These are the remaining FA targets I could see us getting before the season:
Forwards:
Tomas Holmstrom - Low years remaining so small contract would be doable and if he gets the scoring touch back...could pay off major dividends. Especially helpful in front of the net.
Andrew Brunette - Low years remaining so small contract would be doable. He can generate some offense and has a little speed still left. He didn't have the best season last year but if he turns it around he could be a 40-50 pointer easily. Has played with the Preds before!
Petr Sykora - Same as others with contract. Can generate scoring touch and potential for us. Would be great for the 2nd line and give us a little veteran presence.
Jason Arnott - Don't think this will ever happen again but could eat minutes and do some work on one of our lines. However he might have to be told this locker room is not his anymore. Maybe better to stay away from though.
Defense:
Carlo Colaiacovo - Can move the puck, solid D-man would be good for eating minutes and could possibly be Webers partner on the first pairing. Would definitely be able to be signed for 2-3 years as he's only 29.
Pavel Kubina - Used to be better offensively, definitely showing some age. A big guy, could eat some minutes and who knows, maybe he'll find new life in those legs.
Michal Rozsival - If you can keep this one healthy he should give you a good season.
Well, these are the ones that I could see us getting. I personally think we pick up 1 more forward and another D-man. I can't see much other than the ones listed here as being that helpful though. Most of those listed here may be looking for places to make "one last run" or may just be retiring. You wait too late and you're stuck with scraps and leftovers.
Holmström either retires or signs with Wings. Former looks closer and closer by day.
didnt see this anywhere else but according to this Poile has let Doan's agent know we are intersted if he does leave phoenix and apparently Doan is familiar enough with Trotz, the city, and our team that he doesnt need to come here for a tour...
I realize they're only rumors, but everyone keeps saying that, if he leaves the Yotes (which I don't think he ends up doing), it's the Rangers vs. the Nucks with a couple teams sprinkled in. Anything is possible, but I don't see him coming here.
Can't imagine that's just a ploy to get more cash out of the rangers either. If Doan leaves he will put location/situation ahead of cash as long as the money isn't hugely different
my point, which I didn't explain... sorry.... was about the "comfortableness" of Columbus as a city. Kind of like Nashville is "comfortable"... We don't stop the players in the grocery store and tell them they played horrid, etc. Kind of resonated when I remembered the remark that I think Gill made here. (that he thought nashville was comfortable, and there wasn't the same "intensity" in the marketplace or in the team..... that it would be easy to become complacent)
Are we too nice? Too hospitable? Is there a balance between intensity and comfortableness? Or should there be when you're playing a professional sport?
Maybe the things that make Nashville a nice place to raise a family work against us in producing a culture of intensity on the ice.
edit.... the article wasn't dogging on nash... it was very long and well thought out, it's a good read.... it was just this section that made me compare this to nashville.
I don't think fans // outside scrutiny is a driver for diminishing a hockey team environment that is focused intensely on winning. That has to come from within the players for the team to adopt that culture.
He sure as heck won't be a 7 million dollar a year player in 4 years.
Agreed. With the new 35+ rule, too, this is just a bad idea. Even Lidstrom didn't make $7m when he was 40. Maybe whoever is offering it to him is banking on contracts being rolled back after the CBA is negotiated. The cap would have to be lowered for that to happen.
As far as I can tell, there is no legitimate source. A couple of borderline "insiders" have said they wouldn't be surprised if it was the Preds. It seems like no one other than Doan, his agent and the team that offered it really know right now. Then again, it could be a cash grab, agents certainly aren't the most reputable people on the planet.
Both Trotz and Weber have a man-crush on Doan. They see him as a true "Predator". All the grit and leadership and big game presence we lack. He's hard to play against. He's Fisher, one level up. If that is our offer, we're over paying but we have cap room. No doubt, remove the "is-he-worth-the-money" test and look at our roster with him versus without him, he's a big plus.
We overpaid for Rinne and Weber. We would have overpaid for Suter. If you asked me which I'd rather have, Suter for $98mm over 13 years or Doan $28mm over 4 years, I'd take Doan. He's the type of guy who will play well at 40 years old.
Do it Poile. He's the best Top 6 forward remaining and is tailor made for our style of play.
Haha $7M per? That is crazy for four years; it'd be a lot for two years. That said, if said non-NY mystery team turned out to be the Preds, I would still be pretty amped.
And all of the lollerskater fake insiders on Twitter and saying it is definitely the Preds; I'd love to know how these guys can make comments like the one below over and over again and be routinely proved totally wrong, yet they keep doing it. Is it just the attention they love? Very weird.
Quote:
UPDATE on #PREDS offer for Doan: 4 years, 28M$. #CONFIRMED by source within Preds upper managerment. > All I can say is #WOW for Nashville
Both Trotz and Weber have a man-crush on Doan. They see him as a true "Predator". All the grit and leadership and big game presence we lack. He's hard to play against. He's Fisher, one level up. If that is our offer, we're over paying but we have cap room. No doubt, remove the "is-he-worth-the-money" test and look at our roster with him versus without him, he's a big plus.
We overpaid for Rinne and Weber. We would have overpaid for Suter. If you asked me which I'd rather have, Suter for $98mm over 13 years or Doan $28mm over 4 years, I'd take Doan. He's the type of guy who will play well at 40 years old.
Do it Poile. He's the best Top 6 forward remaining and is tailor made for our style of play.
Why do you think Rinne is overpaid? His contract aligns with other top goalie's salaries.
And all of the lollerskater fake insiders on Twitter and saying it is definitely the Preds; I'd love to know how these guys can make comments like the one below over and over again and be routinely proved totally wrong, yet they keep doing it. Is it just the attention they love? Very weird.
They embody the saying, "even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then." If they "find a nut" they will get more followers. If they get more followers they will at least be perceived as having more credibility. If they are perceived as having more credibility they can toss out more rumors, get more followers, and the cycle continues.
And if they strike out it doesn't matter because... well... it's just a fake insider account on Twitter.
I'm not sure, but having Doan as a center is a scary idea considering he has played right wing his entire career.
With Tootoo gone and AK/Rads not coming back we aren't really up against a wall at RW. We would have Doan, Hornqvist, Halischuk, Yip, and Grats. Grats won't play too many games. Yip is the guy on the fourth line. Put Doan on the first line with Erat playing the left (Erat - Fisher - Doan). Have your second line consist of SK - Legwand - Wilson/Hornqvist/Halischuk. Move on down the line like that.
I think the best line up with Doan would be:
Erat - Fisher - Doan
SK - Legwand - Smith
Wilson - Spaling - Hornqvist
Bourque - Goose - Halischuk
Yip and Grats would be depth and toughness if needed
Last edited by ThirdManIn: 08-08-2012 at 03:51 PM.
I'm not sure, but having Doan as a center is a scary idea considering he has played right wing his entire career.
With Tootoo gone and AK/Rads not coming back we aren't really up against a wall at RW. We would have Doan, Hornqvist, Halischuk, Yip, and Grats. Grats won't play too many games. Yip is the guy on the fourth line. Put Doan on the first line with Erat playing the left (Erat - Fisher - Doan). Have your second line consist of SK - Legwand - Wilson/Hornqvist/Halischuk. Move on down the line like that.
I think the best line up with Doan would be:
Erat - Fisher - Doan
SK - Legwand - Smith
Wilson - Spaling - Hornqvist
Bourque - Goose - Halischuk
Yip and Grats would be depth and toughness if needed
I have no idea why I was thinking him as a center. Brain fart. It's been a busy day at work ... that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.
