2013/2014 Official NHL Thread

[Doc Holliday]

It's confirmed:

Tomas Vanek traded to the Montreal Canadiens. Was told Montreal was sending a 2nd-round pick, plus a prospect. Since Mtl has few of those, who could that prospect be?

update: that prospect is Sebastien Collberg, who was selected 33rd overall two years ago and highly regarded at the time.

 

[Special K]

It's confirmed:

Tomas Vanek traded to the Montreal Canadiens. Was told Montreal was sending a 2nd-round pick, plus a prospect. Since Mtl has few of those, who could that prospect be?

This is a huge pick up for Montreal!! Greatly improves their team.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Halak was just sent to Washington.

I'm wondering how the habs will be able to fit Tomas Vanek's near $5 million cap hit when they barely had $2 million to work with?

I understand now that this is possibly why Carey Price was put on injured reserve the other day. But who gets shipped out when Price is ready to come back? That's nearly $3 million that will need to get shipped out.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Vanek is a UFA, that's why they got him for nothing.

 

[november]

Happy about the Vanek deal. Someone will have to be shipped out to make room under the cap.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Vanek is a UFA, that's why they got him for nothing.

The Islanders can only blame themselves for overpricing themselves out of the market & scared away too many teams until it was too late. They didn't have much of a choice but to take all they could get for Vanek at the last minute. Montreal made a very good trade. Sure, they lose a 2nd-rounder and Collberg, who was compared to Saku Koivu when they choosed him high in the 2nd round back in 2012.

But if Vanek thrives in the Mtl market & contributes in the playoffs, it will all be worth it. And who knows...if he falls in love with Montreal (like Kovalev did), he just might re-sign with them. But it will be hard for Mtl to sign him considering they still have to re-sign PK Subban (who wants at least $8-8.5 million) and other free agents such as Andrei Markov.

But i'm still wondering what they'll have to do to make him fit within the team's current salary cap once Carey Price returns. Will someone like Rene Bourque be sent to the minors after being waived (if he's waived)?

p.s. Many believe Vanek would like to sign with Minnesota since that's where his family resides.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Happy about the Vanek deal. Someone will have to be shipped out to make room under the cap.

Same here. Maybe Rene Bourque on waivers & then sent down to Hamilton once Price comes back?

The habs were rumoured to be shopping around Lars Eller. I guess they were disappointed at the lack of interest. It's strange that nothing's been made of the fact Brian Gionta could have got a decent return should the habs have chosen to trade him. I don't think Markov would be dealt since he's crucial on the current defence.

On another note, i've just been informed that should the habs NOT make the playoffs, the habs would retain that 2nd-round pick. It would then strictly be a Vanek for Collberg trade.

 

[lgna69xxx]

Pavel shut down for another 3 weeks

Detroit Red Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk will be shut down for the next three weeks as he tries to rehabilitate a leg injury, general manager Ken Holland said Wednesday.

Datsyuk hasn't played since Feb. 27, the last of two games he played since competing for Russia in the 2014 Sochi Olympics. He missed a 4-3 loss against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.

It is a tough blow for the Red Wings, who trail the Columbus Blue Jackets by one point for eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings. The Washington Capitals, Devils and Ottawa Senators are within three points of Detroit.

The Red Wings also are without forward Henrik Zetterberg, who aggravated a back injury playing for Sweden at the Olympics. He is out indefinitely.



http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=707981&print=true

 

[lgna69xxx]

Word has it Bergervin told Garth Snow, i am hanging up the phone in 10 seconds, i want a yes or a no for what i offered for Vanek and it was reported that Snow said in a split second "Yes"........... can you imagine if he said "No"? he would have lost his job most likely because Vanek was walking away from the NYI after the season.

Vanek is a UFA, that's why they got him for nothing.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Word has it Bergervin told Garth Snow, i am hanging up the phone in 10 seconds, i want a yes or a no for what i offered for Vanek and it was reported that Snow said in a split second "Yes"..........

I like Bergevin's negotiating strategy.......it is reminiscent of a Brian Cashman trading deadline type strategy that he has used to pick up some player for nothing more than assuming an unwanted or expiring contract, often with the other team eating a bigger part of it (think Vernon Wells, although that was long before the trade deadline and was necessitated by injuries). Bergevin, like Cashman, looked around to see where he could get something on offense, for essentially nothing in return. This type of GM dealing is called Junkyard Gold Pan Handling. Bergevin found himself some gold in his pan.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Theo Fleury was one of the panelist today on Hockey Central (RSN) and commented that unlike what most people believe, the arrivals of Graborik and Vanek won't change a thing in LA and Mtl. Let's face it: Vanek has been a huge disappointment on Long Island & he's not exactly well-known for his hard-working skills, which scared away many potential suitors. Some believe a 2nd-round pick & a prospect was still too much to pay for such a rental player. And many teams were scared away by his cap hit, which is just under $5 million.

