The OFFICIAL 2009-10 NHL Regular Season Thread

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

Yeah this makes no sense to me. They had better do something with the space created otherwise they just dealt one of the better backups in the league for nothing. Is McElhinney expiring after this season also?

Didn't see if he was expiring, but not sure it matters. He's only making $500K. And I can't see the Ducks having him as the backup longterm, unless their scouts see something in him that no one else does.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Pyser

anyone know what edmonton is waiting for?

What do you mean, what is Edmonton waiting for?

They picked up Ryan Jones off waivers and traded for Matt Marquardt.

Helllloooo???

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Pyser

anyone know what edmonton is waiting for?

The draft?

[Pyser]

double zingers!

[Chief Rum]

Deadline.

Results coming in about three months.

[Dr. Sak]

There are a few more trades that are going to come in after the deadline...Toronto and Phoenix are two teams I am hearing.

[Dr. Sak]

And they traded with each other.

[bbor]

Stempniak for draft picks

Prolly a 4 n 5?

[Galaxy]

How good is Torres? Seems like a big upgrade over MacArthur and gives the big kick in the arse to the top six forwards. I love Sabres' fans are still complaining. What exactly where they hoping to get in terms of a scoring threat?

I hope we could pick up a power play quarterback.

[bbor]

Corvo to the Caps for Pothier and Osala

[bbor]

Modin to the Kings for futures

[Dr. Sak]

Anaheim picks up another goalie...Joey McDonald

[Dr. Sak]

Andrew Alberts to Vancouver

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Dr. Sak

Anaheim picks up another goalie...Joey McDonald

Woohoo! We're cornering the market on cheap, crappy backups. We shoulda kept Pogge and put an all goalie shift on the ice.

[Dr. Sak]

Ryan Whitney for Visnovsky

[samifan24]

Originally Posted by Pyser

anyone know what edmonton is waiting for?

I heard a rumor of Staios and Cogliano to Boston for a package including Michael Ryder but obviously that didn't happen.

Nice to see the Bruins are mailing it in the rest of the season. Chiarelli & company know this team isn't going anywhere in the playoffs if they even make it that far. What a disappointing year.

[NoSkillz]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

Well, luckily for you, you can forget this excercise as he's been traded to Atlanta for a 3rd and 4th round pick. Though, maybe JiMGA would like to hear about how bad he is.

BEST TRADE EVER!

[Travis]

According to a couple of the guys I'm following on twitter, they're still expecting another Edmonton (Moreau) trade to be announced.

I can only hope they're right. I went into today hoping mostly to see Moreau and Staios moved. Figured they could get some other deals done (Visnovsky/Comrie/Pisani/O'Sullivan) that would bring them back more in the way of picks to make up for basically giving Moreau and Staios away and so far the day has been quite a disappointment.

[NoSkillz]

Originally Posted by Galaxy

How good is Torres? Seems like a big upgrade over MacArthur and gives the big kick in the arse to the top six forwards. I love Sabres' fans are still complaining. What exactly where they hoping to get in terms of a scoring threat?

I hope we could pick up a power play quarterback.

I love this deal - Torres is a very physical forward, great hitter and can score a bit. I think he'll fit in very well alongside Roy and Vanek by doing all the dirty work in the corners.

Getting him for Paetsch (their 8th defenseman) and a late 2nd rounder is great value, especially if they can get him resigned.

The MacArthur deal is truly addition by subtraction. I'm thrilled he's gone and apologize in advance to JiMGa. Let me know if you want a scouting report on him {rubs hands together in glee}

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by NoSkillz

BEST TRADE EVER!

Like the Sabres' moves?

[Travis]

Originally Posted by NoSkillz

I love this deal - Torres is a very physical forward, great hitter and can score a bit. I think he'll fit in very well alongside Roy and Vanek by doing all the dirty work in the corners.

Getting him for Paetsch (their 8th defenseman) and a late 2nd rounder is great value, especially if they can get him resigned.

