radoran

The "highest paid" thing is a typical blatant spin canard based on his "actual salary" which is irrelevant for talking about effect on the club. Bryz's cap number is the only fair way to compare, and by that accurate standard he is not the highest paid goalie in the league. For the record, however, he's still in the Top 10 of goalies paid and still 42nd in SV% (with nine goalies with less than 20 starts ahead of him). Crater was traded on June 23. Richards was traded on June 23. Bryzgalov was signed on June 23. Again, you are technically correct that they were traded before Bryzgalov was signed. An hour before Bryzgalov was signed. Bryzgalov's play has been bad enough to not need to resort of spin and hyperbole to get the point across.

It really is amazing how the whole team turned on a dime after that hit and he abject failure to follow-up on it. Does the team really not like Miller? With reference to your blog about Miller going, I think it's that or they need to send Stafford/Roy packing (which they probably should anyway) and make a decision on Gaustad, who really should be a better on-ice and locker room presence than he appears to be.

Whether an official "buyout," there has been a lot of talk about the 35+ rule not working as intended and discussions to alter it. it would not surprise me to see some sort of "contract relief" if not allowing for an actual "buyout." This may, of course, not affect Bryzgalov at all. But, if given the opportunity for a buyout, they may very well for Bryzgalov, as the cap hit (aside from the two years you note) is relatively reasonable and they can at least use Pronger's space on LTIR. But, yes, I don't see them bailing on this deal after Y1.

Carolina was #1 in the SE with the second best record in the Conference. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005%E2%80%9306_NHL_season It was Ottawa that was #1 due to one more OTL than Carolina.

Someone likely was. By their editors. Or their readers. If the #1 topic on this website is "Should Bryz Be The #1 Goalie?" then it's reasonable to conclude that the same topic is being brought up by reporters covering the team and, by extension, the team itself. I think Laviolette is playing this not only the way he has to, but also to his advantage. Bryz will get the majority of the starts and the chance to "find his game" and Bob will be the Ace in the Hole if things so completely South in the playoffs. He's shown he has no difficulty swapping goalies in the playoffs and primed the pump with the Cam Ward reference right out of the gate. If only Bryz was playing as well as Gerber did in that regular season... And even that wasn't great.

If we want to talk about "getting rid of Bryz for good," then I posited a number of reasonable possibilities that don't involve other teams deciding that they don't want their promising emerging goaltenders (Pavelec/Smith), trading away established ones (Kipper) or picking up the next eight years of a disappointing goalie's high-priced contract (Isles/Oilers/Bolts/Jackets). None of what I would consider the realistic possibilities were posited in the BleacherReport article listed. My apologies for not fully fleshing out the point in the first post.

I think that moving Miller is the "end" for an era with the Sabres and unless there is a definite new direction that is involved and effectively communicated to the fanbase, it will not go over well. Enroth "having better numbers" is great, and all. But he's still the backup. He has yet to prove that he can post those numbers consistently while starting 66% of games for a season. Trading Miller to move Enroth in now is premature IMO. A year or two? Maybe. And if you're trading Miller because Enroth "has better numbers" are you expecting a starter or backup goalie back? Quite frankly, I'd go for some position players in return - if the point is to elevate Enroth. Then sign a reliable backup. That Marty Biron character is up after this season... Getting some scoring punch back is perhaps the only way to get the fanbase on board with moving Miller. Biron softens it. Lastly, Miller's NTC allows eight teams he won't accept trades to. That likely rules out getting something like a Rick Nash from Columbus I don't think, especially with their young D, that the Sabres "need" Miller - but they are still a franchise that once did and that made him the face of the Sabres and the darling of Western New York.

