Manute Bol comment in 3,2...

wee: 3 minutes in the penalty box for misuse of "begs the question".

For all intensive purposes, using it in that manner has become acceptable, irregardless of people's attempts to do their upmost for good grammar.

I'm not sure how Gillis's fetish for over the hill swedish players turns into a rumour that Forsberg will be joing the team. How long until they start talking about bringing Naslund back?

DslainteC: For all intensive purposes, using it in that manner has become acceptable, irregardless of people's attempts to do their upmost for good grammar.

*snert*

Fark me, I hate Jaromir Jagr. I did a little dance when he went away.

It may raise the question....but it definately doesn't beg the question.

I'd take the gamble on forberg if I were Gillis. With the amount of injuries the nuck roster has seen (82 games worth) it's not like they'll be shy on using some of their cap space. Might as well pick up another forward to toss on the IR.

Yay, the Canucks can get another aging Swede of questionable effectiveness! Perhaps we can comically overpay for this one, too!

Eh, what the hell, sounds like a good idea, actually. Same reasons DenisBergKamp had.

Please no Forsberg. It was a struggle accepting Sundin, I definitely don't want to have to root for Forsberg. Let him play in the KHL and be a headache for Ak Bars Kazan or whoever. Jagr to the Oilers rumors have been swirling for the last year. I don't know how he decided on Edmonton, but i'm wondering if it has anything to do with Renney.

Until I see rumors of Sergei Zubov joining the Stars, I'm not interested in this stuff.

If the Canucks can make the playoffs with a healthy lineup, they have enough proven NHL depth that they can make it through 4 rounds

I'm all in favor of signing Forsberg... at the right price. Canucks don't have enough cap room to pay too much without making a big trade. If it's heavily based on production bonuses, then you can't lose. He certainly brings experience and leadership

As for the injuries, ankles can take a couple years to fully heal. It's not inconceivable that he would be significantly more durable now than in his last few NHL seasons. Even if he can only play 40 games, so what he can time-share a roster spot with Demitra or whoever

There are other teams interested though, including the KHL. Hopefully some non-financial incentives sway his decision towards the Canucks.

A little more surprised that Jagr might follow Renney to Edmonton. I thought he was under contract with the KHL

can anyone find a clip of Forsberg in the ongoing tournament in Finland where he's being scouted?

Biggest concern would be how much rust he has and how long until he's at top flight

Jaromir Jagr? Sweet. Time to bust out NHL 93.

NHL.com story on Karjala Cup (new window)

Forsberg judging by articles/stats hasn't been a stand out, but MoDo hasn't been good so it's hard to judge

Hiro's Protagonist: Canucks don't have enough cap room to pay too much without making a big trade.

I could be out of touch but I thought they had around 4 million before the injury bug destroyed half the team. I don't think cap room will be much of a problem. Spent cap room is better than wasted cap space, especially if the player is just leaving at the end of the season anyway. Who else is even out there that they'd spend this years cap space on? Anson Carter?

Hiro's Protagonist: He certainly brings experience and leadership ankles that make Marian Gaborik's groin look like it's made from adamantium

ftfy

Jagr coming back to the NHL has been a rumor since he left to go play in the KHL in Russia. Last I heard he had made a statement that he would like to come back and play for the Pens, but there was some questions regarding how long his contact in the KHL had him tied up.
I've always been a Jagr fan, and would love to see him back in a Pens jesery where he should have been this whole time.

CBC:
Peter Forsberg returned to action in Sweden's 4-3 win against Czech Republic on the opening day of the Karjala Cup, a four-team international tournament that concludes in Helsinki this weekend. He has played in only 15 games in the past two seasons due to his chronic foot problems and will decide after this event whether he desires a return to the NHL. Among the NHL teams that have interest are the Canucks, Rangers, Flyers and Avalanche. There was a report that he had agreed to deal to play in Russia this season, but Ak Bars Kazan vice-president Ravil Shavaleev told Sovietsky Sport, "We have conducted no negotiations with him, and I'll tell you more: We haven't even thought about inviting him."


DenisBergkamp: I could be out of touch but I thought they had around 4 million before the injury bug destroyed half the team.

I don't know how much we have in the salary cap bank we actually have because it depends on what the substitute salary is (Cory Schneider for Luongo, Pettinger for Demitra?), there are limits to how much you can defer through injured reserves, and I don't even think the Canucks know when Demitra will be back. Could probably offer him at most $2-3mn, which isn't bad for a half-season contract. http://capgeek.com/tracker/team.php?Team=29&date=2009-11-06

Apparently NYR are the only other serious team mentioned at this point, and they don't have a tonne of cap space, but they are crazy enough to put a competitive bid out there

Jagr would be ok. But Forsberg needs to just go the fark away. I'm so tired of the huge deal the media makes out of it, and the team that signs him acts like they just got Gretzky to come out of retirement, and then he plays two games and gets injured and that's about it. He finishes half a season with 6 GP and 2 points, and everyone's like "why the hell did we care?" and then he goes back to Europe, everyone suffers amnesia, and then we do it all again.