The MacArthur deal is truly addition by subtraction. I'm thrilled he's gone and apologize in advance to JiMGa. Let me know if you want a scouting report on him {rubs hands together in glee}

Prepare to be very frustrated Hopefully not, but Torres (at least in his time with Edmonton) was the player you described above for 2-3 games in a row, then a ghost for 10-15 games at a stretch. When he was into the game he was a terror, but just too many times where he didn't look like he knew there was a puck on the ice.

Haven't seen/read much on him since he went to Columbus so he may have developed more consistency, but just be prepared to be wishing for Good Torres instead of actually seeing him.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Edmonton trades Steve Staois to Calgary for Aaron Johnson and a 3rd round pick.

[Travis]

I think that may be the first time Edmonton and Calgary have directly traded with one and other.

I'm thrilled the Oilers got a 3rd for Staios, but now confused how they essentially got only a 2nd and a 6th for Lubo (if you consider they got a 2nd for Grebeshkov who I'm reading would be very comparable to Whitney age/skill/style wise).

[bhlloy]

Originally Posted by Dr. Sak

Ryan Whitney for Visnovsky

That's where the Toskala cap space went then. Not a bad deal for the Ducks, Whitney is another incredibly frustrating player and a lot of people will be very glad to see him go. At least Vishnovsky knows he is an offensive defenseman and plays like it. As long as he doesn't fall off too much next year in the last year of a big deal he'll do a job for us.

[Pyser]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

That's where the Toskala cap space went then. Not a bad deal for the Ducks, Whitney is another incredibly frustrating player and a lot of people will be very glad to see him go. At least Vishnovsky knows he is an offensive defenseman and plays like it. As long as he doesn't fall off too much next year in the last year of a big deal he'll do a job for us.

visnovsky is signed for 3 more years for $14m

[bhlloy]

So he does. The article I was reading got that one pretty wrong then

[Travis]

Originally Posted by Pyser

visnovsky is signed for 3 more years for $14m

Only owed $14 million for those 3 years, but he'll be a $5.6 cap hit each season. Still, I think a nice move for the Ducks if Niedermayer does indeed retire. Maybe not quite the player Neidermayer was a season or two ago, but at this point the difference isn't all that huge and Lubo's cap hit is $1.15 per season cheaper. May not look as nice by the last year of the deal, but he does seem to be holding up pretty well to this point.

[Sublime 2]

Originally Posted by samifan24

I heard a rumor of Staios and Cogliano to Boston for a package including Michael Ryder but obviously that didn't happen.

Nice to see the Bruins are mailing it in the rest of the season. Chiarelli & company know this team isn't going anywhere in the playoffs if they even make it that far. What a disappointing year.

No kidding, only thing to look forward to is a likely first round exit, and HOPEFULLY a top 2 pick.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by NoSkillz

The MacArthur deal is truly addition by subtraction. I'm thrilled he's gone and apologize in advance to JiMGa. Let me know if you want a scouting report on him {rubs hands together in glee}

Here's the really scary part for Atlanta: the remaining fans on the message boards are generally thrilled with the deal since he
a) at least occasionally puts a puck in the net and
b) the draft picks would have been wasted by DW anyway so they were pretty worthless

Me? I get the downside of acquiring a guy who was 17th in icetime but still managed to be at/near the bottom of the team in +/-

The fact that bringing him in being generally considered a plus (I've seen the words "steal" and "robbery" used a few times) should tell fans in Buffalo just how bad things are in the ATL.

[Galaxy]

Sabres and Caps are on VS tonight at 7.

[bhlloy]

Originally Posted by Sublime 2

No kidding, only thing to look forward to is a likely first round exit, and HOPEFULLY a top 2 pick.

The Bruins really screwed up not picking up Pronger (or a similar impact player) at the deadline last year. I think they could have won a championship with the way Thomas was playing and the career years some other guys were having. Now it seems their window is already closing?

[Terps]

Caps should've gotten a goalie or just let Varly start over Theodore (which is what I prefer.)

