Around the NHL 2013-2014

[InjuredChoker]

Renaud Lavoie ‏@LavoieRenaud 1 min
Douglas Murray out 4 to 6 weeks. Upper body injury. #canadiens

Bruce Garrioch ‏@SunGarrioch 15 min
Can confirm Mika Zibanejad was assigned to Binghamton. Player roster will be 22. Zibanejad doesn't need waivers. #Sens

 

[Kronwalled55]

Renaud Lavoie ‏@LavoieRenaud 1 min
Douglas Murray out 4 to 6 weeks. Upper body injury. #canadiens

Bruce Garrioch ‏@SunGarrioch 15 min
Can confirm Mika Zibanejad was assigned to Binghamton. Player roster will be 22. Zibanejad doesn't need waivers. #Sens

That 2nd one surprises me. Zibanejad is a very good player; I've been impressed with him when I've watched the Sens play.

 

[gretskidoo]

Zibanejad should definitely be in the NHL. It's good for us.

 

[InjuredChoker]

It's possible that bringing Zibby down is similar move to Mrazek or something like that.

 

[InjuredChoker]

Brent Wallace ‏@tsn_wally 1 min
Bryan Murray told Zibanejad to go down to Binghamton and raise his intensity level and get more involved physically and mentally

Bruce Garrioch ‏@SunGarrioch 3 min
"Performance was the main thing," says Murray about sending Zibanejad down. #Sens

or not.

 

[InjuredChoker]

Todd Cordell ‏@ToddCordell 3 min
#NJDevils have just over two hours to get to the 23-man roster limit. They're currently sitting at 25.

Guess they will be active in trade market.

Wouldn't mind Fayne.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

That 2nd one surprises me. Zibanejad is a very good player; I've been impressed with him when I've watched the Sens play.

I kind of feel Zibby is a little overrated on this board at times. For a player with so much offensive potential he is missing the one thing we like to see and that is production. We are talking about a guy that was outperformed by Nyquist at similar ages in Sweden and vastly outproduced. He has that frame and skating though, but who he reminds me of is MPS (who also outproduced Zibby) in that all you ever talk about are his tools. Well important to note his production has never matched to date what people think of him as a player. Maybe a big part of that is the compete level as Murray is alluding to while sending him down.

He can be a great player, but the hype on him to date in many ways is unwarranted, or really just a by-product of him being such a good looking athlete. I know he is young but he is a guy in each of the men's leagues he has played in is under .5 points per game. Most alarmingly he was only a .6 ppga in the SuperElite league. Now he has the tools to improve on this, but in my opinion he is hyped like none of this has happened and I struggle agreeing with that right now.

 

[Laser Rayzor]

Steve Mears ‏@MearsyNHL
Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, on @NHL Live now, informing us that hybrid icing has been approved for the upcoming season. @NHLNetwork

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Steve Mears ‏@MearsyNHL
Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, on @NHL Live now, informing us that hybrid icing has been approved for the upcoming season. @NHLNetwork

Good I am on board with this, we will have to wait and see how many forwards fall victim now, but hopefully the catastrophic injuries will disappear with this system.

 

[gretskidoo]

I kind of feel Zibby is a little overrated on this board at times. For a player with so much offensive potential he is missing the one thing we like to see and that is production. We are talking about a guy that was outperformed by Nyquist at similar ages in Sweden and vastly outproduced. He has that frame and skating though, but who he reminds me of is MPS (who also outproduced Zibby) in that all you ever talk about are his tools. Well important to note his production has never matched to date what people think of him as a player. Maybe a big part of that is the compete level as Murray is alluding to while sending him down.

He can be a great player, but the hype on him to date in many ways is unwarranted, or really just a by-product of him being such a good looking athlete. I know he is young but he is a guy in each of the men's leagues he has played in is under .5 points per game. Most alarmingly he was only a .6 ppga in the SuperElite league. Now he has the tools to improve on this, but in my opinion he is hyped like none of this has happened and I struggle agreeing with that right now.

It's because how good he actually looked on the ice. He was Ottawa's best player for a stretch of games last season.

Besides, he was on pace for ~40 points last season playing ~14 mins a game which is more than enough for a 19 year old rookie.

Anyway, it could be great or extremely bad for him. He'll either become extremely motivated and be a better player because of it or the opposite(when it comes to Ottawa).

 

[RedWingsNow*]

Good I am on board with this, we will have to wait and see how many forwards fall victim now, but hopefully the catastrophic injuries will disappear with this system.

I don't like this rule.
I hate how the NHL constantly changes rules.

 

[Heaton]

Good I am on board with this, we will have to wait and see how many forwards fall victim now, but hopefully the catastrophic injuries will disappear with this system.

Too many unnecessary injuries on icings, glad they're doing things to try and fix that.

