If used properly he’s worth half his salary, but being stuck with it for another year is, I’d imagine, a major deterrent for most teams.
I don’t know if Vancouver has the cap room. If my math is right (and it very often isn’t), picking him up now for their final 23 games even at half salary would be a cap hit of $757k, and they only have $414k in space… but I don’t know the status of all of their injured players. If they can put someone on LTIR then they could make the room.
I’ll be surprised if Vancouver makes any trade moves. Despite the fact that 5 out of the original 6 D-men are currently down right now, we’re in pretty amazing shape. Consider that Sami Salo finally returned and is playing well after being gone all year. Additionally, our players from the Manitoba Moose have come and have been doing very well. Finally, all of our D-men will be back just in time for the playoffs. In fact, it is going to work out awesome since Edler will probably come back from his back surgery just as the playoffs start, and the cap won’t matter anymore. If that injury didn’t happen Vancouver would have had to get rid of some players to bring Sami back. Now, we can keep everybody!
Really, the Canucks are doing awesome. They have shown amazing depth at D so far. They could easily play .500 hockey and still coast into a good position in the playoffs. I hope they don’t bring in anybody. Even if our rookie defensemen cost us a few games, we can afford it at this point.
Dallas is in desperate need of defensemen. They can score, but have been blowing leads for the past 2 eyars due to poor defense, poor special teams, and inconsistent goaltending.
I like the trade for Sopel and Dawes. Maxwell was being outpaced by other players in the system, so will benefit from going somewhere where he can play. I assume I’ll get to see Dawes play tomorrow for the 'Dogs (yay!). I liked Sopel with the Hawks last year.
As for tonight’s Laffs-Habs game, I hope Dave Jackson enjoys his first assist and whatever financial payout he’s receiving from Toronto for completely giving this game away. His refereeing is a joke and an embarrassment for the league. It’s shameful, and part of why I hate the NHL. This is such a good sport, we don’t need jackass referees like Jackson, Lee and Auger ruining it, not to mention the bullshit from Bettman, Daly and Campbell.
They’ve really got to go back to one referee. I grew up with the one referee, 21-team NHL, which means there could be no more than ten games in a given night. So they only needed ten referees (and a few more emergency/trainees, etc.) Now though, with up to fifteen games every night, with the two ref system, you need 30 refs, plus fill-ins. There aren’t 30 good referees out there.
Seriously, are you watching this? Gionta lifts a stick, and gets a hooking penalty. That POS Komisarek roughs up Pleks, and nothing happens. Three guys tackle Pouliot, and Moen gets a penalty? It’s bullshit.
I also disagreed with starting Auld from the beginning; Price is a Leaf-killer. I actually think it’s winnable, if the refs actually call penalties according to the rules of the game. I’m not keeping my hopes up.
Someone woke up the Dallas Stars and told them they still have to win games to get into the playoffs. Kari Lehtonen has had several great stops and the Stars are winning 3-0 against the Dead Wings with 4 minutes to go.
Crap. Take away the 3 goal handicap given to the Laffs, though, and the Habs win this one in a walk. That was bullshit piled upon bullshit. The NHL should be ashamed.
Rewatch the game, Leaffan. The missed icing call? Kostitsyn getting tripped? The slashing on Plekanec’s hands on a semi-breakaway? Komi mugging Pleks? Wisniewski for interference on a player that had jumped into the air to hit him? The missed calls I’ve already mentioned? TSN was even second-guessing some of those calls!
The Habs PK sucked. There were serious defensive mistakes on a couple goals, and Auld played like shit. But there is no way you can convince me that that was fair, consistent or actually-based-on-the-rules refereeing.
The refereeing in this league is a joke, and that was insanely blatant in this game.
I’d love to have watched the game in the first place. But you see, I’m in the Ottawa region. This means that non-nationally broadcast Leafs games are not fucking allowed here.
Anyway you stated:
Calls go both ways and in the end they even out. Sorry.
