Around the NHL: Free Agent Frenzy begins July 1 at noon

[CatsforReinhart]

Based on 5 goals in a prospects game? McDavid may very well outscore Eichel. But I would't take much out of what either does in a prospects game.

sorry you don't see it. I don't take much out but come on, the guy is a step above that includes Eichel, IMO. I guess you see it differently.

 

[Rhett4]

Figuring out RFA vs UFA is too complicated for most on this board. Most casual fans also just look at points and not the player. Tarasenko is a great player but he is getting paid quite well since he isn't even RFA. I hope Sabres do this for Ristolainen.

Yeah, but not for 7.5. The Myers deal might be a good comparison, but I think that the big man had more leverage at the time coming off a Calder and some big point totals.

 

[haseoke39]

People on the trade board are talking about Patrick Sharp having like, one suitor left (Montreal) and maybe going for stupid low.

I'd easily throw out a second and a prospect for him, redundant or not. Put him on RW and roll three wicked lines.

Girgensons - ROR - Sharp
Kane - Eichel - Ennis
Moulson - Reinhart - Larsson

Of course, that'd mean we shoot ourselves in the foot on Oduya, but who knows where Oduya wants to go.

 

[Rhett4]

People on the trade board are talking about Patrick Sharp having like, one suitor left (Montreal) and maybe going for stupid low.

I'd easily throw out a second and a prospect for him, redundant or not. Put him on RW and roll three wicked lines.

Girgensons - ROR - Sharp
Kane - Eichel - Ennis
Moulson - Reinhart - Larsson

Of course, that'd mean we shoot ourselves in the foot on Oduya, but who knows where Oduya wants to go.

I'd do two years of Sharp on the cheap, too. He'd help right the ship more quickly, and his salary would be off the books by the time it mattered. If we're not in a playoff race in two years, he could also net some assets at the deadline that might be comparable to his cost now.

I wonder why there are so few suitors for him, though. I know he'd be hard to swallow capwise for the top teams, but I can think of more than a few bubble teams that would benefit from his services. Unless they're all after Oduya and trying to leave the Hawks out to dry

 

[joshjull]

I'd do two years of Sharp on the cheap, too. He'd help right the ship more quickly, and his salary would be off the books by the time it mattered. If we're not in a playoff race in two years, he could also net some assets at the deadline that might be comparable to his cost now.

I wonder why there are so few suitors for him, though. I know he'd be hard to swallow capwise for the top teams, but I can think of more than a few bubble teams that would benefit from his services. Unless they're all after Oduya and trying to leave the Hawks out to dry

That probably has a lot to do with it. Being after Oduya that is not necessarily trying to stick it to the Hawks

 

[La Cosa Nostra]

In 2-3 seasons Tarasenkos deal will look real nice if he's popping in 40 goals and the cap rises above $75 mil. A player doesn't have to be a stud in his own zone to be considered a great player. Hopefully we are able to have a Tarasenko type winger on this team in the future. Hopefully Kane can put the injuries behind him and do well.

 

[Paxon]

People on the trade board are talking about Patrick Sharp having like, one suitor left (Montreal) and maybe going for stupid low.

I'd easily throw out a second and a prospect for him, redundant or not. Put him on RW and roll three wicked lines.

Girgensons - ROR - Sharp
Kane - Eichel - Ennis
Moulson - Reinhart - Larsson

Of course, that'd mean we shoot ourselves in the foot on Oduya, but who knows where Oduya wants to go.

I get the appeal but I just wouldn't want to add someone like Sharp at this point. We have the right blend at forward to protect the young players while still allowing them to see ice if deserving. Throw someone like Sharp on the team and the balance swings. You can add two Sharps and this still isn't a playoff team unless they add another defenseman or get lucky with McCabe stepping up big time.

 

[Jim Bob]

http://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/791932

First, the obvious: Mike Babcock is a serious, no-nonsense coach who believes in hard work. You can say a lot of things about Phaneuf, but there’s no denying he’s all three of those things too. It’s safe to say the respect is mutual - remember how Detroit really wanted Phaneuf, then Babcock left, then those talks died down? Not sayin’, just sayin’.

I wonder if the Babcock hire means that Phaneuf is staying in Toronto.

 

[Moskau]

It's hard to say Phaneuf is serious and no-nonsense when he tried to turn the Calgary locker room on Jarmone Iginla and was promptly traded as a result of everyone hating him for it. And the Leafs have done nothing but collapse under him.

 

[Jim Bob]

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-p...-kings-way--of-puck-protection-181057264.html

At Kings development camp here at Toyota Center, players skated up to the blue line and then pushed the puck wide over and over again for about 15 minutes. It looked poetically beautiful but it was not simply for aesthetics. This was drilled into the future Kings’ heads and muscle memory – to not let the opposition swoop in and take the puck from them.
“We talk about keeping the puck away from defenders' sticks and (scout) Mike Donnelly does an exceptional job of that and you really have to break it down with these kids and take them back to basics really,†said director of player development Nelson Emerson. “It’s the stance, it’s where they hold the puck.â€
While many teams use this time on ice to work on power skating, footwork, stickhandling and other hockey minutiae, the Kings have a grand plan. It’s not solely about individual hockey skills with them. There’s an attempt to fit players into their overall on-ice style.
“We stress with some of the fundamentals we do in where to carry the puck and how to carry the puck, how to penetrate without getting the puck stripped,†said development coach Mike O’Connell. “That all requires changing some of the ways we do things and not exposing the puck and trying to keep it away from the opposition while you have it. You just can’t tell them, you have to show them over and over and over again and try to get them to understand the importance of it.â€
The Kings don’t put a lot of public emphasis on their annual prospect rite of passage. The timing of when guys are on ice isn’t super publicized – possibly because they don’t want to show all their cards on how they guide their young players towards the ‘Kings Way.’
Though some of L.A.’s core was acquired from other teams, homegrown players such as Anze Kopitar, Kyle Clifford, Dwight King, Jordan Nolan, Tyler Toffoli, Drew Doughty and Tanner Pearson all made their NHL debuts after Lombardi became the team’s GM in 2006. All except Nolan were on the plus side of shot attempts differential via the NHL’s enhanced stats page.
“It’s very teachable,†said director of player personnel ike Futa. “I think it’s one of the specialties of our development team.â€

 

[Jim Bob]

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/...ler-erik-johnson-jakub-voracek-contract-year/

I will be surprised if more than 2 or 3 of these 16 players hit UFA.

 

[CrazyPsycho]

 

[Jacob582]

 

[BuiltTagonTough]

Sad, but not unexpected.

 

[StlSwedes]

Dang, wonder what GMTM's plan B is going to be....

 

[26CornerBlitz]

 

[enthusiast]

sami salo will retire like he played, broken af

 

[TehDoak]

I wonder if the Sabres are ever going to do a large scale "Townhall" style meeting with the season ticket holders like other teams do

http://blogs.theprovince.com/2015/0...been-miller-gone-if-benning-believed-in-lack/