Thinking a NHL lockout till Jan 1 is most likely at this point. Owners are being really scummy, just looking at their first proposal is sickening.
I will definitely be bummed if this happens but think there are positives for our team too. I'm a big fan of Miller and having him play in the AHL for the first few months will give us a good indicator of how close he is to making the club. Gaborik and Sauer are given ample time to heal too. We'll come back with a more complete roster, and there will be a lot less wear and tear on our players by the time the playoffs begin, provided our team makes them.
Not advocating for a lockout but i'm trying to remain positive regardless.
Owners should really understand the responsibility that comes with buying a franchise, in any sport. In my opinion, I don't think both sides are working as hard as they should be for this newly imposed deadline and the owners side is definitely not being as compromising as the players side seems to be. This is why having expansions is bad, now everyone wants equal revenue and its just not realistic. Sooner or later (like now), there will be enough of the have nots that want to have that disrupt the order of things.
The league would be so ridiculously stupid for allowing a lockout to occur AGAIN. It's embarrassing and it would destroy the inroads the game has made in the last 7 years.
More importantly, you can't make the argument that there are "desperate issues" that need to be fixed to "save the game". This time, it is purely about greed.
Makes me so angry.
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"Here we can see the agression of american people. They love fighting and guns. when they wont win they try to kill us all." -HalfOfFame
Owners should really understand the responsibility that comes with buying a franchise, in any sport. In my opinion, I don't think both sides are working as hard as they should be for this newly imposed deadline and the owners side is definitely not being as compromising as the players side seems to be. This is why having expansions is bad, now everyone wants equal revenue and its just not realistic. Sooner or later (like now), there will be enough of the have nots that want to have that disrupt the order of things.
Defense is a position of strength for the Rangers. Girardi, McD, MDZ are locks in the top 4, Sauer is also a top 4 when healthy (he's been improving a lot lately right?), Stralman is borderline top-4, Bickell is a #7, Eminger a #5-6 if re-signed. And I don't know how McIlrath is progressing?
But bringing Nash weakened the depth up front. Gaborik, Richards, Nash, Stepan and Callahan is top-6-locks, but Gaborik is out until Christmas, which leaves two spots and only Kreider and Hagelin to fill them. Because, let's face it, neither Boyle, pyatt, asham, Haley, rupp or Halpern should be near a top-6 spot. Relying on Kreider who haven't handled the rigors of a full season before and Hagelin facing the hard sophomore-year is kind of risky.
So with that in mind, how far off is this trade proposal?
NYR's choice
Johansson or Laich (both Can play wing or C in the top-6)
Erskine or Hamrlik (to play as 4-5-6, depending on who they want)
2nd round pick 2013 or Galiev/ Perreault/ Hamill/ Wey
Defense is a position of strength for the Rangers. Girardi, McD, MDZ are locks in the top 4, Sauer is also a top 4 when healthy (he's been improving a lot lately right?), Stralman is borderline top-4, Bickell is a #7, Eminger a #5-6 if re-signed. And I don't know how McIlrath is progressing?
But bringing Nash weakened the depth up front. Gaborik, Richards, Nash, Stepan and Callahan is top-6-locks, but Gaborik is out until Christmas, which leaves two spots and only Kreider and Hagelin to fill them. Because, let's face it, neither Boyle, pyatt, asham, Haley, rupp or Halpern should be near a top-6 spot. Relying on Kreider who haven't handled the rigors of a full season before and Hagelin facing the hard sophomore-year is kind of risky.
So with that in mind, how far off is this trade proposal?
NYR's choice
Johansson or Laich (both Can play wing or C in the top-6)
Erskine or Hamrlik (to play as 4-5-6, depending on who they want)
2nd round pick 2013 or Galiev/ Perreault/ Hamill/ Wey
The league would be so ridiculously stupid for allowing a lockout to occur AGAIN. It's embarrassing and it would destroy the inroads the game has made in the last 7 years.
More importantly, you can't make the argument that there are "desperate issues" that need to be fixed to "save the game". This time, it is purely about greed.
Makes me so angry.
It's such a bad public relations move to have another one. The league is already struggling for popularity in the US, say what you want it's more like the 5th most popular sport behind football, basketball, baseball, and NASCAR
What is more realistic then?
