radoran

If there is a special buyout period, I would agree that he's gone unless there's a tremendous turaround in health prospects. Concussion-type symptoms are certainly cause for not playing (see: Primeau, Laperriere, etc.) and verifiable from "independent" sources. As for trades, he does have one of those pesky NTCs...

Tootoo made the choice to drive headlong into the crease. He wasn't "squeezed into it" by the defenseman. That's illegal. It's also a really really cheap play on another player, just back from concussion. "Intent to injure" seems obvious - or else Tootoo is a complete moron* If I'm Miller, I'm willing to take a minor on that to show his team and the opposition (now and later) that he's not fragile and not going to take it. * willing to accept this possiblity

If I read the situation correctly, Pronger's contract will be against the cap for the annual number, but he can be put on LTIR when the season begins (as Laperriere is). The rub is that that space can't be used to sign players in the offseason - again, if I read it right. They cannot buy him out. He cannot "retire."

All of the Caps are in a funk this season. Be interesting to see if any of them come out of it with the new coach. Semin's got talent, but durability and commitment are definitely issues. I wouldn't give up much to get him. Really depends on what Washington wants in return...

Walker's cap hit stays at $1.7M, but if his paid salary escaltes to $2M, it *might* have scared some people off claiming him. Walker would likely have been on the roster if not for cap purposes.

I think the problem is that philly.com links to Bleacher Report off it's main pages - giving an additional air of legitimacy that clearly isn't earned.

I think this move - like Nodl - is an indication that they are willing to lose players. In fact, are TRYING to lose players because of their cap and total contract situation. Walker at $850K is not a bad deal for a team and Homer obviously feels the Flyers can swing the $850K hit if they lose him. I'd think Bartulis comes up if Walker is claimed. His $600K plus "Walker" at $850K is still less than Walker's hit alone. They've then freed up two contract spots as well.

No question. I just really don't see that realistically happening. As was pointed out, with all the cap implications on the contenders, the "right move" becomes very difficult to conceive of, much less find a reason for doing. His "actual cost" goes down over the season, but teams still need to fit under the overall annual cap. There are also no real clear-cut "contenders" (there are a lot of "nagannas") to make such a move meaningful to him. He's already on an accepted "contender." Yes, my Flyers shirt has 44 TIMONEN on the back of it, but if the right deal came along, I'd say "go!"

A 78-game-a-year Sabre fan can dream, right? Plus, Selanne-Koivu-Leino? :-) It took some time for Leino to get going in Philly. To me, he's really the kind of player that is made better by the players he plays with. What I mean is: Hartnell + Briere + Leino < HartnellBriereLeino - greater than the sum of it's parts. It probably would have behooved Leino to have stayed on that line, but if someone waves $11 million in front of you, you tend to sign the paper. He's in no way a $4M forward.

Bryzgalov is a streaky goalie in terms of shut down ability. Always has been. Always will be. But with a stable, reliable and familiar defense in front of him, he can be the steady stay-at-home goalie that makes the stops you need goalies to make and doesn't give up soft goals. The "familiarity" on D is both between the goalie and D and the pairings amongst themselves. Bad bounces, odd deflections, etc. are often a result of players out of position or matchups lost in the shuffle. It's no accident that both goalies have played well with most of the Flyers' regular set D on the ice and had problems as they've shuffled pairings and disrupted chemistry. And he's a head case - all goalies are head cases. Jagr is coming back too soon in my esteemed medical opinion. Why they feel the need to potentially aggravate a known ailment of Jagr's - the groin - is beyond me. He's aggravated it twice in the past month and came back too soon the first time. Why not let him take the time? Yes, you're in sixth - but you're 3 points behind first with two games in hand. And three points out of eighth with one in hand. Have Jagr meet you in Buffalo. I don't believe in "listening to the player" above all else. I believe in looking at what it takes an injury to "heal" and getting the player back to a true 100%. Err on the side of caution and maybe lose a game or two in the regular season vs. reinjuring the player severely or establishing a chronic problem. Playoffs are a different story, for me, because of their immediate proximity to the off-season and long term ability to heal. That policy also has it's dangers - especially if you let a player like Laperriere make his own decision.

+1

Ryan Miller is about as close to Jesus as one can get in Western New York without starting a tiny baby/hippy argument. I've never heard that he "wants out" or is disappointed and with the new ownership dumping bucks on players, this is one of the better places for him. Miller's NTC allows him to specify eight teams he wouldn't be traded to. If I were him, Anaheim would be on that list. Enroth, however, is a very interesting question. He's not going to be #1 with Ryan there and Miller has two more years on his deal after this while Enroth is a RFA after next season. If Anaheim would take Enroth and Leino...

