He didn't play musical goalies, it was Nittymakis job down the stretch and he didnt play that well while Esche did.
Please...Nitty lets has a bad game in goes Esche....untill he has a bad gane and than nitty...never allowing one to clearly be #1 and it did mess with not just the goalies heads, but the team as a whole.
Cycle - just wondering why you think the Isles will be so bad? They were five wins from a playoff spot last season and I think they're actually better this year, with guys like York and Simon and a maturing Dipietro, than last season.
Islanders won't just be last in the Atlantic...they will the WORST team in the NHL next season. Their ownership BLOWS and he's hands on. I'm not convinced Wang wants his team to win....Ownership under indictment...low attendence.....they should bring in the Hansons by mis season
I agree that Hitch is not anywhere near being gone. He did a masterfull job last year, given all of the injuries.
I would argue that by simply having a healthy Forsberg that the Flyers are the most improved team in the division. Granted, their achilles heel will still be a) goaltending b) the defense (in that order).
Unless Lou works his magic and only manages to have to move one forward (call him Madden) AND Parise steps up, the Devs are going to be a worse team than last year, despite the fact that Elias will be there for the full year. If Lou is forced to trade several pieces (Madden & Pandolfo and/or Rafalski), then then Devs will take a noticeable step back, IMO.
The Rangers have improved, but still have several questions and several isues. Will Prucha, Henke & Toots continue to develop? Will Henke be able to stand on his head again? Will the team play with any semblence of discipline? The defense, though improved, is still an overall fairly mediocre bunch, IMO. However, the team looks to be able to play a more North American game this year.
No matter who the Devils move, you can be sure that Lou isn't going to give him away, unless he takes picks.
Captain Wang continues to run the L I Enterprise into a meteor filled land of angry Klingons.
Okay. I'm on pins and needles here.
You neglected to specify whether we're talkin' Kirk-style Klingons or Picard-style Klingons.
That could totally be the difference between whether the Fishsticks make the playoffs or not.
C'mon now. The Kirk-style Klingons never win. In fact they were outsmarted by a bunch of squealing, grain-eating guinea pigs who reproduced faster than bunny rabbits on vacation.
But if it's the Picard-style Klingons who use steroids and wield swords shaped like the blades at the bottom of my mom's Cuisinart... Well, watch out Stanley Pie.
No matter who the Devils move, you can be sure that Lou isn't going to give him away, unless he takes picks.
The math does not work out in such a fashion, unfortunately. The Devils will be, at a minimum, $3-5m over the cap. They have to be below the cap by the time the puck drops. Lou is going to have no choice but to trade several key cogs from prior year. He will not be dealing from a position of strength. Sure he will get the best deal possible, but it may amount to nothing more than what the Flyers got when they had to trade Roenick to get under the cap.
Islanders won't just be last in the Atlantic...they will the WORST team in the NHL next season. Their ownership BLOWS and he's hands on. I'm not convinced Wang wants his team to win....Ownership under indictment...low attendence.....they should bring in the Hansons by mis season
Too much hate for the Isles, Wang is not the worst owner in the NHL, that would be DOLAN!!! One good season for the Rangers does not erase the fact they haven't won a single playoff game in 11 years. From what I can see, you Ranger fans think Jagr will dupliocate last season. History dictates Jagr only does that every other year & the fact that he is reaching his mid 30's may slow him down considerably. Also, the Devils pushed the Rangers around in the playoffs last season & I don't see one lick of improvement in toughness with the Rangers, unless you are expecting a 40 yearold Shanahan to do all the battles. The Rangers will be LUCKY to hit the 80 point mark. Lunqvist is not an unknown anymore & Jagr will have a more difficult season trying to carry this team. Besides Jagr & maybe Shanahan, I just don't see who else will score for the Rangers. The Isles may have a weird ownership situation, but they did some nice moves this off season & I see some nice youngsters like Bergenheim, Nilsson, Colliton, Gervais, & Campoli become serious contributers for the Isles.
Please...Nitty lets has a bad game in goes Esche....untill he has a bad gane and than nitty...never allowing one to clearly be #1 and it did mess with not just the goalies heads, but the team as a whole.
you just show your ignorance as Nitty was the #1 goalie, that was as plain as day. He stuggled down the stretch, Esche was inserted and played very well, enough to take the job from nittymaki. If you watched the Flyers or followed them you would know this by now. Stop with the messes with their head, they are grown men. Since you were inside the locker room you know how much it effected the team. Please.