Laich, Orlov and pick?
There's nothing more realistic. Trading Staal would be stupid. When healthy he is arguably our best defensemen. In fact he is one of the best in the league as far as shutdown defensemen go. Defense wins championships. I'd rather have more depth on defense with more talent than to have more depth on the bottom 6 on offense.
And depending on what happens with Miller you could have your 3rd line center spot filled. If not Miller you could attempt to sign Arnott which is what I think happens if we don't come away with Doan.
September 15th is a Saturday. If the League and The Players don't come to an agreement and the players get locked out, whose ready to take a trip down to the NHL offices on 6th Ave. and 46th. street in Midtown Manhattan?
September 15th is a Saturday. If the League and The Players don't come to an agreement and the players get locked out, whose ready to take a trip down to the NHL offices on 6th Ave. and 46th. street in Midtown Manhattan?
It's rare, if ever, one would trade a shutdown defender who can play 30 minutes a night. certainly not for secondary scoring. that's a huge loss.
Well, I know what he's capable of and that's why I want him on the Caps. And I hear what you're saying, but I wouldn't diminish secondary scoring since most ted have one really good shutdown pairing. Look at the Recent cup winners, kings had Carter-Richards-Penner/Gagne as a 2nd line, B's had Marchand-Bergeron-Seguin, Hawks had Sharp-Hossa etc. And as far as shutdown D you have maybe the best shutdown-pair in the league with Girardi-McD. MDZ-Sauer is a good-to-great second pair as well, if they don't play on the same side?
I'd consider Johansson, Orlov and a 1st. Both seems to have great upside but are not slotted (in my mind) to play top-line/top-pair this year so they could probably be sacrificed, actually Johansson might be though (but you have to give to get I suppose).
Sometimes I wonder about professional sports because it's become a sucker's game. Not exactly like they take you for granted but teams/leagues entice and market their respective fans for all they're worth. The NHL wasn't always that way. ****ing Brad Park the second best defenseman in the NHL was like making $25,000 a year back in the late 60's-early 70's. Between then and now a lot has happened and the fans more than anyone else have taken the brunt of paying for it all and if anything the fans are the loyal ones--not the owners and with a few exceptions the players.
Attaching a moral to big business these days. These people aren't interested in a moral unless it doesn't cost them anything. They do like it better when you think well of them but much more important what they really want is to get filthy rich and they do want the ego trip and the prestige that goes along with it. Heroes.
**** both sides. the owners could have tabeled this first offer 8 months ago, but fehr used his little stall tactic to push negotiations off. its taken a month for the PA to table a counter. its all a stall tactic. both sides are to blame
The league would be so ridiculously stupid for allowing a lockout to occur AGAIN. It's embarrassing and it would destroy the inroads the game has made in the last 7 years.
More importantly, you can't make the argument that there are "desperate issues" that need to be fixed to "save the game". This time, it is purely about greed.
Makes me so angry.
This x1,000
If the NHL didn't learn It's lesson from the last lockout, well then I guess the sport should just die...
My God some of you guys are incredibly over dramatic.
Are they stupid to have a lockout? Yes, but at the same time they're not stupid enough to have it drag out forever. They will work something out and you are always gonna have issues when owners and players go to negotiations. Everything will be back and fine by the end of the year and the league will suffer no major damage.
If they were to lose another year then we have every right to be made but the lockout is one of the few tactics owners have to that they can use. You know damn well they were going to use it all along.
in my opnion if there is another lockout on bettmans watch i dont know how he stays in the commissioner seat...how long has he been nhl commissioner (after screwing up the nba)? im guessing *someone correct me* he started in early 90s, 92-93, so in 20 years he has lead the nhl to 2 lockouts and now a potential 3rd one coming up....that is a horrible track record and the owners got basically EVERYTHING they wanted in the last one that was going to fix everything and now THEY are the ones that want to rework it AGAIN...my opinion bettman needs to go, i wish the nhlpa had fehr back in 04-05 i think he would have done a heck of a job. He is doing a great job in my opinion, but i just don't want another lockout, but i cant see the owners rationale in dropping players salaries down to the lowest since 02-03 when the sport has grown over 50% since the lockout financially.