EB appears to make Bergevin sound like a genius, but i attribute the acquisition mostly due to the luck-of-the draw. He was simply at the right place at the right time. Bergevin hasn't really done anything trade-wise since he's been a GM, so it was time he finally stepped up to the plate & delivered. He had nothing to lose, so he went ahead with it. But i'm still curious on which player will play the price & be cut from the team in order to create cap space once Carey Price comes of injured reserve.

Elsewhere, i'm surprised at all the negativity coming out of Boston in regards to the Bruins' lack of movement other than boost their depleted defence. The detractors complain the fact the Bruins top rivals all improved at the forward position (NY with St-Louis, Habs with Vanek, etc) while the Bruins stayed put on offensive side. Sure, they added two defencemen....one who can't even crack the league-worst Oilers defence , and the other who is nothing more but a rental player whose best days are behind him.

I think the Bruins had to make a move to bolster their defence, but i suspect that the players they were aiming for had asking prices which were too high, one of them being Andrew McDonald, who was also on the Leafs' radar. One Boston writer even mocked that the Bruins needed to desperately fill a hole on their defence that hadn't been filled since the departure of Tomas Kaberle & that's why they acquired Mezzaros. Personally, i think Corey Potter might be a good fit on that team simply for his size. I could be wrong, but the Bruins didn't pay much for him since he was acquired on waivers.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Yes but the stats do not lie, Montreal and Ny Rangers both have scored far less goals than the Bruins and they needed more offensive firepower. They got what they needed, have improved their teams and closed the gap between them and Pittsburgh and Boston which both have top notch offensive production.

This makes for a more interesting playoffs. Yet I am still favoring Chicago to repeat as Stanley Cup champion.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Yes but the stats do not lie, Montreal and Ny Rangers both have scored far less goals than the Bruins and they needed more offensive firepower. They got what they needed, have improved their teams and closed the gap between them and Pittsburgh and Boston which both have top notch offensive production.

This makes for a more interesting playoffs. Yet I am still favoring Chicago to repeat as Stanley Cup champion.

I believe it has more to do with coaching than players. Michel Therrien has always been a very defensive coach, and i consider Vigneault to be the same way, which is why Luongo looked so good in Vancouver. Pittsburgh's offense is led by the best hockey player on the planet, plus one of the 3 best Russian players on the planet. That helps even if you're the most defensive coach in the league. But considering that Kris Letang will not be playing this season and he's their best defenceman, i don't expect Pittsburgh to make it past the first round of the playoffs. Good teams will be able to shut down Crosby and Malkin. The defence is now average at best and Fleury very suspect in the nets. I'm surprised they didn't pick up a goaltender as insurance, or an offensive defenceman to make up the loss of the offensively-gifted Letang.

Boston is extremely well-balanced, but it's also a team that is led by an aging captain and the loss of Dennis Seidenberg has been devastating to his play. The team hopes that things will change with the acquistion of either Potter or Mezzaros. The forwards are led by the likes of David Kreci & defensive specialist Patrice Bergeron. The Bruins don't have a sniper, but they don't really need one. If so, they would have kept Tyler Seguin last season, even though he was a disaster on the personal level. I was told by a very reliable source that the team had hired a security guard who was posted in the hallway next to Seguin's door during the playoffs. If this is true, i can't blame the Bruins for trading him away. No team wants to be in the business of hiring security guards to babysit twenty-something professional hockey players.

I don't think the Blackhawks will come out of their conference. I think the St-Louis Blues will take care of that. Other teams to watch out for will be the Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks & San Jose Sharks. Too many teams are now gunning for the Blackhawks.

 

[november]

I agree with Doc Holliday that Bourque might be the odd man out when Price comes back. Do you guys think that the eastern conference now is wide open, any of the top eight teams can go to the finals? It will make for an interesting spring.

 

[lgna69xxx]

Yep, I agree any of the top 8 in that conference could indeed go to the finals. That means any of Pitt, Boston, Montreal, Tampa, Toronto, Philly, NYR, or Columbus could go.

Do you guys think that the eastern conference now is wide open, any of the top eight teams can go to the finals?

 

[Doc Holliday]

Do you guys think that the eastern conference now is wide open, any of the top eight teams can go to the finals? It will make for an interesting spring.

I certainly agree that the east is wide open. The loss of Kris Letang will be devastating to the Penguins, plus the fact they didn't replace him when they had the chance to, and didn't acquire any goaltending insurance in case Fleury falters (as expected he will).

