yave1964

Dallas hated dumba, he lost his playoff starting job to longtime minor leaguer Alex petrovic, was dealt to pittsburgh for some guy who has a really long name who will be a career minor leaguer. Dumba likely means karlsson is a goner as they have 4 right shot dmen. Karlsson rumors are everywhere.

We missed the playoffs by single digit points two years in a row. Lets start there. Next, we lucked out in the draft, the Isles with a 3.5 percent chance of getting the first pick. Detroit as usual did not and wound up 13. We drafted talented but injured Carter Bear. We traded for the injury prone and criminally overrated John gibson. I have been staring at free agents who would be a great fit for the Wings, wondering who we would sign, maybe two with over 17 million in cap space. Provorov, Ekblad, Bennett, Marchand, duchene all rsigned with their original teams. Others were dealt in sign and trade deals around the league. In an incredibly thin class the mystery is gone, the cupboard is bare and the Wings still have 17 million to spend and very little left to bid on. There is little left, Ehlers, Granlund, Gavrikov, a few more with multiple teams like the Wings holding money and little to spend it on. The choice is to overpay for good players, paying them more than they are worth or get nothing. And the rumor that is disturbing, the Wings are rumored to be considering trading top goalie prospect Sebastian Cossa for a veteran top four defender. Oof. Rough offseason. Still looking to find something to be happy about.

Coming of back to back Cup wins and back to back to back Cup finals, the Panthers were looking at UFA players Brad Marchand, Aaron Ekblad and Conn Smythe winner Sam Bennett. Surely one was a goner, likely two. Worst case scenario is all three would be gone in a very thin free agent crop, all would be pursued, all would leave for the highest bidder, the initial conversation was the Panthers and Bill zito would have to make the hard decision on who to target and keep. Bennett made his job easy right off the rip, announcing right off that he had no intention of leaving and wanted to stay no matter what. Florida decided he was the one to stay, signing him for an 8 year deal at 8 million per. That left everyone wondering if it would be Marchand or Ekblad who they might be able to keep. Ekblad rumored going to hometown Detroit, Marchand being considered as going to Toronto or Vegas. Surely they couldnt keep both. Yes. Yes indeed they did. All suspense came out right before the frenzy, Ekblad signed seven years at 6.1 million per, a hell of a lot less than he woulda made on the open market, Marchand signed six years at 5.3 million to stay, again, lots less than he would have received in Toronto. All three would have and could have received more on the open market and all chose to stay and go for the first three peat since the Islanders ran off four in a row in the very early eighties. And 4th line penalty killer Tomas Nosek has expressed an interest in returning and likely will, meaning they will return the entire team to raise hell and run roughshod over the NHL. The cap went up which helps. The players love the team and their teammates which helps as well. Zero tax helps of course. Anyway, mystery solved, they didnt sign one, or two but all three plus likely fringe but important Nosek. They managed to keep the band together for another tour. In todays world of corporate greed the Cats and players came together and said lets go for it together again.

Toronto added checking forward Nicolas Roy in exchange for the rights to Mitch Marner. This has looked like it is coming for the last week, rumors are that Marners agent has contacted the Knights ahead of time which royally p1ssed off the Leafs who have been threatening to cause a fuss with the commissioner's office. Marner is a brilliant perfect add for Vegas, a solid two way player who leads special teams both on the power play and the penalty kill. Just a smart fun player.

Dont sleep on the Ducks, especially if they get in on Marner. This team is coming fast and may even contend for a playoff spot in the very tough West. Seriously, i liked them going into last year and they moved up and a lot of the kids are on the cusp......

Oh God it is awful. It holds up Cossa from taking over for two years, we may end up dealing him to move Augustine into the goalie of the future spot. He gets hurt, he is so incredibly overrated, i am just beside myself. Hoping he lost interest playing for a bad Ducks squad and finds his game playing for a mediocre Wings team, lol.

