NHL 2010/2011

[Evil Chase K]

The Pens have apparently also signed Paul Martin.

[Toe]

If they have, thats both crazy good and a little wierd, but to must have a good plan for managing the cap. Their defence is looking very good now.

[Evil Chase K]

Well our defense was the weak point last year, it needed upgraded.

Martin apparently signed 5 years/$5 million per.

[SeanDMan]

25 million for Paul Martin. Not bad for a guy who got run out of town and replaced by a dude in a sweatervest.

...wait, what do you mean he's not that Paul Martin?

[SeanDMan]

God, Darren Pang's laugh.

[SeanDMan]

TSNBobMcKenzie: As @capgeek points out, Whitney's deal is a 35+ contract and PHX on the cap hook no matter what, even if aliens abduct him or he retires.

[Gabriel]

Coyotes got the steal of the day so far with Whitney's two-year deal. Sure, if he retires, they're on the hook for another season, but they're a young enough team that they can afford to run that risk.

Worst deal of the day so far is Malholtra to Vancouver, with a no movement clause, no less.

As for my Flames, I really have to question the signing of Tanguay. It may only be one year, but his output last season was comparably bad to what he was doing when we got rid of him the first time. Doug MacLean on Sportsnet made an interesting suggestion for Darryl Sutter. He said they should move Regehr to Boston for Savard, with whatever else necessary on either side to make it happen, and then go after Dan Hamhuis to fill the role left by Regehr. They might have to move some money around to make something like that work out, but it's more or less exactly what I want to see happen with the team.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

Not just Tanguay, but Jokinen too!

[Ruki]

Not just Tanguay, but Jokinen too!

.....WHY?!

Wasn't he a bust before? And now they bring him back? LOGIC!

[Ruki]

$5 M over two years for Koivu in Ana. $2.5 a year

[Gabriel]

I THINK Sutter is picking up ex-Flames because they already know the system and there's a large portion of this season's team who are still relatively new... BUT that doesn't make these signings very good.

Tanguay at $1 million or less for a 1 year deal would have been fine. A decent gamble to take on a player with proven ability, who just needs to find his way again.. much like they did with Bertuzzi a couple years back. I know $700,000 doesn't seem like much of a difference, but it could be the difference between re-signing Chris Higgins or Eric Nystrom, and just letting them both go.

Olli Jokinen is in much the same boat as Tanguay. He's a proven player who has lost his way over the last few seasons. He's taken a paycut to sign with Calgary at $3 million a year for 2 years... but again, $1.5 ($2 million maybe because of the lack of centers available) would have been a much better deal, for a one year contract.

Furthermore, Matthew Lombardi still sits waiting for a contract. He knows the Flames system already, he's coming off a 19 goal campaign in Phoenix, and he'll probably be looking at $3 or $3.5 million for a short term deal, possibly more over a longer term. Why Sutter overlooked him in favor of Jokinen is beyond me. Unless Lombo simply declined an invitation back to the Stampede City, then Darryl Sutter has some real explaining to do.

Sutter is gambling hard here. Chris Higgins played amazingly well for us after being acquired from the Rangers. Lack of points aside, he was going full steam every night and was so close to breaking out again as a goal scorer before the season came to an end. Eric Nystrom is a serviceable second/third line winger with some grit. These two guys are probably going to end up elsewhere come opening day, which doesn't make any sense to me. They give 100% every night and produce about as much, if not more than Tanguay/Jokinen... so I'd rather have them. If the gamble pays off, I'll be happy with the results. Right now, though, I'm perplexed, annoyed and wondering if Darryl Sutter may have lost his mind.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

HE'S BIG HE'S BALD HE'S ALEX AULD

[TGWL]

Sutter is gambling hard here. Chris Higgins played amazingly well for us after being acquired from the Rangers. Lack of points aside, he was going full steam every night and was so close to breaking out again as a goal scorer before the season came to an end.

Higgins played very well for The Rangers, and you just expected him to break out....it never happned. He can't seem t get the points, but he plays hard.

[Gabriel]

Sutter is gambling hard here. Chris Higgins played amazingly well for us after being acquired from the Rangers. Lack of points aside, he was going full steam every night and was so close to breaking out again as a goal scorer before the season came to an end.

Higgins played very well for The Rangers, and you just expected him to break out....it never happned. He can't seem t get the points, but he plays hard.

Even so, I'd rather have a guy out there giving it his all, making life miserable for the other team and creating opportunities... than Olli Jokinen.

EDIT:

Eric Nystrom just signed with the Minnesota Wild. 3 year deal. $1.4 million a year. I'm making my furious face right now. You can't see it, but if you could... it's pretty furious.

Edited July 1, 2010 by Gabriel

[Plubby]

I love the FA signings by the Avs so far. Making all the right moves.

...

...

[SeanDMan]

I'm making my furious face right now. You can't see it, but if you could... it's pretty furious.

When news of the Olli Jokinen signing broke yesterday, one Flames fan offered this as his reaction:

Accurate?

[Toe]

Kubina has signed a 2 year deal with Tampa Bay. I was a big fan of his while he was with the Leafs. He was our best defender on most nights, and he always seemed to step it up in the third period or overtime. Plus, he cross-checked Jiri Hudler in the face in the preseason once...how can you not like that? It's a good deal for Tampa. If Ohlund recovers next year, then they will have a good defence with Ohlund, Kubina and Hedman.

[Gabriel]

Sean, that is an incredibly accurate reaction to what the Flames have done thus far.

Today, they've added Tim Jackman and Raitis Ivanans to the lineup.

Jackman is a serviceable guy with grit and the ability to score a few goals for us, so it's not so bad. Ivanans is a complete waste of space. The guy fights and umm, takes penatlies, and umm, complains a lot... when Brian McGratton is a UFA, you lock him up. He fights, he has a wicked shot, his forecheck is great and he's a good team guy. Instead, Sutter went with a slightly cheaper option, and loses everything but the ability to fight.

Seriously, what the fuck is going on?

[SeanDMan]

To be fair, with the amount of money you already have locked up, if you want someone who can fight you can't really afford McGratton.

[Toe]

I think Sutter is having a mental breakdown, and everyone in the Flames organization is too afraid to stop him.

Sheldon Souray has been placed on waivers by the Oilers. He is still a top level offensive defenceman, but his price tag is probably too much for most teams.