Hossa would be virtually impossible for Minnesota to acquire without Gaborik going the other way. So basically forget the idea.
Who they should go for is Palffy. I still have a feeling we haven't seen the last of Ziggy in the NHL. And the cost to pry him for Pittsburgh wouldnt be much at all.
From strictly a talent standpoint, Palffy is the preeminent Slovak. It's a shame he never had his head entirely into the game and his conditioning was terrible. He could have vied for a few Art Rosses in his time. But if you could lure him back to the NHL, I'm sure he would still be good for a PPG. And what an electrifying line that would be.
We're going to have to fill that position in-house. When Koivu signs his qualifying offer, we'll be at about $42 million, just $2 million short of the cap. Barring any trades, I think we're done adding outside talent to this year's payroll, at least for the next few months.
I'm assuming they're going to play together most of the season, but Jacques will probably mix and match for a while trying to find the right linemate for them. Parrish will play some with them, but ideally I think they'd do best with someone who can skate. Let's see who clicks best with them in camp and the preseason. I'll bet money right now that Walz sees some significant time on that line at some point, just because I bet LeMaire can't resist the temptation to find out how it feels to see 3 Wild jerseys all moving that fast in the same direction. Bouchard is the most likely longterm 3rd man, but I think Koivu will get some time on that line, too - just to see what he can do with two guys with that talent level.
Lemaire likes to have set pairs as opposed to lines, with the third member of the line rotating depending on the chemistry and the situation. So Gaborik-Demitra will be the set pair, and then we'll probably see everybody from Rolston to Radio to Dupuis as a third guy. Being that Demitra can play both C and W, the possibilities are endless.
Because JL won't want to break up the chemistry between Rolston/White/Bouchard, I'm pretty sure Parrish will play on the top line with Demitra and Gaborik.
Lemaire has a tendency to pair players together and mix-n-match the third person on the line. Everybody including even Boogaard will play with Demitra and Gaborik at some point. I think the most common players with them will be Rolston and Parrish. Rolston to make the line one of the fastest in the league and Parrish to shovel in rebounds. Basically, whatever combination is producing will be left alone.
Gaborik Demitra Bartecko (former blues now in europe - did you remeber Demitra Handzus Bartecko blues line? called Slovak Pack 1 )
i saw their chemistry.... bartecko can score can pass but better he can win corner "fights" NOW. Gaborik and demitra will need it... (Radivojevic is 130% corner fighter... but he is not able to score from 110% chances sometimes... )
2. Gaborik Demitra Hossa was the best line I ever saw in past 10 years... (on Olympics)
3. there should be no cap in NHL to see this line in next 3-4 years...
Right my mistake... thanks for pointing out my spelling error.
Although I disagree that there should be no cap. Seeing that line together again would be great for the Wild. I agree it would be way to expensive and prying Hossa away from Atlanta, would be nearly impossible, but hey... I can dream.
Right my mistake... thanks for pointing out my spelling error.
Although I disagree that there should be no cap. Seeing that line together again would be great for the Wild. I agree it would be way to expensive and prying Hossa away from Atlanta, would be nearly impossible, but hey... I can dream.
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