radoran

"There are fewer and fewer blockbuster trades in the salary cap NHL."

Last year, there were four top 6 wingers, two starting goalies and two team captains traded.

Two of the wingers and one of the starting goalies were traded twice.

I can't find any trades from 03-04 that even come close to comparing:
http://nhltradetracker.com/user/trade_list_by_season/2003-04/

Or 02-03, for that matter:
http://nhltradetracker.com/user/trade_list_by_season/2002-03/

I don't have any problem with fighting in the game except that I disagree with this assessment:
"if someone throws a dirty hit or tries to go after Phil Kessel and Colton Orr is not allowed to come to his aid to help protect Kessel and settle the issue by going one on one with whoever went after him what will happen? "
 

It is RARE that a player like Orr goes up against the guy that actually "went after" the other player. More often than not you wind up with a staged goonfest.

And that's because of the instigator. I do think tightening up the rules would help immensely - the suggestion that you are out for the rest of/next game is a good one, but IMO only if you also eliminate the instigator. Then if Player X takes a run at a top guy, Player X knows that a Colton Orr, Jay Rosehill or John Scott just might tune them up on their next shift. THAT would reduce the likelihood of Player X taking a cheap shot. It would also make the goons "more valuable" to their teams.

It's too easy to "blame the player" in this situation. Scott was put on the ice against the Leafs with a clear mission, one that everyone in the building (including Randy Carlyle) knew very well. Carlyle decided to put Kessel out there and Kessel inflamed the situation deliberately, jawing with Scott and then acted like as much of a punk as Scott by swinging his stick into the back of the legs of a guy who was engaged with another player. An absolutely pathetic display (not the swings to keep Scott away - the deliberate swing to the back of the legs).

Rolston put Scott on the ice there. Reiger put Scott on the roster. There is only one reason for Scott and he plays his role.
The Eriksson hit doesn't look particularly malicious, it's just a lesser talented player mistiming his hit while being half a foot taller than the other guy. Eric Lindros wasn't being malicious to Andreas Dackle when Dackle turlted against the boards and got hit with a legal check. He was just bigger than Dackle and Dackle made himself smaller.
That said, I do believe the Sabres - and every team - is better without "goons". Buffalo will have addition by subtraction by putting a forward in the lineup that can actually play the game of hockey at an NHL level instead of rolling Scott out there for less than four minutes a game..
So, IMO, the real culprits here are the guys who put Scott on the roster and then put him on the ice. You detail Scott's history very well - and one must assume his coach and GM were and are aware of it.
What did they expect?
Exactly what happened.

Giroux is signed for another seven years. Vanek is a UFA at the end of the season who is learning to spell "Minnesota" correctly.

If you can't see the difference between the two situations, there's little that can be done to help you.

The scenario you are advocating is a year of Vanek and then nothing - if he signs with another team. Pegulaville26 is advocating using the asset in a "lost" season and boosting the potential for the club's future.

I still think anything is much more likely to come towards the trade deadline - where some teams might be held up for the "right" additional player like Regier did with Pominville last year.

Nice column. I do find these extensions to be somewhat curious, however, especially in light of the threat of a "rollback." Simmonds signed at almost $4M a year and cold see that drop to just over $3M - for six years. Likewise for Hartnell.

Granted, they are still looking at making millions of dollars...

Wait? Connolly got injured and was never the same for the rest of the season?

Never saw that coming...

I have yet to see anything resembling any sort of coherent vision for what the Leafs want to be (aside from a profitable hockey team). Everybody that comes in (except JVR apparently) is going to be the greatest biggest best key to success ever.

And still no post-lockout playoff and no Cup in a league with more than six teams.

I think Cousins is either in the NHL or with the CHL next season due to his age.

"And will someone else pick up that monster contract knowing it costs them $14 mil just to get started?"

The Flyers did.

I would say losing Suter hurts the Preds. Also (although it happened after your post) Weber (if it happens).

The Preds even beyond that aren't what they were last year. Their top forwards are Erat and Legwand (good players, not stars). They have four D signed. with Hal Gill being the centerpiece at the moment.

Nashville's loss is definitely Minnesota's gain.

Happy for the Wild (and my fellow alum Torrey Mitchell) and for those lucky souls who have Mikko Koivu on their FHL squads (as I do). :-)

Very Happy for the Wild (as a longtime Mikko Koivu fan and owner in FHL who has many friends from MN).