[Suburban Rhythm]

Originally Posted by henry296

Not sure I'm a huge fan of trading Caputi. Is Ponikarovsky that big of an upgrade?

Caputi was never more than a 2nd liner...but he would have been a solid, cheap 2nd liner for a few more years. The Pens can't rely on picking up 2nd/3rd tier vets every year. Being able to have a guy, or maybe 2 with Tangradi, who would cost under $1M for a couple seasons, would help alot.

Poni instantly becomes the best goal scoring winger, and is good defensively, and can control the puck on the wall. Goal scoring hasn't really been an issue, but not a bad thing to have some more scoring depth.

My biggest gripe is this team is built on speed, and that doesn't seem to be Poni's strongest asset.

But, I guess when you are trying to defend a title, and think you can repeat, you make the move for this season, and worry about next year in the summer.

[Suburban Rhythm]

Originally Posted by Terps

Caps should've gotten a goalie or just let Varly start over Theodore (which is what I prefer.)

I really didn't understand the Caps moves.

They overpaid for Corvo, who really isn't what they needed.

I know not many vet defensive D were moved (just Staios?) but that made more sense for them, IMO.

[TurnerONU22]

Originally Posted by Travis

Haven't seen/read much on him since he went to Columbus so he may have developed more consistency, but just be prepared to be wishing for Good Torres instead of actually seeing him.

Yeah, I've gotta say that Torres is one of the strangest players I've ever seen in Columbus. Last night, he makes an incredible pass on a 2 on 1 which resulted in Dorsett scoring in an empty net. He'll score from tough angles and make elite plays.

However, sometimes he'll act like he's never played hockey before. He'll make idiotic passes that get intercepted, he'll get lost in his own end playing defense, or he'll just stand there and do nothing.

As long as he's surrounded by consistent players, Torres is an excellent player that can change games via goals, passes or hits. However, to steal a line from Forrest Gump, he's like a box of chocolates, you just never know what you're gonna get.

[TurnerONU22]

Originally Posted by Suburban Rhythm

TSN reporting:

Ponikarovsky to Pittsburgh for Martin Skoula for cap purposes and the next great name in hockey, Luca Caputi.

I think the Jackets have one that tops that.

Grant Clitsome.

Clitsome, a defensemen, made his debut for the Jackets last night and had 2 assists and a penalty in the first period. I joked to my wife that the arena PA guy gave the assists to Clitsome because the PA guy just wanted to say Clitsome's name.

He ended the game with another assist, but it was a gift for the Canucks which tied the game at 3.

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by TurnerONU22

Yeah, I've gotta say that Torres is one of the strangest players I've ever seen in Columbus. Last night, he makes an incredible pass on a 2 on 1 which resulted in Dorsett scoring in an empty net. He'll score from tough angles and make elite plays.

However, sometimes he'll act like he's never played hockey before. He'll make idiotic passes that get intercepted, he'll get lost in his own end playing defense, or he'll just stand there and do nothing.

As long as he's surrounded by consistent players, Torres is an excellent player that can change games via goals, passes or hits. However, to steal a line from Forrest Gump, he's like a box of chocolates, you just never know what you're gonna get.

Just what we need.

[Wolfpack]

Hm. So, Carolina goes into the deadline with supposedly the highest-profile target in Ray Whitney. They come out of it trading just about everybody but Whitney. Instead, they pretty much gut the defense by trading away four players who initially were among the starting six (Corvo, Alberts, and A Ward, along with Wallin before the Olympics). That leaves Pitkanen and Gleason, along with the recently acquired Picard and Pothier, plus whoever can make the grade from Albany to fill in on defense for the rest of the year.

Also subtracted Yelle, Walker, and Cullen from the forwards, so basically of the 20-man main roster that started the year, seven were traded out. Coming back: a bushel of picks (all 2nd round or later) and a few prospects. I suspect the acquisition of Pogge is in anticipation of Justin Peters moving to the full-time backup job next year behind Cam Ward and therefore we needed someone to be the second goalie in Charlotte next year. However, all those picks aren't particularly valuable since anything after the first round becomes a crap shoot anyway and the Canes didn't exactly load up on prospects in these trades.

