Anybody else see us getting in the Briere/Gomez/Drury sweepstakes?
There's no way. Supposedly the salary cap is going to rise this year. We still have our self imposed salary cap. We cannot afford to go with one of the above mentioned players. Even if we could, would they want to sign here after our third straight first round exit?
Sounds like Kariya is done here and Forsberg is looking to retire...
Then we damn well better offer Hannan (Timonen's $), Harntell (in between Kariya & Sully $) & Handzus 2-3 mil, and I'd be happy with that team ... let Radulov take Kariya's minutes ... move Sullivan down to the second line and have Weber shadow him all season ... so that if anyone starts any **** ... they know they're gonna get the horns
I think you guys are giving up on your young D too soon. They have great promise. Sharks also have a young D, though they got some much needed experience at the deadline with Rivet. Still, Vlasic just turned 20, is right out of juniors, and he's been arguably the Sharks best all-around defenseman all year. Matt Carle is a rookie who is playing well for us, and Erhoff is in his second full year, I think. All are major contributors. The Preds have some really good young talent on the blue line; they just need a little more time.
The danger for Nashville going forward is "throwing out the baby with the bath water". When you examine the series with the Sharks on balance, a goal here and a stop there would have made all the difference. Nashville was incredibly competitive despite missing key players (Sullivan, Erat). With those two in the lineup, the outcome might have been quite different. That said, the biggest change Nashville has to make in the off-season is to get rid of Trotz. He's a nice guy, but he was clearly outcoached in this series. If Nashville dismantles this team, I think it would be a huge mistake.
Maybe i'm in the minority here, but I'd be pretty happy with Legwand and Arnott as the #1 and #2 centers.
So, instead of throwing the cash at Gomez/Briere, why not go after a guy like Belanger. Atlanta is my second favorite team so I've seen him a bit since he became a Thrasher, and I think this guy would be a good fit as the #3 center, he skates like the wind and plays a style that would fit here. And come cheap enough to allow us to put the money elsewhere. Think Scott Nichol with better skills and more discipline.
IMHO, the greatest need is #1 a veteran defenseman, preferably a big nasty one. The kids did alright, but they dont know how to buckle down and play the defensive style that you need to go with to win in crunch time. The inability to secure the puck in the defending zone and transition to breakout did us in as much as anything this series, and everytime I saw another behind the back, back hand behind the net pass that ended up in a Shark-Pred battle along the boards instead of a breakout, I wanted to put my foot through the TV.
#1. I'd say bye to Kariya, Timonen, and Forsberg (i'd like to see him back, but dont see it happening).
#2. Pay Hartnell what it takes. Young power forwards who play the game like him dont come around very often, and here we have a homegrown fan favorite. If you dont pony up the cash now what happens when Rads or Weber are up for contracts.
#3. Sign a veteran #1 d-man.
#4. Sign a center for the 3rd line.
Oh, and yeah, maybe get a new coach and see if there's any freakin way possible we can get Mike Grier in a Predator uniform. Ill gladly sign over any unborn children I may have in the future if it would help.
We absolutely must sign a legitimate #1 Dman. Let Timonen walk - his skillset can be replaced by Hamhuis or Suter. This series showed that no matter what we did to improve the center position, San Jose's forwards still ran roughshod over our defense. Hopefully the young guys will continue to add some muscle, but guys like Timonen and Zids are what they are. And I think we can and must do better than BOTH of them.
I think he was too small for this matchup against the Sharks!
It didn't hurt him last year, where he was our best player. Listening to that post game interview, Kariya pretty much spelled things out. He's done here.
Maybe i'm in the minority here, but I'd be pretty happy with Legwand and Arnott as the #1 and #2 centers.
I wish Arnott would use his size more. He sure didn't "play big" in this playoff series.
I would let Nichol go.....takes too many DUMB ASS penalties. That spear last night was stupidy at it's best!
Lets not forget, several guys' contracts are going up next season, including Erat (150,000), Legwand (500,000ish), Dumont (500,000), Tootoo (200,000), Hamhuis (250,000), Suter (400,000ish) and the big one, Vokoun (3,000,000).
That gives us even less room to work with. About $5 million less.
Here is what Irish Blues' website has us listed for next year:
Arnott - 4.5 Mil
Zidlicky - 3.2 Mil
Sullivan - 3.2 Mil
Vokoun - 5.3 Mil
Dumont - 2.5 Mil
Legwand - 2.1 Mil
Erat - 1.75 Mil
Hamhuis - 1.75
Mason - 1.25
Radulov - 688,940
Weber - 475,000
Ruzicka - 525,000
Tootoo - 700,000
Suter - 942,400
Vigilante - 475,000
Peverly - 490,000
28,096,340 is where we are at right now without playing a game next season ... Who needs an offensive defenseman that can't score in the postseason? ... that combined 6.4/year for the next few years is gonna bite us in the ass
Honestly, I'd rather pay Zids money to Hatcher. Hatch isn't the answer to all our problems, but I think he would add more value to this team than Zidlicky. Hatcher impressed me quite a bit as the season progressed.
Hey, this is a Devils fan inquiring about Zidlicky. NJ needs another offensive d-man/PP QB, probably someone with a right-handed shot, and Zidlicky seems to fit the bill. I know he had a down year this season, but I'm more interested in hearing about his defensive play (I think being the go-to guy on the Devils blueline could rekindle his offensive prowess). I've always pictured him as someone who isn't horrible defensively, and brings a degree of feistiness to the game despite his stature and role. Is this correct? How is he at making the first pass and skating the puck out? What would it take to get him? Oduya? Bergfors? Tallackson + pick?
Hey, this is a Devils fan inquiring about Zidlicky. NJ needs another offensive d-man/PP QB, probably someone with a right-handed shot, and Zidlicky seems to fit the bill. I know he had a down year this season, but I'm more interested in hearing about his defensive play (I think being the go-to guy on the Devils blueline could rekindle his offensive prowess). I've always pictured him as someone who isn't horrible defensively, and brings a degree of feistiness to the game despite his stature and role. Is this correct? How is he at making the first pass and skating the puck out? What would it take to get him? Oduya? Bergfors? Tallackson + pick?
I'm glad you're not the GM. You might want to involve him in a trade first?
no one wants a talentless thug ... he had all of 9 points this year 27 points in 169 total games ... 1 assist in 12 playoff games ... not really a high scorer ... and he doesn't do well against the boards
I think Mason and Zidlicky are both likely traded........that is assuming we go after Timonen or another top FA defenseman.
I think Mason is the number one trade asset Nashville has. I could see Toronto more than willing to listen to offers. They're looking to bring someone in to battle with Raycroft while Poggy develops in the AHL. But other than Tucker (scoring/grit) I don't see anything else Nashville would be interested in.
