2013 NHL Official Hockey Thread

[Doc Holliday]

Top NHL buyout candidates

by Bruce Garrioch, QMI Agency

Gentlemen, open your wallets.

Once the season officially ends later this month, a few general managers will have to toy with the difficult task of whether they'll actually use the compliance buyouts negotiated by the league and the NHL Players' Association in the CBA.

Here are some buyout candidates:

Ilya Bryzgalov, G, Philadelphia: His buyout would be $23 million spread over 14 years, which means he would be on the payroll until 2027.

Many in Philly believe the Flyers won't make this move and buyout centre Daniel Briere instead.

Roberto Luongo, G, Vancouver: He didn't get dealt at the April 3 deadline so this is a possibility but not realistic. The cost would be $27 million of the $40.57 million left on his deal.

The Canucks would be on the hook to pay him until 2031.

Brad Richards, C, Rangers: The club needs to clear cap space and they are considering this possibility. New York would be forced to cough up $27 million until 2027 to pay out Richards.

If that happens, don't rule out a return to Tampa.

Former Columbus GM Doug MacLean, a Sports- net analyst, said it is a tough conversation to have with the owner.

"I had to go into my owner and tell him I was buying out Andrew Cassels and it was $900,000. It wasn't a very pleasant meeting," said MacLean.

"First of all it was awful to phone Andrew because he was a great guy and it was worse to tell the owner. You have to admit you made a mistake."

Top NHL buyout candidates

I can't see the Flyers buying out Bryzgalov, nor do i see the Rangers buying out Richards. As for the Leafs, i see them buying out Mike Komisarek & possibly Mikael Grabovski (if they can't trade him) in order for them to re-sign Tyler Bozak. In Montreal, i see them buying out Tomas Kaberle & possibly another player....maybe Rene Bourque?

 

[lgna69xxx]

Pretty sure each team only gets one buyout this summer and another next summer under the new cba, so likely Komi gets bought out this summer. Grabo has done a pretty good job being a 3rd line checker and thus the points drop but he is not paid to be a 3rd line checker, so not sure whats gonna happen with him, maybe a trade, if not he likely remains as a overpaid 3rd liner. Bozak needs to be re signed but not paid like a first line centre, because frankly, he does not deliver first line #'s but he is one of our most important players overall... hopefully he takes a hometown discount, 5 years for $20 mil sounds about right.

I can't see the Flyers buying out Bryzgalov, nor do i see the Rangers buying out Richards. As for the Leafs, i see them buying out Mike Komisarek & possibly Mikael Grabovski (if they can't trade him) in order for them to re-sign Tyler Bozak. In Montreal, i see them buying out Tomas Kaberle & possibly another player....maybe Rene Bourque?

 

[Doc Holliday]

Surprising news today from Edmonton where the Oilers fired GM Steve Tambellini and replaced him with the coach he fired, Craig MacTavish.

In other news, the Detroit Red Wings are barely hanging on to the 8th and final playoff position in the West. Dallas only trails by 2 pts with a game in hand, and Columbus still trails them by a pair, with Phoenix only 1 point behind those two teams.

There's no doubt in my mind that the next GM & coach to get the axe should be Ken Holland & the overrated Mike Babcock in Detroit. I wouldn't be too surprised to see Babcock wind up as Edmonton's coach once the season ends. As for Holland, there's no doubt in my mind that Steve Yzerman wouldn't hesitate to hire him for the Tampa Bay front office. Who might replace those two in Detroit? My money's on Brian Burke & Ron Wilson.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Bozak needs to be re signed but not paid like a first line centre, because frankly, he does not deliver first line #'s but he is one of our most important players overall... hopefully he takes a hometown discount, 5 years for $20 mil sounds about right.

Bozak is going to hit the jackpot should he hit the free agency market, so if the Leafs are set on keeping him, they'll have to overpay. But the only way they'll be able to do this is if they can trade Grabovski. Last season at the trade deadline, the Predators offered their first-round pick to the Leafs for Grabovski, a deal Burke unfortunately turned down.

Bozak will have to realize that he likely won't get the same role on most teams that will be willing to sign him. I do agree that he can't be paid #1 center money (like Grabovski) since Nazem Kadri has now become a bonafide #1 center (the one they've been looking for all along) and he'll also have to be re-signed during the off-season.

On another note, i was unaware about that one-player only amnesty rule this season. I wonder now if that amnesty couldn't be used on Grabovski (if he can't be moved) and then they'd simply buy-out Komisarek as a normal off-season buy-out. Since he's only got one season remaining, his cap-hit might not be as severe.

