Clarke2Leach

Hayes wingers in Winnipeg were at any one time a combination of Laine, Ehlers, Wheeler and Conner and he produced himself out of the 2nd line. I realize he didn't have much time to adjust, but I don't see him as the kind of centre who makes his wingers better (as the best centres do).

Not giving up assets today, but Hayes' contract guarantees we will be giving up assets cheap somewhere down the road to stay under the cap.

Hate it, hate it, hate it. Hayes is going to have to improve a lot for this to make sense, because if he doesn't, there won't be a spot for him on this roster. You have to be top 6 (and producing like a top 6 forward) to earn that kind of coin and I don't ever see him getting 70 points. I sincerely doubt Patrick's ceiling is on the 3rd line, so how many years X 7 million are the Flyers going to waste on Hayes?

Shattenkirk was the Blues equivalent to Ghost, but he's been gone for awhile.

Not saying he's McDud bad. Just that he's a greedy. disloyal, idiot ass. Other than that, I have nothing against him.

I only say it because he's a young, 1st pair, right-hand shot, which are rare. I also think that he's a $ over loyalty/personal preference king of guy and a general ass. I think the number is going to be huge.

But then again, I could be wrong. He also strikes me as intelligence-deficient in an overall kind of way.

One of many conversations about the Jets I have with my boss was about evaluating their defense. He is not a Trouba fan (but he is a fan of the Jets). I challenged him on Trouba and he said the next time you watch a Jets game - pay attention to how "well" he passes. I cannot watch a Jets game without paying special attention to that now and I can say he might be the worst passer on the Jets blueline. Second worst if Kulikov is playing. It's really a bit of a curse that I can't not see it anymore. Overall, Trouba seems to belong on the first pair, but I think that may speak more about how special a player Josh Morrissey is. I hope I'm wrong, but Trouba will probably end up being one of the most overpaid d-men in the league once he signs his new contract wherever that might be.

There's 2 ways of looking at it, I suppose. One is that Nashville is going to hold a grudge and refuse to answer a call that shows a Philly area code on the display. The other way is that offer sheet is going to make it difficult for that market to afford Weber, Josi (4 mil per year) AND resign Del Zotto, Ryan Ellis and Ekholm who are all expired RFA's. Nashville might not even be able to afford to resign RFA Nick Spaling, which is the likely spot down the middle for Lecavelier. I still think Vinnie for Josi is preposterous, but if the Flyers take on a bunch of salary or add a good prospect, it's not that huge a stretch given Nashville's business pressures.

I had to look up their ages because I simply didn't believe you. I must be old if those guys are turning 30 (and they are).

Alcohol is most certainly allowed on the ice in most clubs (plastic cups only). And Journey sucks. I don't know what you're complaining about.

I started curling 35 years ago and I can tell you it is a blast. At the lower (club/rec) levels, it does not discriminate against size, age or strength (which is why my 9 year old son curls instead of playing hockey). At the elite levels, it has become as technical a sport as any other. It is a rare combination of strategy and athleticism and the strategy can change with each shot. I've curled on the sheet next to elite curlers and I can tell you the difference is night and day. Their misses are measured by the quarter inch - not a half-rock. At my level, there is no better way to spend a weekend in Manitoba than curling in a bonspiel (as opposed to once or twice a week club games). They are literally curling mixed with partying - especially if you can get out to one of the 3 sheet rinks in the farming communities. As for the "is it a sport" question? Who cares? At least it's not judged. I know I'm physically exhausted after a game if I'm playing on the front end instead of skipping. Do you know that the purpose of sweeping has less to do with cleaning the ice and more to do with melting it to make the rock go straighter or futher? That's hard pushing. As I tell the kids in Little Rocks, "If sweeping isn't making you tired, you're not doing it right." In full agreement with Kevin Martin being the best skip ever, but there's been better thirds than John Morris. I have a friend who moved down to Phoenix and joined a curling club there. They played in a hockey rink, so the ice had to be pebbled for the curling league games. If Phoenix can do it, I'm sure Atlanta can.