Ok, a bit of exaggeration there, but take a look at his stats:
07-08 w/ Avs: 9 GP, 1G 13A for 14P (admittedly, pretty good point total for 9 games, but... it's still only 9 games)
08-09 w/ Modo: 3 GP, 1G 2A for 3P

speedk0re: Gaborik's groin

That has a ring to it, doesn't it.

e-christ: Jagr would be ok. But Forsberg needs to just go the fark away. I'm so tired of the huge deal the media makes out of it, and the team that signs him acts like they just got Gretzky to come out of retirement, and then he plays two games and gets injured and that's about it. He finishes half a season with 6 GP and 2 points, and everyone's like "why the hell did we care?" and then he goes back to Europe, everyone suffers amnesia, and then we do it all again.

Ok, a bit of exaggeration there, but take a look at his stats:
07-08 w/ Avs: 9 GP, 1G 13A for 14P (admittedly, pretty good point total for 9 games, but... it's still only 9 games)
08-09 w/ Modo: 3 GP, 1G 2A for 3P

Are you trying to prove your point with those stats? Looks pretty good to me.

"Why does Jagr hate the NHL?"

Because we have the salary cap.


Nobody was gonna touch Jagr post-lockout, but her had a rebirth with the rangers and then could no longer afford to give him the money he should have been earning, so he goes to Europe.

And its a fairly unique situation to the NHL. NBA/NFL/MLB do not face much competition from other leagues like the NHL does. The gap in talent and pay is not as big.

With a salary cap, middle-level players can go to Europe (or simply stay here) instead of the NHL. They can actually make MORE over there than here. That limits the amount of talent in the NHL. And to fill those spots, players who would never make it past the AHL are not playing 3rd and 4th line minutes in the NHL.

Last year it was all about Cindy Crybaby.
This year it's all about Overratedechkin.

MoparPower: e-christ: Jagr would be ok. But Forsberg needs to just go the fark away. I'm so tired of the huge deal the media makes out of it, and the team that signs him acts like they just got Gretzky to come out of retirement, and then he plays two games and gets injured and that's about it. He finishes half a season with 6 GP and 2 points, and everyone's like "why the hell did we care?" and then he goes back to Europe, everyone suffers amnesia, and then we do it all again.

Ok, a bit of exaggeration there, but take a look at his stats:
07-08 w/ Avs: 9 GP, 1G 13A for 14P (admittedly, pretty good point total for 9 games, but... it's still only 9 games)
08-09 w/ Modo: 3 GP, 1G 2A for 3P

Are you trying to prove your point with those stats? Looks pretty good to me.

Hmmm, you're right. Now that I think about, who WOULDN'T want to make a big deal about signing someone who has played an AMAZING 12 games in just two years?

/I don't know how I could be MORE direct than where I stated those are actually pretty good stats. In this case, it's all about the games played. And those are shiat.

/ThreadJack Enabled

So, Andrew Raycroft the scapegoat of the last few years for the leafs dismal performances joins as a backup on Vancouver.

I give you his current stats:
1. Andrew Raycroft, VAN 1.60
2. Ryan Miller, BUF 1.69
3. Ilja Bryzgalov, PHX 1.81
4. Antero Niittymaki, TB 2.09
5. Craig Anderson, COL 2.11


1. Ryan Miller, BUF 0.941
2. Craig Anderson, COL 0.936
3. Andrew Raycroft, VAN 0.936
4. Antero Niittymaki, TB 0.934
5. Ilja Bryzgalov, PHX 0.931


Hes #1 in GAA and #3 in save percentage in the entire league. Seems as though if he has a half competant D infront of him and not the swiss cheese that is the leafs/colorado hes actually a good goalie.

So, this begs the question. Who is responsible for the vortex of suck that is the maple leafs?

poisonedpawn78: So, this begs the question. Who is responsible for the vortex of suck that is the maple leafs?

Who cares why? Ditch the Maple Leafs, it probably starts with the ownership who are enabled by fans not willing to walk away from the ticket booth for the good of the team.

Become a Canucks fan, they're bringing the best out of players and they don't do it by sacrificing pregnant women to the swine flu or coasting on an easy travel schedule

Hiro's Protagonist: If the Canucks can make the playoffs with a healthy lineup, they have enough proven NHL depth that they can make it through 4 rounds

I like you Hiro, your posts never fail to make me laugh.

Hiro's Protagonist: poisonedpawn78: So, this begs the question. Who is responsible for the vortex of suck that is the maple leafs?

