teams might and I doubt Detroit will go above what they think his value is. Makes for mostly sane contract decisions but it can make them lose out on free agents.
Holmstrom will probably retire. He’s said that he would go when Lidstrom did, and honestly I don’t think Detroit will or should resign him. His skating is shaky and his position in front of the net just isn’t valuable enough to balance out.
Hudler will likely go elsewhere. Someone else will pay him for his 25 goal season this year and the Wings will factor in his previous erratic years when they offer him a contract.
Most interesting thing I’ve heard is that the Wings may go after Semin. I say interesting because it may not be a good idea. While he reportedly enjoyed playing with Datsyuk and the two may work together well, he seems to have a habit of coasting and that won’t sit well in Detroit.
Malkin was a well deserved winner at the NHL awards.
Harborwolf - Semin at his best is amazing, Caps fans didn’t see it often enough.
NHL schedules were announced today.
At the Caps seat selection event I was able to move to cheaper seats with a better location - right at the edge of the price break, across the aisle is more expensive, one row down is more expensive.
I think this year my Caps are scheduled to go out in the first round of the playoffs. 
Harborwolf, I can easily see Holland throwing $8 million at Suter. We desperately need to plug the Lidstrom + Stuart hole on defense, and Suter has the skill set to fill that position. Now is not the time for the Wings to be conservative; they need to go out and shore up the blue line.
I do think that once Suter is signed (if he chooses to sign with Detroit), there will not be enough money for Parise. I’d love to see Semin signed instead; the guy can shoot! I feel that’s exactly what DRW are missing on offense; we have a world class center but no shooters to make use of his passing talents except for Franzen, who is hit-or-miss. I realize Semin is the same way, but between the two of them there should be enough firepower to make the first line a legitimate scoring threat. Offense has to be upgraded. We had no 30 goal scorers this year, and the number 2 goal scorer was freaking Jiri Hudler. That is not a Stanley Cup-winning offense. If Semin meshes well with Pavel, it could result in a serious offensive upgrade, and at the very least open up some space for the Zetterberg-Filppula line.
In other news, how about the crazyness of the Brad Doty sexual assault investigation in LA?
Did anyone else catch Hank’s f-bomb? My station didn’t even have a chance to bleep it! 
They need a good host, BADLY. Matthew Perry looks terrible – has he fallen off the wagon?
And yay Geno! (I loved his tribute to Gonch)
Pittsburgh is going to be NUTS this weekend. I can’t imagine how backed up it’s going to be downtown.
It’s always a good sign when Brian Murray and his scouts are all grinning like Cheshire Cats when their turn to draft comes up.
So Mr. Pronger, can you account for you whereabouts on the night of…
Completing the exorcism of the ghosts of 1994, the Devils stake their claim to Stephan Matteau’s offering his first born son to the Devil so that he might score that game winning goal.
There is a great gnashing of teeth amongst Devils fans about why Lou didn’t forfeit this pick. This guy certainly can’t be the reason. It’s speculated that they must have taken a gamble about trading up or hoping someone fell to them that failed.
There’ve been logical arguments pointing to the poor depth of the Devils forward prospect pool and being that they generally take a few years to develop, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, so to speak, but I don’t see how a 3rd line grinder comparable to Raffi Torres helps that depth enough to qualify not forfeiting the pick.
In other news, the Penguins are obviously up to something. Staal to Carolina for Sutter, a downgrade, and shipping Michalek off to Phoenix for peanuts. Methinks they’re gearing up to make a play for Suter and possibly Parise or Semin.
Dalton Thrower.
The Habs have drafted a kid named Dalton Thrower.
He might be my new favourite player. I mean…DALTON!!! THROWER!!! How cool is that?
I am very pleased with the Alex Galchenyuk pick; I like what I’ve read about him and he really was the consensus pick among fans.
Loved that both Bergevin (expected) and Timmins (surprised) spoke French to announce their draft pick. Put a smile on my face and got a round of applause at the bar I was at. Sometimes, it’s the little things that matter!
I laughed so hard when the Flyers were up…“we were going to thank Pittsburgh for their hospitality, but…” while the crowd booed. Hilarious.
Anyone else see the name Consol Energy Centre and think “Consolation [prize]?”
Yeah well the Red Wings got Frk. He’s too cool for any stinking vowels, let alone a whole Noun.
Maybe one of the Ruutus could lend him one? They have too many vowels anyways, especially Tuomo.
Furk?
Fruk?
Frku?
Frk u…?
What a weird draft. Boston takes PK Subban’s brother. New Jersey takes Stefan Matteau’s son. Ottawa takes Brian Boyle’s brother.