The math does not work out in such a fashion, unfortunately. The Devils will be, at a minimum, $3-5m over the cap. They have to be below the cap by the time the puck drops. Lou is going to have no choice but to trade several key cogs from prior year. He will not be dealing from a position of strength. Sure he will get the best deal possible, but it may amount to nothing more than what the Flyers got when they had to trade Roenick to get under the cap.
Rodent's made the point that apparently it's not even the day the puck drops (opening day) that the Devils have to be under the cap. They have to be under the day training camp is over (or something close to that)
Too much hate for the Isles, I don't see one lick of improvement in toughness with the Rangers, unless you are expecting a 40 yearold Shanahan to do all the battles. The Rangers will be LUCKY to hit the 80 point mark. ....
The Isles may have a weird ownership situation, but they did some nice moves this off season & I see some nice youngsters like Bergenheim, Nilsson, Colliton, Gervais, & Campoli become serious contributers for the Isles.
Your saying the Islanders have improved more than the Rangers this summer!??
you just show your ignorance as Nitty was the #1 goalie, that was as plain as day. He stuggled down the stretch, Esche was inserted and played very well, enough to take the job from nittymaki. If you watched the Flyers or followed them you would know this by now. Stop with the messes with their head, they are grown men. Since you were inside the locker room you know how much it effected the team. Please.
You poser...your not even a Flyboy fan...you couldn't be
Esche was the #1 before he got injured than Nitty came in and Nitty had an impressive Olympics.....
The Flyers absolutely had a Goalie controversy last season...it's common knowledge.....and Hitch just made it worse with is inability to pick his guy....he gambled and LOST
I will put money down that Shanahan will not score more goals than Satan.
Rachunek is as SOFT as they come & definitely does not have an ounce of offensive abilities as Poti and thats scary.
Ward is OK, not earth shattering.
Cullen is not better than Rucchin & you are foolish to think that.
Hall has been a bust & I don't see that ever changing.
All in all, the Rangers aren't surprising anyone this up coming season & teams will take a pointer from that embarrassong show against the Devils & most likely play you guys in a similar fashion. I'm not saying the Isles will be better, but both teams are going to struggle to make the playoffs.
Please entertain us....How is Rucchin better than Cullen?
Let me see, Rucchin is light years a better face-off guy, better leader, & at the very least on equal terms as a playmaker with Cullen. Cullen isn't terrible, but saying he is an improvement over Rucchin is silly.
Forget scouting for the Islanders....You would make a GREAT replacement for Mike Millbury
I'm no Poti fan and I truly hate the signing, but saying Rosival is an improvement is just stupid. Rosival had a career season with the Rags last season but showed his true colors against the Devs when they totally undressed him on almost every shift. BTW, I hate Milbury, but he has had more success with the Isles than Sather has had with the Rangers. 3 playoffs with MM, 1 for Sather. Get back to me when the Rags actually win a playoff game in the next decade.
Whats the deal with Malone on Pittsburgh?
I know he had an arbitrator give him two years did the Pens sign him?
I guess they have till what, tomorrow to decide?
The Pens accepted the award for Malone, so he is under contract for the next two years.
You neglected to specify whether we're talkin' Kirk-style Klingons or Picard-style Klingons.
That could totally be the difference between whether the Fishsticks make the playoffs or not.
C'mon now. The Kirk-style Klingons never win. In fact they were outsmarted by a bunch of squealing, grain-eating guinea pigs who reproduced faster than bunny rabbits on vacation.
But if it's the Picard-style Klingons who use steroids and wield swords shaped like the blades at the bottom of my mom's Cuisinart... Well, watch out Stanley Pie.
So which is it?
Hahaha nice... Well Mr Wang IS Kirk at this point. He leads with a makeshift plan, in fact Scotty is no where in sight to help if need be. He's back on Planet Abadeen collecting liquid Argon for a separate mission all together. The navigation through the meteor filled space is symbolic to the fan reaction.
Now if you read that sentence again, youll understand that as far as the Klingons go, they ARE the enemy. They are not the sheep lead by Capt. Wang. You could say that the juiced-up sword wielding Picard-Klingons are teams 95 years "into the future" - other than the Islanders, they highjacked the Cardassioan Union and are not about to give it up easily. Follow?
Last edited by HockeyBasedNYC: 08-04-2006 at 09:47 PM.