By the way, i hadn't realized that should the Flyers buy-out Bryzgalov, they'd be stuck with paying him until 2027. Same thing with Brad Richards. Unbelievable!

p.s. Maybe Montreal could swap Carey Price for Bryzgalov. A simple change of scenery might be what both goalies require in order to jump-start their careers.

 

[lgna69xxx]

At the time Grabo was a decent siging by Burke because centers of his talent are not a luxury around the league and he would of got that in the open market anyways, but he is being used more in a defensive role under Carlyle so his offensive production is gonna go down. I dont think he is a RC type player at all and if we can move him for a #1 pick or even a 2nd and a prospect, it might be best for him and us. Leafs clear cap space to sign Bozak and Grabo gets a fresh start back at being a #2 centre somewhere.

I think Bozak would take 4mil per over a long term deal, he loves Toronto and he and Kessel are best buds. It would also help us re sign Kessel easier and maybe for a bit less $ . Dion is due a new contract next year also so Grabo likely will be moved or the amnesty clause.... ( i would imagine he could be traded tho, he still has alot of value)

Dont rule out Joe Colborne as making the team next season on the first or second line. He has greatly improved under Dallas Eakins this season and is that big centre we haved needed for years now. Not as fast as some but neither was Jumbo Joe Thornton whom Colborne reminds me of. Great hands, quick feet (not fast but quick feet) and smart hockey IQ. Imagine up the middle next year, Colborne,Kadri,Bozak and McClement... not bad at all. Bozak would excel as a 3rd line center, first unit PK and PP time as well. Could be one of the best 3rd line centers in all of the NHL, and was a free wallet signing out of the NCAA, nice job Mr. Burke!

 

[Doc Holliday]

Don't look now, but the Detroit Red Wings have just been passed by the surprising Columbus Blue Jackets for the final playoff spot in the West. Who could have predicted that Columbus & the NY Islanders could be playoff teams? Who could have predicted that the Detroit Red Wings might miss the playoffs?

In the East, Montreal got destroyed (again!) in Pittsburgh & has been passed in the standings by Boston, who lost to Buffalo in the dreaded shoot-out. Could this be the year Toronto & Montreal meet one another in the playoffs? When is the last time this happened? 1979?

Can't wait for the playoffs....it'll be great!

With about 5 or 6 games left to play until playoffs time, it looks like we'll have a heck of an end to the regular season!

 

[lgna69xxx]

Seguin ignites firestorm

The Boston Bruins’ Tyler Seguin realized just how permanent a tweet can be.

After watching the music video to Nothin' But Business (feat. BR & V Knuckles) by Boston rapper Slaine, the 21-year-old aired his thoughts on the song.

“Just listened to the song in my bed. Gave me goosebumps no homo. My roommate and boy have some skills @freddybender @KnucklesNBS,” he posted to his Twitter account Monday night.

Poorly timed, given the National Hockey League and NHL Players’ Association partnered with You Can Play, an organization dedicated to stamping out homophobia in sports, earlier this month.

The tweet upset some of his followers.

Still, You Can Play’s founder, Patrick Burke, tried to calm the tempest by tweeting, “Is it the end of the world? No. And I’m sure he’s already regretting it. All that’s going to happen is some education from us. No discipline.”

Seguin’s initial tweet, which was deleted, was followed by an apology.

“You know when your (sic) half asleep and say or write something without thinking twice or realizing what you said. Apologies on last tweet. Gnight.”

The Bruins have not issued a statement, but one their blueliners, Zdeno Chara, is an advocate for You Can Play, and might offer the young Seguin some sage advice.


http://www.torontosun.com/2013/04/23/seguins-no-homo-tweet-ignites-firestorm

 

[Doc Holliday]

As i see it.....

Interesting playoff battles happening right now in both conferences. In the East, Pittsburgh, Boston, Montreal, Washington, Toronto & the NY Islanders have all clinched a playoff spot. Toronto stands in the 5th spot, only 3 points behind the slumping Bruins & Habs, who are in a freefall. Both Boston & Toronto have 3 games left to play, while Montreal only has 2. Could the Leafs manage to pass Montreal if they beat them Saturday night at the ACC? Or will the surprising Islanders, who only have 2 games left, be able to pass the Leafs? Meanwhile, Ottawa, the NY Rangers & Winnipeg are battling it out for the last 2 playoff positions. Ottawa is tied with the Rangers, but has a game in hand. The Jets have only 1 game remaining and must win that game since they trail the other two teams by only 1 point.