With regard to Whitney, JR mentioned in his press conference that there were no good deals brought to him since the LA deal got nixed by Whitney before the break, so there apparently wasn't much of a chance he'd get moved anyway. I'm guessing the combination of Whitney's and JR's demands pretty much killed the market for him.

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by Suburban Rhythm

I really didn't understand the Caps moves.

They overpaid for Corvo, who really isn't what they needed.

I know not many vet defensive D were moved (just Staios?) but that made more sense for them, IMO.

They might have slightly overpaid, but they didn't give up anything they'll miss. I wish they could have gotten a better dman and I have no idea why they wanted Jurcina back. IMO they might have gotten marginally better, but it was largely trading around assets of similar value.

[samifan24]

Originally Posted by Sublime 2

No kidding, only thing to look forward to is a likely first round exit, and HOPEFULLY a top 2 pick.

I think the fact that one of the two picks belongs to Toronto virtually guarantees that the Bruins will pick in the top 3 in the draft.

[samifan24]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

The Bruins really screwed up not picking up Pronger (or a similar impact player) at the deadline last year. I think they could have won a championship with the way Thomas was playing and the career years some other guys were having. Now it seems their window is already closing?

I agree with you that not getting Pronger killed the team's chances last season. Thomas had his career year but Rask will be the starter the rest of the way and next year, too. I fully expect Boston to move Thomas in the off-season if they can find a club willing to take on his contract.

David Krejci and Milan Lucic have been invisible for long stretches this season (although Krejci looked better during the Olympics) and Michael Ryder has been inconsistent for much of the year as well. Dennis Wideman has been a disaster on the back end all year too. In short the Bruins have seemingly regressed across the board and watching this team fail to compete hard on a nightly basis has been maddening. In my opinion the Bruins need another scoring winger to play with Savard (which many thought they might acquire earlier this year) and another puck moving defenseman.

[Wolfpack]

Hey, guys...the season's over. We traded half the team away yesterday. You can stop winning now.... Guys?

[Dr. Sak]

[Greyroofoo]

So did detroit and chicago both trade away their goalies or something?

[Chubby]

Originally Posted by NoSkillz

I love this deal - Torres is a very physical forward, great hitter and can score a bit. I think he'll fit in very well alongside Roy and Vanek by doing all the dirty work in the corners.

Getting him for Paetsch (their 8th defenseman) and a late 2nd rounder is great value, especially if they can get him resigned.

The MacArthur deal is truly addition by subtraction. I'm thrilled he's gone and apologize in advance to JiMGa. Let me know if you want a scouting report on him {rubs hands together in glee}

MacArthur was overpaid as well IMO. He got more than he should have when the Sabres went thru their overpaying phase following the Drury/Briere debacle...

[Dr. Sak]

Matt Cooke just ended Mark Savard's year

[Terps]

Originally Posted by Dr. Sak

I'm a Capitals, and Ovechkin fan, but that's hilarious.

[Suburban Rhythm]

Originally Posted by Dr. Sak

Matt Cooke just ended Mark Savard's year

He's getting 5 games for that.

But that hit was no different than Richards on Booth. No elbow, but a headshot. Not a penalty the way the rules are written currently, but that needs to change.

But that is 2nd headshot this year (Anisimov earlier), and his name is Matt Cooke.

5 games.

[samifan24]

Originally Posted by Dr. Sak

Matt Cooke just ended Mark Savard's year

Cheap shot. I hope he gets suspended.

[Chief Rum]

For a team that made moves like it was trying to get into the playoffs, the Ducks players sure aren't backing up the faith they were provided by their GM on deadline day. Three games, three losses, two at home, two against key conference rivals, only one point out of the whole shebang.

And tonight against Montreal, they blew a three goal lead. That blows. This team is pissing me off.