I can't see Timonen being moved until Timonen decides he wants to be traded. Timonen having a No Movement Clause, one year left on what could very likely be his last deal and, as you note, a favorable impression with management. Luckily we're down to just five NMC/NTC's on the roster...

"The 14th Cup: The Toronto Maple Leafs After Expansion"

You're crazy. :-) I can't see how the Flyers could work the cap space to make any sort of rational proposal to Crosby. The Flyers have about $33M already committed in 13-14 for: Briere, Talbot, JVR, Courtuier, Pronger, Meszaros, Coburn, Bryzgalov. Giroux would make $3.75M that season. Letang is on for $3.5M that season and Neal would need to be re-signed (RFA next year, making $2.875M this season) Gotta figure Crosby brings more than just the $8.7M he's getting today, eh? Figure around $40M for the team minus Giroux plus Letang/Neal... That's six forwards, three D and a backup G to sign with about $15M after Crosby?

Really makes you wonder about "the room" over the past few seasons, doesn't it? Do they need a witch doctor or maybe Tom Hanks to come in and exorcise the place? Maybe swap rooms with the visitng squad? A quarter into the season and Florida is #2 and Tronno #3. Bizzarroworld, population: us.

Danny Briere grew up skating on ponds hoping someday he could live close to Disneyland. He'd drive down the left side of the ice, put a sweet shot on net, beat the goalie glove side raise his hands over his head and scream "I'M GOING TO DISNEYLAND!" just like thousands of young Canadian boys do every day. Then they engrave their name on the brick for the entryway to "Pirates of the Caribbean" and you get to have a Johnny Depp impersonator for a day pretending to be Jack Sparrow.

Crosby, Malkin, Staal and a first for Giroux. Done. Make it so. The "right" offer doesn't mean a straight up one for one. We didn't get one player back for either Crater or Richards, why would we settle for one player back for Giroux?

yeah, yer big power forwards tend to take some time to develop and get the confidence to stick down low is my only thought. I'm liking what Kassian has shown so far, though. I think Stafford has taken some FOs (if my FHL memory serves). I don't like Leino at the C, either. He thrived with Briere here playing Briere's natural position ©. Leino essentially was supposed to replace Connolly. As a player, I'd take Leino nine times out of ten over Connolly, but they play very different roles and games.

I've said before and will say again: why would either Danny Briere or Scott Hartnell waive their NTC/NMC to leave Philly and go to Anaheim?

IMO if you make a first round pick and deal them within two years, you've essentially dealt that pick. Carle v. Carlson is an amazing comparison. Carle, last season, cost $2.6M more than Carlson, will be a UFA next season where Carlson ($847K) is RFA and had a whopping three more points than Carlson . This season, Carlson has one more point, eight fewer PIMs, eight more hits and is a +5 to Carle's +4 through 23 games.

They saw him as a playmaking center, apparently. Having spent virtually his entire NHL career on the wing. He was going to be the first line center for Vanek and Pominville, IIRC. Or at least upgrade the second line pivot. Might be interesting to see what Leino could do on a line with, say, the new Kassian and, maybe, Stafford? I think Kassian may need some time, though.

Leino never sturck me as a Ruff-type player. You'd think after more than a decade that the coach and GM would have some affinity for how the other works. Of course, I have absolutely nothing good to say about Regier.

Buffalo overpaid ridiculously for Leino. In both money and length. Leino is a complimentary forward, he is not "the guy". I don't mind Ruff as a coach (for the Sabres) but Reiger has shown time and again he doesn't have a clue - and now he doesn't even have the "Golisano made me do it" excuse. That said, Leino needs to be on the top two lines to be effective. Ruff making "a point" and playing him on the 3/4 is stupid.

That's the problem with "trade threads" is how far back one goes. I can trace the line which converts Vaclav Prospal and Danny Briere into Adam Burt. First rounder that became Briere is dealt (among other things) for Pat Falloon. Falloon is dealt, with Vaclav Prospal, for Alexandre Daigle. Daigle is traded for Andrei Kovalenko. Kovalenko is then traded for Burt. Took just over three years - November 16, 1995 to March 6, 1999. Knowing where your assets came from is an important part of any analysis - and the Eminger trade is one of the most egregious. They essentially traded two first rounders for Carle. Now, I like Carle fine, but with just two 40-point seasons in five years for a puck-moving defenseman at $3.4M? I think I'd rather have the picks...