Let's examine the remaining schedule:

Pittsburgh has already claimed the top spot (by a large margin), so we'll concentrate on the other teams.

Boston has three games remaining. Two are at home. They face Tampa on Thursday & Ottawa on Sunday. On Saturday, they will play in Washington. I predict they'll win at least one of those 3 games, likely the one against Tampa. This will give them a minimum of 61 points.

Washington has 54 points and 2 games left. They host Ottawa & Boston. I think they can beat both of these teams for the simple fact that they're currently the hottest team in hockey, with the hottest scorer in Ovechkin. This will give them 58 points.

Montreal has two games remaining. Both are on the road. The first one is in Winnipeg on Thursday night. It's a must-win for Winnipeg, so i'll give this one to Winnipeg. There's also the factor that the Habs have been atrocious lately. On Saturday, they play in Toronto. I'll give this one to the Leafs since they've had Montreal's number all season long & the Leafs are playing better than Montreal. So Montreal will likely have 59 points by the end of the regular season.

Toronto has 55 points and three games left to play. They'll play in Tampa tonight & tomorrow night in Miami. I have a feeling they'll suffer a letdown tonight after spending the past 3 days enjoying the sun at the beach. However, they got a surprise wakeup call yesterday morning where they were told to be at the rink @8:30am for practice. Carlyle stated he won't be resting his veterans. I still think they'll lose tonight against Tampa, but will rebound tomorrow & beat Florida, who surprised everyone by beating the Rangers last night. On Saturday, the Leafs play the rival Canadiens at home & i believe will once again prevail, giving them 59 points. This will tie them with the Habs, but will allow them to pass them in the standings, giving them the 4th spot & home ice for most of the playoffs.

The NY Islanders have only two games remaining. They play tomorrow in Philadelphia & Friday in Buffalo. I believe they'll lose in Philly & win in Buffalo, giving them 56 points.

Ottawa has three games left & has only 52 points. They'll be on the road tomorrow in Washington, at home Saturday against Philly, and in Boston on Sunday. I think they can win one of those games, likely the one at home against Philly, which will give them 54 points. One win will guarantee them a playoff spot. Will we see Erik Carlsson lace up his skates this weekend? I think it'll depend on whether or not one of their last two games is a must-win game or not.

The Rangers are an enigma. They have the players on paper to contend for the conference lead. However, the chemistry doesn't seem to be there, even though they've played much better since the Gaborik trade. Last night's game against the lowly Panthers was a nearly guaranteed win for them, but they found a way to lose that game. They have two games left to play & are in Carolina tonight & at home against New Jersey on Saturday. I think they'll win tonight & possibly on Saturday, but games against the rival Devils are usually hard-fought games. I think they'll come out with 4 points, which will give them a total of 56 points to end the regular season.

So if my predictions hold true, here is how the Eastern Conference standings look after the regular season (top 8 teams):

1-Pittsburgh
2-Boston
3-Washington
4-Toronto
5-Montreal
6-NY Rangers
7-NY Islanders
8-Ottawa

Playoffs matchups:

Ottawa vs. Pittsburgh
NY Islanders vs. Boston
NY Rangers vs. Washington
Montreal vs. Toronto

I'll review the Western Conference tomorrow.....

 

[man77777]

I cant explain Montreal's freefall. Leafs will be the fav of this serie, no matter who will finish 4th, as the 2teams have quite the same stats at home and on the road... Anyway I just come back from the future, so I can tell you that the winner of this serie will be severely beat by Pinguins in the next round (4-1)..

I bet on a Pitt-Wash Conference Finale (4-2)

Btw if I was Ott, NYI, NYR and TO, I would do my best not to finish 6th nor 8th...

 

[Doc Holliday]

I can tell you that the winner of this serie will be severely beat by Pinguins in the next round (4-1)..

It depends how the #6 & 7 seeds fare in their respective playoffs. The way they've been playing lately, i wouldn't be too surprised to see Boston upset in their opening series, which would mean that victorious team would get to play Pittsburgh (if the Penguins do advance, of course). I also wouldn't be too surprised to see Washington lose their opening series. If so, they'd get to meet Pittsburgh or the 2nd-highest seed.

 

[Special K]

I'm impressed Doc, you hit the nail on the head tonight.

 

[Doc Holliday]

My thoughts on the Western Conference....

Chicago is running away with the Conference title. They are one of the leading contenders to win the Cup. However, many teams in their position in the past have faltered & often wound up getting eliminated early.