Even though Tampa Bay has been among the top 3 teams for most of the season, i didn't expect them to do much in the playoffs.

With the acquistion of St-Louis, i think the Rangers have to be taken seriously.

I think Montreal's chances will depend on whether or not Carey Price can return to form. I'm not sold that Tomas Vanek will help the team that much considering how defensive the habs' system is. Just ask Max Pacioretty about this, who was one of the first to complain to the media about this & that's when you started hearing rumours about him possibly being escorted out of Mtl for speaking his mind.

Philadelphia might be a team to also look out for, but i don't trust their goaltending and their coaching. I also am not impressed with their defence.

Ottawa could surprise many if they manage to find their way into the playoffs picture. I think this team has been under-achieving so far & much more was expected of them. If coach Maclean can find a way to light a fire under them, who knows what can happen. But for this to happen, Craig Anderson has to regain the form he had last season.

The Bruins....very similar team to last season. But Chara is starting to look his age and the long playoffs run will be very hard on him. The Bruins will need an energized Chara if they do want to make it past one or two playoff rounds. Will the team miss the scoring of a Tyler Seguin in these playoffs? Who knows. But they certainly won't miss the headaches he caused them in the past.

The Leafs.....what can i say? If there's a bipolar team out there, it has to be the Leafs. They're a team that has depended on great goaltending & the ability to score goals in bunches. The defence has been awful all season long & there's only room for improvement. If things don't improve, i wouldn't be surprised to see assistant coach Dave Farrish be fired after the season ends. His handling of defencemen this season has not impressed me one bit. I'm also quite aware that President Tim Leweike is not a very patient man (just ask the Raptors & Toronto FC) and he wouldn't hesitate one minute to replace his general manager should he not approve of the job he's doing. I must admit that not acquiring a defenceman today was a disappointment. Sure, they didn't have any cap room.....but isn't the GM responsible for this?

Washington.....they could surprise a lot of people. They are well coached, have one of the most dynamic players in the world, and have very good goaltending. I'm not sold on their defence, and Ovechkin will have to play smarter and be more of a team-oriented player if he wants his team to advance further in the playoffs.

And finally, Detroit. Detroit has been hit by the injury bug to its top players all season long. Now comes word that Pavel Datsyuk will miss weeks. With Zetterberg already being out for most of the regular season, i have to say that Detroit's chances of even making the playoffs are not good. The defence is orginary, and not much more can be said of the goaltending. It's a team that relie a lot on the system implemented by coach Mike Babcock, and without its top two forwards leading the group, how far will they go? Can veterans such as Daniel Alfredsson, Johan Franzen & Todd Bertuzzi lead them into the playoffs? Time will tell.

Here is my bottom line:

Any top 8 team in the west could advance to the Stanley Cup finals. The top teams in that conference are very strong & can beat anyone on any given night.

Any top 8 team in the east could advance to the Stanley Cup finals. In the playoffs, anything can happen & many teams in the past have got to the finals on the coat tails of incredible goaltending. Just ask the Boston Bruins when they won the cup by riding on the back of Tim Thomas. I can't see Pittsburgh getting to the finals without Kris Letang & better goaltending, but who knows. It's wide open and the team with the most momentum will likely be the east' representative in the finals.

 

[EagerBeaver]

It's going to be Boston vs. Chicago again and Chicago will win in 6 again.

 

[G1GBallday]

Happy about the Vanek deal. Someone will have to be shipped out to make room under the cap.

There's no cap issue because Buffalo retained over 4 million when they traded him to the Islanders.

 

[Doc Holliday]

In my opinion it will be Boston in the East and either Chicago / Anaheim / Colorado in the West.

It's hard for me to pick Boston since they were lucky to even get by Toronto last season & in my opinion had a superior team to this year's. It's a total crapshoot both in the west and in the east.

p.s. I can't see Colorado even winning a single round. Too young & the coach is too inexperienced. Plus. they play in the strongest of the two conferences where at least 4 of its teams could be among the Stanley Cup favorites over any other eastern team.

 

[Doc Holliday]

There's no cap issue because Buffalo retained over 4 million when they traded him to the Islanders.

Huh???? That's not how it works. A team can pay part of a player's salary (like Nashville is doing with Dubnyk) when they trade him to another team, but that player's cap amount still counts fully on his new team's salary cap structure. Therefore, Tomas Vanek's $4.983's cap amount fully goes under Montreal's cap.

I still think Rene Bourque will get the axe, but who knows....a combination of other players such as Francis Bouillion, George Parros and maybe Ryan White could also be waived and sent down. But i think White has some limited value as compared to the other players. Therefore, it has to be Bourque....unless Brandon Prust is put on injured reserve to buy some time (and one of the other marginal players mentionned gets axed).