Very Concerned about Ryan Suter and the Five Dwarfs on defense. Yes, that's a little harsh, but I'd like to see some more depth there, but there's not a lot of cap space left...

Ott is a tremendous addition for Buffalo. Really looking forward to him as a Sabre, 78 times a year :-)

There is still no immediate need. Again, they could tender him, keep his rights and deal him during the season. Or not.

Schneider (RFA) has literally nothing to say about the matter and will only hurt his value if he creates an "unhealthy environment" by sulking, doubly so if it adversely affects his play.

"But if you really think about which guy is going to get moved in the off-season, it makes more sense for it to be him. "

Schneider is an RFA. The team can tender him and keep him, then trade him next season - maybe at a premium to a team that suffers an injury - if necessary. There is no immediate need to trade either of them.

I thought the Sabres ran out of bullets. And once you take out Gaustad and Kassian, there's not a whole lot of "punch" left (yes, fine - Kaleta...).

Buffalo has two first rounders and some nice space they can create on the cap. Voyes and Hecht free up about $7M and if they can get a skate sharpener for Roy, that's another $4M. Re-sign Kaleta and Ennis and you're still probably looking at enough room to sign a goal scorer to give some extra offensive punch.

And maybe bring Gaustad back?

They're set for D and G through the next two seasons at least. This run to the edge of the playoffs could be a positive influence for next year.

As for Ruff, I don't know what else he could do. He lost 2-1 to one of the top scoring teams in the league - and it took goals from two rookies to do it. I just don't think he had the bullets in the gun to pull it off.

"I don't know why everyone thinks Anaheim is having a fire sale to rid their best players."

maybe this article? http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-ducks-sharks-20120105,0,1433633.story

January 4, 2012, 11:06 p.m.

Angered by his team's continued wretched play, Ducks General Manager Bob Murray said he's prepared to make dramatic changes and underscored his point by saying only Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu are not available in trades.

Adam seemed to have a lot of early success with Vanek and Pominville - what was wrong with that?

Sabres have a competent D and a G who can be great - they need scoring.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat in Buffalo...

I'd say with Backstrom being somewhat unreliable (injury, sickness) and next year being his last under contract, that does affect Harding's value in a more positive way for the Wild.

That said, Harding is a UFA at the end of the season and unlikely to be re-signed at his current number. They could deal him before they don't re-sign him (although, I'd look to get him back under contract).

You know what? There really *isn't* a "lot of talent" in Buffalo.

Vanek - sure. Pominville - really emerged this season. Miller? Well... After that...? Myers? A solid building block. Some nice young talent (Adam, Enroth, Kassian, Ennis, Gerbe) - but not "rightnow" type guys. Beyond that?

$4M tied up in Derek Roy through next season and Stafford through 2015. These guys have never been the consistent producers you'd expect from such "talent." Let's not get into Leino. Ehrhoff is OK, but hardly a foundation of your defense.

IF they can unload a Roy or Stafford and add that to the $9.825M they're freeing up with Hecht/Boyes/Gaustad, they might find some room to get some serious (not Leino) talent.

I haven't thought of Ruff as "the problem" (certainly not as much as Reigier) but if he can't find the newly-refitted locker room, it would be time to move on...

Those darn rooms move around so much, you lose them sometimes.

Honestly, selling is the best thing Buffalo can do right now. Amazing how that team just fell apart. If they can get anything for Hecht, I'd be amazed, but I'd take a bag of pucks and a draft pick. Roy should be dealt. Stafford if they have the right deal.

If they can package Leino to get Ryan, I might change the entire way I think about Darcy Reigier.

I also don't think Boston's going to be looking to move Rask. Thomas isn't exactly a spring chicken.

The Wild really need to get going in a different direction - literally speaking. They've gone from tops in the league to clinging to 8th and now they've lost Koivu for a few weeks.

Whoa, nice trench.

DL - thanks for the post. Good reading and a nice sum or a bunch of stuff.

Buffalo's downtown is a little dumpy (if rebounding), but there are some very nice areas right nearby. That said, if Lupul can't figure out to get a lake view room, I don't know what to tell him...

Adam and Kassian are good fits for Leino, if you look at his time in Philly

Kassian = Hartnell (with better hands and skating)

Adam = Briere (with a little more size and a lot less experience)

I was very impressed with Kassian.

And, like you, I am getting less and less so with Ruff.