Vlad Taresenko was given to the Wild with his 4.75 million dollar contract for 'future considerations' which essentially means he was given up on and let go to the Wild. Look, i am not going to rip on the player, he was snakebit last year, I watch most every Wings game, sometimes twice, Taresenko clanged more shots off the iron than anyone I can remember, probably at least a half a dozen. And he had two goals that were taken back on challenges. He hustled, he kept his head down appeared to be a good temmate and really was not bad. The big problem is the Wings desperately needed a penalty killer on the third line who could score a bit and that is not his game. We had the worst penalty kill in years, just god awful, and Taresenko could not help with that. With Kane/Larkin/Raymond/Seider/Debrincat simply killing it on the power play there was simply no room for Taresenko in that role, he played second unit garbage time with lesser talents and what was once his bread and butter simply dried up. He could score 20 goals a year, Hell if he had any type of puck luck he mighta done just that last year and we wouldn't be having this conversation, he wouldn't have been dealt. He really was a poor fit, we need a solid two way player and he isn't that. Wishing him all the luck in the world with Minny.

nooooooooooooo!!!!!!!! Well Cluck a Duck. Carey Price was a phony, he looked like a goalie, had brilliant stretches but never won a damn thing, just played in Montreal putting up mostly good not great numbers but Canada justified him and treated him like the savior and second coming. When he finally hung them up they all say he is a sure fire HOFer. He isnt on the best most overrated day of his life. Gibson is Carey Price lite. He looks like a goalie. He is a solid interview and his teammates like him. BUT He can not stay healthy. He is not that good. I remember writing in here that Gibson went 25 or 26 games a few years ago giving up 3 or more goals every single game which set the all time record for that. Yeah they were young and the defense was pretty damn awful but 3 goals or more every single game????? A truly very good to near great goalie woulda carried the load. He packed it in and put out so little effort this year. It is two years at 6.4 million a year. As a Wings fan i hope a change of scenery will bring some spark to him. Not happy. He is better than Mrazek I guess, but that really isnt saying much.

Gonna be a trade with the Isles?

Colorado is sellers clearing 7 million in salary to prepare for life with Landeskog. Columbus, acquired two damn solid players. Colorado receives a fine prospect in forward Gavin Brindley who is nearly NHL ready. A small forward, he appears to have third line winger written all over him. they also added a 2nd and a 3rd. CBJ adds Wood who is a gritty bottom six forward, well worth the add. Coyle is the perfect bottom six centre. CBJ for years has been desperate at the center position for, well, I gues forever. Now they have Fantilii who is the real deal as a 1C Monahan who was a point a game player who missed 30 games but is a great fit. Jenner is a nasty piece of work who has defined himself as a middle six pivot Coyle who can play anywhere from the 2nd to the 4th line. First round picks Kent Johnson and Sillinger are established, canplay either wing or center. This is easily bar none by far the best and deepest center depth in the history of this team. Both teams got what they wanted, Lanche get cap space and picks, CBJ has 15 NHL forwards and plan on adding a goalie and a Dman by the end of the frenzy. Good solid smart start for them.

Gota be Matheson, lol

Per Kevin weekes who scooped everyone. Dobson to Montreal, done deal. At least a first plus players going to the island.

Kesselring can.play a bit, better than Doan. Peterka yet another wasted draft asset from Buffalo, see Eichel, Reinhart, ect.....

Jake Allen on his way as well? Meh to him but you guys need a veteran in net. Zegeas tho...... Man he was wasted in California. A center one week, playing wing the next. Down low on the first power play, then a week or two of no PP time. Rumors everywhere that he is lazy and uncoachable. I disagree. First line wing or second line center and first power play. Leave him there and let him regain confidence. For God's sake he is only 24 and had back to back 60 point seasons. Played with a snarl until the ducks burned him out. Boom or bust but if he is assigned a role and they don't tinker he should be very solid.

They just came at you in waves, simply overwhelmed Edmonton and their two lines bob shoulda won the Smythe IMHO but they are an amazing team. Bennett just seriously got paid Oh and Kane didn't come out for the handshake line. What a tool