Not at all. There are a lot of options. They can certainly buy him out and the results aren't apocalyptic aside from two years in the long term sense. Details can be gotten on capgeek.com and have been posted in several threads on this forum. There is a chance that they will get a "one-time buyout" or other contract-changing features in the new CBA agreement to allow for a window out. There is a chance - silly as it sounds - that Bryzgalov actually does find his way out of the humahngas woods and plays like a Vezina nominee. There is a chance he could be "Filatoved" back to Russia, "loaned" to the KHL team in, for example, Minsk. I don't know all of the particulars. There is regardless, in my opinion, a likelihood that he "goes back to Russia" before the end of the deal anyway either through a "loan" or "retirement". He gets $40M in the first six years of the contract. If he has success here, he would be a strong candidate for a KHL squad even in his late 30s. And if *he* leaves, there's no penalty for the Flyers cap. The pipe dream that some other team picks him up - barring him posting a string of games that would make the Flyers (and maybe even some fans) want to keep him - is just that. As for BleacherReport, the Winnipeg thing is rightly cited as a failing of this analysis. Moreover, the suggestion that the Islanders would send DiPietro here so the Flyers could "park him in the AHL" and pay him $4.5M though 2021 to backstop the Phantoms while three sentences later saying the Flyers could send them Leighton "as the Flyers cannot continue burying that much salary ($1.55M ending after this season) in the AHL" should speak for itself.

Calgary is not moving Kiprusoff to pick up Bryzgalov. Kiprusoff is proven, steady a fan-favorite and signed at not much more than Bryz. The Oilers are not looking for another long-term contract with an underachieving Russian in goal after Kohlrabbi's is up. Tampa wouldn't give you a pile of fetid dingo's kidneys for Bryzgalov. Kubina? KUBINA!? Phoenix? After being publicly spurned last year and with the comments which his former teammates have made? Really?? Why would the Islanders want to get out of one disappointing long-term high-priced goalie contract for another? Bryzgalov isn't going anywhere this season. It's a pipe dream. Get off the pipe.

Briere has a No Movement Clause. Hartnell a No Trade. Everybody's interested in Giroux, but the Flyers aren't looking to deal their Hart Trophy candidate. Likewise, teams might be interested in Talbot, but as a solid vet presence signed at a great number long-term, why would the Flyers deal him? I think the Flyers would move Voracek, Simmonds or Read/Zolnierczyk for the right deals (less likely on Read given his production and contract). I think they know they'd be insane to deal a 19-year-old Couturier who has shown such ice presence. As the centerpiece of any deal, however, JVR's contract's reasonable number and length and "potential" (and career-high points pace) would make him an obvious candidate.

So that's what? A 10-15 mph elbow to the jaw collision? Would you say each player is going 5-7 mph on skates there in opposite directions? Catching JVR unawares - because that elbow shouldn't be up that high. "The fastest game on ice" is both a great marketing slogan and also an indication of what sort of impacts we see - either taking a guy coming at you at 10-15 mph or having open-ice hits that can be up to 25-30 mph. Many who have been in an unexpected car incident can attest to the effects of even low impact crashes. Now pretend you don't have a ton of metal around you while securely strapped in to a safety-rated automobile.. Given that, and when you look at the history of player careers being cut short or significantly altered by concussion, the league's concern is justified. But it is hard for players, or teams, to "game the system." I believe the process for concussions is pretty rigid. All players are given a preseason baseline. If during the season they complain of head injury/difficulty they are tested again and the compared to baseline. This test, along with other factors, is then used to determine if a player has suffered a concussion and when they are at least back to "baseline." This could be a way to get JVR out of the lineup for a couple of games while the trade winds blow - or it might be that he's feeling the combined effects of a couple of hits ("concussion" or not). JVR's state of mind might not be entirely focused with the combination of both. Regardless, a few games off can't really hurt at this point in the season.

http://flyers.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=64095

This is an opportunity for two teams to rid themselves of problems and give players a chance in a new environment. Pronger, Bryzgalov, a Just Pizza pizza party and the rights to be the jersey Danny Briere wears if he's inducted into the Hall of Fame for Myers, Miller and team dinners at Chef's after every game in Buffalo for the next three seasons - pending realignment. Buffalo gets a Hall of Fame defenseman who's signed at a reasonable cap number and a former Vezina nominee to backup Enroth plus a feel-good media story and a pizza party in the new locker room. Philly rolls the dice on a young defenseman and an aging goalie in decline but will have some nice family Italian dinners.

So, the theory here is that there are hospitalizations after brutal beatings of people standing in line at sandwich shops on a regular basis in Philadelphia which get no attention because they're not off-duty, out-of-state cops that are beaten up? Put your analysts on danger money, baby. The reason this got so much attention is that there was video of it and nothing makes the media go goo-goo-googley-eyed faster than something on video. Add the ability to further the "bad Philly fan" myth and you've got national headlines. But make no mistake. If you're brutally beaten while standing in line for a sandwich and then hospitalized, there will be an investigation by the police if you report it.