Who cares why? Ditch the Maple Leafs, it probably starts with the ownership who are enabled by fans not willing to walk away from the ticket booth for the good of the team.

Become a Canucks fan, they're bringing the best out of players and they don't do it by sacrificing pregnant women to the swine flu or coasting on an easy travel schedule

Im not a leafs fan. Im trying to find the next scapegoat that i get to hear about endlessly in the media.

poisonedpawn78: Who is responsible for the vortex of suck that is the maple leafs?

Tomas Kaberle?

I like the Canucks, not sure why anyone cares.

poisonedpawn78: /ThreadJack Enabled

So, Andrew Raycroft the scapegoat of the last few years for the leafs dismal performances joins as a backup on Vancouver.

I give you his current stats:
1. Andrew Raycroft, VAN 1.60
2. Ryan Miller, BUF 1.69
3. Ilja Bryzgalov, PHX 1.81
4. Antero Niittymaki, TB 2.09
5. Craig Anderson, COL 2.11


1. Ryan Miller, BUF 0.941
2. Craig Anderson, COL 0.936
3. Andrew Raycroft, VAN 0.936
4. Antero Niittymaki, TB 0.934
5. Ilja Bryzgalov, PHX 0.931


Hes #1 in GAA and #3 in save percentage in the entire league. Seems as though if he has a half competant D infront of him and not the swiss cheese that is the leafs/colorado hes actually a good goalie.

So, this begs the question. Who is responsible for the vortex of suck that is the maple leafs?

It's fun to laugh at the leafs and Av's but I'm going to let razor play a few more games before I think those stats become truly representative of his playing ability

poisonedpawn78: Im not a leafs fan. Im trying to find the next scapegoat that i get to hear about endlessly in the media.

You can get a few random bad apples on your team, but for it to run so long in time and so broad throughout the roster ... it's got to be the fault of management and in turn ownership

poisonedpawn78: /ThreadJack Enabled

So, Andrew Raycroft the scapegoat of the last few years for the leafs dismal performances joins as a backup on Vancouver.

I give you his current stats:
1. Andrew Raycroft, VAN 1.60
2. Ryan Miller, BUF 1.69
3. Ilja Bryzgalov, PHX 1.81
4. Antero Niittymaki, TB 2.09
5. Craig Anderson, COL 2.11


1. Ryan Miller, BUF 0.941
2. Craig Anderson, COL 0.936
3. Andrew Raycroft, VAN 0.936
4. Antero Niittymaki, TB 0.934
5. Ilja Bryzgalov, PHX 0.931

Moral of the story: Ryan Miller for Vezina!

hockeyfarker: I like you Hiro, your posts never fail to make me laugh.

How about, if the Canucks have less injuries than they do now. The current AHL lineup is the hottest team in the NHL and has been that way for a few weeks. You know, instead of being the losingest team in the NHL like the Flames were for a few months

DenisBergkamp:

It's fun to laugh at the leafs and Av's but I'm going to let razor play a few more games before I think those stats become truly representative of his playing ability

I do agree to some point. But hes still played 7 games so hes pretty consistent so far. Wouldnt it be something if he stole the starting job from luongo lol.

Doc Daneeka:
Moral of the story: Ryan Miller for Vezina!

Hes looking pretty solid so far. As a hockey fan I hope buffalo puts up a good year and gets to see some playoff games.

By the way, I found this interesting.

Here's the current NHL standings if they were ordered by points percentage rather than points. Useful to look at when there has been wide disparities in games played between different teams.

http://nhl.jzap.com/standings

poisonedpawn78: Hes looking pretty solid so far. As a hockey fan I hope buffalo puts up a good year and gets to see some playoff games.

I think the reason why he's had such a hot start is that he really, really wants to be the starter for Team USA in Vancouver.

Hiro's Protagonist: hockeyfarker: I like you Hiro, your posts never fail to make me laugh.

How about, if the Canucks have less injuries than they do now. The current AHL lineup is the hottest team in the NHL and has been that way for a few weeks. You know, instead of being the losingest team in the NHL like the Flames were for a few months

So in addition to winning the Preseason Cup you think the Canucks should get the Early-Season Perseverance Cup? Got it.

In the interest of actual discussion, what do the Nucks do when Luongo is ready to go if Raycroft is still rolling? Also, how does the fact that Hank remembered how to shoot affect Daniel's stats when he gets back? Do they go back to a cycle first team, or keep shooting? I'm more interested in how they deal with getting their "NHL" line-up back than how they are playing now.

Doc Daneeka: Moral of the story: Ryan Miller for Vezina!

Miller is picking up the stats, you have any explanations about what has changed for this season?