Anaheim is in the 2nd spot and has surprised everyone. Bruce Boudreau deserves a lot of credit for the team's success.

Vancouver will likely hang on to the 3rd spot since it has two games left. The face Anaheim at home tonight and then will visit Edmonton on Saturday. My guess is that they'll win at least one of those two games, likely the one in Edmonton.

Los Angeles, San Jose & St-Louis are in a battle for the 4th, 5th and 6th spots. The first two have one game left, while St-Louis has a game in hand while trailing them by a point. Los Angeles will face San Jose on Saturday night. St-Louis receives Calgary tonight, which i predict they'll win. This means that Saturday's game against Chicago (in St-Louis) might have serious implications in the standings for the Blues. Chicago is likely to rest some key players in that game, meaning that the Blues could win that game. Don't be surprised if the Blues don't wind up in the 4th spot, with either LA or SJ right behind them.

Minnesota currently trails St-Louis by 3 points and have 2 games left to play. They receive Edmonton and end the season in Colorado. I wouldn't be surprised to see them sweep their next two games. However, they won't move up in the standings and will remain in the 7th spot.

In the final spot, we find the disappointing Detroit Red Wings, who are battling it out with Columbus and Dallas. They key is that all of those three teams have 2 games left to play. Columbus only trails Detroit by 1 point, while Dallas has the short end of the stick and trails them by 4, meaning they'll have to win their last two games and hope Detroit and Columbus both falter badly. I'm not betting on it.

Detroit hosts Nashville tonight and plays in Dallas on Saturday. They'll win one of those two games and it will likely be the one tonight. Therefore, it would be a good idea for Columbus to sweep their next two games, starting tonight in Dallas and on Saturday at home against Nashville. Fail to get a point tonight will likely mean disappointment for Columbus. As for Dallas, they'd have to beat both Columbus and Detroit in order to sneak by.

So here's how i see it:

1-Chicago
2-Anaheim
3-Vancouver
4-St-Louis
5-San Jose (or LA)
6-Los Angeles (or SJ)
7-Minnesota
8-Detroit

Playoff matchups:

Detroit vs. Chicago
Minnesota vs. Anaheim
Los Angeles (or SJ) vs. Vancouver
San Jose (or LA) vs. St-Louis

I predict some upsets in that first round.

 

[man77777]

San Jose and LA absolutly need to be 4th...

I would bet on a Chi-Van (4-2) conf finale

 

[Doc Holliday]

I would bet on a Chi-Van (4-2) conf finale

I wouldn't. I'm betting one of those two teams (likely the Canucks) will get upset either in the first or second round of the playoffs. Canucks haven't been sharp all season long & there are questions about Corey Schneider's health.

 

[man77777]

I'm betting one of those two teams (likely the Canucks) will get upset either in the first or second round of the playoffs.

Well you would have 85% of chance to win, not very risky...

What are the 4 conf finalist you see and who will be the winners IYO ?

I see Pitt/Wash/Van/Chi and Pitt with the cup...

Would be great if everybody could write his guess here !

 

[lgna69xxx]

Jacques Demers: "Maple Leafs Have Become Canada's Team"

http://sports.nationalpost.com/2013...-collar-maple-leafs-have-become-canadas-team/

 

[lgna69xxx]

Nutz, it is not that you do not have talent, but you need some talent to go with those #1's. Tambo was a puppet who HAD to pick #1 when in fact he should of traded one of those top picks to help the team more. The Oilers are a very soft team and that aint gonna get you nowhere in the NHL, just ask the habs.

Back to the west coast. For sure all is lost for my Oilers in a playoff spot after the loss to the Flames last night ( 5 in a row ). As for the #1 picks the Oilers have ( 4 ), why were you picked #1? Can not see why many nights. GO ESKS GO ! OK, back to the east rivalry.

 

[Sol Tee Nutz]

I know we have talent and I would have traded one of the kids for a goalie before the deadline. Management is the big issue with the Oilers, Katz should fire the whole works and start fresh. Everybody knows if you do not have a top goalie you will never make it in the NHL. Getting tired of watching the Oilers get a 2 goal lead and then tey to play defense and end up losing, Oliers are not a defensive team at the present time, need to bulk up. Hopefully Lowe and Mac T will be gone before the next season starts.

 

[Sol Tee Nutz]

And my guess is Pitt, Wash, Chi, St.L with Wash winning.

 

[tallguy]

Los Angeles Kings will repeat.