Borderline hit. Who knows what the NHL does with it. I do think we'll see Shelley in the lineup next week against the Isles and Staois will see him on a number of shifts. Hopefully Rinaldo and maybe Sestito, too. :-)

I think he's pushing himself and management is going with the "if the player says he feels good what are we supposed to do?" attitude. Which, as we all know, has served us so freaking well...

The only way I can see a high quality Dman coming in is for Carle (UFA) or some similar salary (and why trade Mesz/Coburn at good numbers?) to go the other way. And probably two of them (the other being a quality F as NSH is seeking goal scoring) Even then, it wouldn't be simple to fit another $5-6M Dman into the salary structure given Pronger's situation. After next season, with Timonen coming off the books, things open up a little.

Ridiculous that Vanek isn't on the squad.

Right, but the point is this is going to be a lot more than the 6/7 and more likely into the 5/6 and 4th line Fs. I've got them at $55.5M next season still needing three forwards (Voracek, Jagr, Zolnierczyk) and a defenseman (Carle - plus replacing Pronger). Assuming about a $66M cap (4% increase on current) they have about $10M to fill those holes. Tender Voracek and re-sign Jagr at current eats up more than half. Then try to fit in Carle ($4M?) and you can probably squeeze in Harry Z at around $1M. If Carle takes $4M. Coburn got a bigger jump than the $500+K that would mean for Carle. Then your 5 is Lilja (35+ contract and makes less than Bourdon and Gus) and your 6/7 becomes Bourdon/Gus/Phantoms once Pronger's LTIR money opens up. And the team is 100% capstrapped. I can't see where they can fit in a high-priced FA Dman until Timonen and Hartnell come off after next season.

I'd get used to having 5/6 D issues - and 4th line F as well. With Pronger's LTIR status, there's going to be a lot of callups and guys who can go to the AHL and back to make up for Pronger's cap hit. As I understand it, they can't use his space to sign an offseason FA but thyey can use it to bring in guys during the season.

Why would Timonen or Hartnell (with an NMC and an NTC) want to leave? And, assuming we tell them they're not wanted here any more and to please not let the door hit them on the way out, and then buyout Bryz, what value does an NTC/NMC offer have to a potential FA going forward? Regardless of the feasibility, the long term problems aren't Timonen and Hartnell - both of whom are up after next season. The issues are Bryzgalov for eight more and Pronger for five more after this (pending one following bread crumbs out of the woods and the other ever being able to play again).

Neither of them have been world-beaters. Doughty is making $7M though... Through 2019...

Thornton's on the Cup. Twice. I'll take that in the room 11 times out of 10. And, despite his just 8:50 TOI (and almost 2 minutes/game in the box) he's one of four guys to have played in every game for da Broons this season with Bergeron, Horton and Kelly. Last year he had 10 minutes TOI, played in 79 games with 10 goals and 10 assists. This for $812K cap hit for the past two years. By contrast Shelley has 11 goals since 2005-2006 and 10 assists since 09-10, has played in 14 games this season with 4:42 TOI and a little more than a minute/game in the box and hasn't played more than 60 games in a season since 2008-2009. For three years at $1.1M per. You want an enforcer? Fine. Get a better one. Cheaper.

In the respect that he shouldn't be on the ice playing professional hockey at this stage of his recovery from injury, yes.* I think the results speak for themselves. They could have gotten 0-0-0 -1 in the past two games from any number of people, with probably less turnovers and certainly less risk of reaggravating the chronic injury. In fairness, in December he was 6-8-14 +7 in 13 games. And you have to admire a player - especially at this stage of his career - wanting to be out there on the ice contributing. But you also have to be able to hold them back for their good and the overall good of the team. We need Jagr in March and April much more than we need him for two weeks in January. * I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on television.

I kinda like the old school look. I think it has reflected the more "lunchpail" mentality the team is trying to get back to - a solid work ethic up and down the lineup with contributions all around. Nothing flashy - just do your job. I'd LOVE going to even a mostly-white mask. Tim Thomas' is a nice one. I keep expecting them to color-by-numbers it in though. In the end, I don't really care what the goalie is wearing as long as it stops pucks.