 

[Chance on Chance]

kessel got 8x8. I'm not really a fan of paying wingers that much

 

[PullHard]

Kessel at any point in time making more than Datsyuk is wrong

 

[Chance on Chance]

Kessel at any point in time making more than Datsyuk is wrong

Its not that crazy, its 500k more for someone 10 years younger

 

[PullHard]

Its not that crazy, its 500k more for someone 10 years younger

Yeah but he is only just starting to become anything more than a one trick pony, mostly perimeter winger who can score goals and only just very recently showed he can be a more than average playmaker. I criticize Holland a lot, but I look around the NHL and see some contracts and thank my luck for cheering for this team. Leafs are so screwed by the cap and they JUST made it back to the playoffs. They are hoping the cap rises fast, I imagine.

 

[Chance on Chance]

Yeah but he is only just starting to become anything more than a one trick pony, mostly perimeter winger who can score goals and only just very recently showed he can be a more than average playmaker. I criticize Holland a lot, but I look around the NHL and see some contracts and thank my luck for cheering for this team. Leafs are so screwed by the cap and they JUST made it back to the playoffs. They are hoping the cap rises fast, I imagine.

I would never want an 8 million dollar winger on my team but if Toronto let him go it would be a huge fail and Kessel had the upper hand. The 8 year max really effects deals now too

 

[PullHard]

I would never want an 8 million dollar winger on my team but if Toronto let him go it would be a huge fail and Kessel had the upper hand. The 8 year max really effects deals now too

Very true. Bleh the Leafs management team will never be anything more than passable at best, no matter who is there. I swear that team is doomed for mediocrity.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Yeah but he is only just starting to become anything more than a one trick pony, mostly perimeter winger who can score goals and only just very recently showed he can be a more than average playmaker. I criticize Holland a lot, but I look around the NHL and see some contracts and thank my luck for cheering for this team. Leafs are so screwed by the cap and they JUST made it back to the playoffs. They are hoping the cap rises fast, I imagine.

Kessel could have got more money than that, not a lot more, but this is slightly below market. Just now when someone is 25 isn't a huge slight, Datsyuk was just then proving what he could be. Kessel has been one of the best players in the league two seasons running and this reflects that.

I agree with the scariness of paying wingers, but with the cap likely to go up, we should probably take notice and for once have just one of these major paid wingers, I think we all realize we need one, what you want to avoid is a bunch, that is where the Leafs are going to be in trouble. They have paid too much for a mediocre center in Bozak along with three other highly paid wingers in Clarkson (what the hell where they thinking), Lupul and JVR. The last two I even like, but their balance has some problems. Phaneuf is about to eat the rest of their cap.

 

[RedWingsNow*]

I just don't see many teams going very far when their featured player is a small, speedy winger.

 

[PullHard]

Kessel could have got more money than that, not a lot more, but this is slightly below market. Just now when someone is 25 isn't a huge slight, Datsyuk was just then proving what he could be. Kessel has been one of the best players in the league two seasons running and this reflects that.

I agree with the scariness of paying wingers, but with the cap likely to go up, we should probably take notice and for once have just one of these major payed wingers, I think we all realize we need one, what you want to avoid is a bunch, that is where the Leafs are going to be in trouble. They have paid too much for a mediocre center in Bozak along with three other highly paid wingers in Clarkson (what the hell where they thinking), Lupul and JVR. The last two I even like, but their balance has some problems. Phaneuf is about to eat the rest of their cap.

I guess that was the context I was speaking from. Kessel at $8M isn't a killer (though I think it is too much, that is up there with the very best players in the league, and I don't think Kessel belongs in that group), but with those Bozak and Clarkson contracts specifically, they can't afford to just throw around money like this. Are they hoping Phaneuf takes a major pay cut?

 

[Chance on Chance]

I just don't see many teams going very far when their featured player is a small, speedy winger.

Agreed, I think the road to the cup is through 2 strong centers and a true #1D then you can shape the team how you want after that

 

[Chance on Chance]

I guess that was the context I was speaking from. Kessel at $8M isn't a killer (though I think it is too much, that is up there with the very best players in the league, and I don't think Kessel belongs in that group), but with those Bozak and Clarkson contracts specifically, they can't afford to just throw around money like this. Are they hoping Phaneuf takes a major pay cut?

Not to mention if Frason has a big year he'll be looking to get paid. Kadri up in 2 years too. Its playing with fire and unless your a contender not a safe thing

 

[Kronwalled55]

I just don't see many teams going very far when their featured player is a small, speedy winger.

The Leafs have size everywhere else in the lineup though. Kessel could score 40 goals. Not saying the Leafs WILL go far, but they have a team good enough to upset elite teams come playoff time.

 

[Orca Smash]

Canucks fan here, just curious one of our beat writers claimed at the draft the canucks and wings had a deal on the table for brendan smith, a 1st overall, and a few other players for edler.

Was just curious if you guys as fans would have approved or disapproved of it.