Possibly related, Travel schedules:
Link
Link

caid-bp7:

In the interest of actual discussion, what do the Nucks do when Luongo is ready to go if Raycroft is still rolling?

If i was the coach aslong as Raycroft is rolling I would give Luongo more time to rest. "make 100% sure hes healed" type deal. Then when it reaches that point and if Raycroft is still Rolling. I wait until the first loss. then give luongo a chance. It sucks for Raycroft but he knows hes the backup.

I would definitely consider his hot play though if Luongo comes back and still puts up sub par numbers, I think after 10 games i would start rotating Raycroft back in more often than i would normally. And thats right when the goaltending controversy talk would fill the media.

caid-bp7: In the interest of actual discussion, what do the Nucks do when Luongo is ready to go if Raycroft is still rolling? Also, how does the fact that Hank remembered how to shoot affect Daniel's stats when he gets back? Do they go back to a cycle first team, or keep shooting? I'm more interested in how they deal with getting their "NHL" line-up back than how they are playing now.

No idea, maybe Bieksa will even stay up at right wing. It's nice to have options, and Vigneault has been really good at finding ways to get the best out of the lineup over the years.

McElhinney actually looked good for the Flames. Why not rest up Kiprusoff when they have the chance? Jerome has had 2 good games in a row so now might be a good time

I reckon if Forsie comes back, it would be with the Avs. Current club performance would have something to do with it, sure...but he has so many ties to the organization and city it would be hard to refuse.

Plus there's the added bonus that he still owns his Denver residence and would be an excellent mentor on and off the ice for the young guns of the Avalanche.

caid-bp7: Hiro's Protagonist: hockeyfarker: I like you Hiro, your posts never fail to make me laugh.

How about, if the Canucks have less injuries than they do now. The current AHL lineup is the hottest team in the NHL and has been that way for a few weeks. You know, instead of being the losingest team in the NHL like the Flames were for a few months

So in addition to winning the Preseason Cup you think the Canucks should get the Early-Season Perseverance Cup? Got it.

In the interest of actual discussion, what do the Nucks do when Luongo is ready to go if Raycroft is still rolling? Also, how does the fact that Hank remembered how to shoot affect Daniel's stats when he gets back? Do they go back to a cycle first team, or keep shooting? I'm more interested in how they deal with getting their "NHL" line-up back than how they are playing now.

I think they'd deal raycroft to a team for picks (most likely) or as part of a package deal in attempt to fix any gaps that become apparent between now and the deadline. This is provided he keeps up a level of play or at least close to what he's currently at.

It's no secret the canucks team plays a strong defensive mostly due to the types of players logging the big minutes as well as the coaching style of AV. That's not to downplay their offensive prowess, just stating their strengths in their own end. It's a mix like this that may help make a goalie like raycroft have slightly bloated numbers.

He's looked good but let's not pretend he'll be replacing luongo anytime soon.

// obvious nucks fan.

DenisBergkamp:

I think they'd deal raycroft to a team for picks (most likely) or as part of a package deal in attempt to fix any gaps that become apparent between now and the deadline. This is provided he keeps up a level of play or at least close to what he's currently at.


// obvious nucks fan.

I think this is a very smart move IF you can rip a team off obviously for him. If you are just getting fair value then i would probably keep him for the playoffs as insurance incase luongo reags an injury. You dont want to trade him away and then have luongo hurt for the sake of a second rounder...

Hiro's Protagonist: The current AHL lineup is the hottest team in the NHL and has been that way for a few weeks. You know, instead of being the losingest team in the NHL like the Flames were for a few months

Hardly the hottest team in the NHL. Not even in the division. But I am not surprised they are doing well with the call-ups, at least those guys are motivated to play with intensity.

Your second sentence kinda purple monkey dishwashered me. Is that from 1998? from Octobers past?

Hiro's Protagonist: McElhinney actually looked good for the Flames.

he gets a bad rap because Keenan hung him out to dry. He is a fairly reliable backup. I was happy to see him play, and to get his revenge on the Stars for the Flame's first loss.

hockeyfarker: Hiro's Protagonist: The current AHL lineup is the hottest team in the NHL and has been that way for a few weeks. You know, instead of being the losingest team in the NHL like the Flames were for a few months

Hardly the hottest team in the NHL. Not even in the division. But I am not surprised they are doing well with the call-ups, at least those guys are motivated to play with intensity.

Your second sentence kinda purple monkey dishwashered me. Is that from 1998? from Octobers past?


That would be last spring, actually. You know, when you Flames fans were complaining about injuries?

Anyways, why the fark not sign Forsberg? The 'Nucks are already signing guys off the street to fill the roster (Pettinger), and they had a top-4 D playing on the first line last night (Bieksa).

At least the defense is healthy (or, as healthy as it could ever get with Salo).