I know it's only one month, but Mez is finally putting some points up. He's 5th in the league for points by d-men in January on a team starving for blueliner points. Keeping in mind that we often don't miss players until they're gone (Carle, who has 1 more point in Jan. than Mez), is it worth considering resigning the guy if he takes a haircut on salary? According to capgeek, we only have Streit, Coburn, Schenn and Grossman under contract for next year and hopefully Gus (I would think re-up on the RFA contract is forthcoming). I know Mez has problems staying healthy, but he's only 28, has good size and has been a 30+ point guy in the past. I wouldn't argue with a 3 year @ 3 million per resigning. Then again, with the Oilers problems, they probably offer 5 million per, just to START sorting out their blueline. Thoughts?

I think you and I are saying pretty much the same thing. I agree with most of your posts, actually.

Where are you right now?

It's also ludicrilous.

Neal's self-control isn't much better than Carcillo's - if at all.

You can make that argument about MSL - just not this year. Was Neal not playing with Crosby this year at times when Dupuis and/or Malkin were hurt? Yes, he was. And then there's the powerplays... Neal is a fine player - no doubt. Giroux just carries a much heavier load.

Again, when Giroux is on the ice, the other team is focusing on Giroux. When Neal and Malkin are on the ice, the first check isn't Neal. Stats are stats and reality is reality. If Neal wasn't such an asshole, I'd be happy to have him as a Flyer, though.

Just my 2 cents. Kunitz is on because he's a linemate of Sid's and is exceedingly good at that. If Malkin was Canadian, Neal would probably be on the team too. With no training camp, and Sid being such a dud last Olympics (save for one lucky gold-medal winning goal), they're going the chemistry route because Canada hasn't faired well on International ice in recent Olympics. Having said all that, if you are on the ice with Sid, where do you think the defensive focus is? How much easier is it to find time and space when everyone is looking at 87? Same goes for Neal with Malkin. Plus Neal is a meathead and Canada doesn't need his sociopathic behavior in one-game-takes-all situations. Special teams are huge in these tournaments. Carter is on because the guy is way better than anyone seems to want to give him credit for. He skates so well and has become very responsible defensively. Having said that, since Giroux is a natural RW and Carter is a natural C, I would have gone with Giroux or MSL. It all depends how they're going to use Carter before this makes total sense. Also consider Carter doesn't take stupid penalties based on emotion - either because he has none, or is really good at keeping them in check. Or he's high. Nash is a nice player, but he certainly doesn't deserve to be on a National team this year unless he was Latvian. Not sure what he brings this year that MSL can't and don't say size, because that hasn't been an issue for at least 10 years. Canada does reward players who have taken a lot of turns at the World Championships, so Nash may have benefitted from that. If you look at the Globe and Mail's All Snub team, you see how deep Canada is at forward. Defense and Goal - not so much (I would have had Fleury and/or Mason on the B team ahead of Reimer and/or Bernier). Canada’s All-Snub Team Forward lines Hall-Thornton-Giroux Neal-Couture-St. Louis E. Staal-Seguin-Eberle Ladd-M. Richards-Marchand Skinner J. Williams Defence Giordano-Seabrook M. Staal-Boyle Beauchemin-Letang Campbell-Phaneuf Goal Bernier Crawford Reimer

I haven't seen many complete games lately, but what I see from the highlights is that Giroux doesn't seem to be thinking anymore - just reacting. He looked way too tentative and deliberate earlier in this season. Not to say that he's behind the play, because his instincts are getting him to the right places on the ice right now.

December points leaders: 1 Patrick Kane, RW CHI 16 2 Sidney Crosby, C PIT15 3 Tyler Seguin, C DAL 12 Claude Giroux, C PHI 12 Nicklas Backstrom, C WSH 12 Taylor Hall, LW EDM 11 Patrick Sharp, LW CHI 11 Matt Duchene, C COL 11 Voracek has 10

Giroux is a point per game in November after a coaching change and presumably a drastic change to systems. It seems to me that he and Couturier (not exactly in that order) are catching on quicker than everyone else (at least among forwards). Give it time and then change some pieces that can't make the adjustments later. I have no concern about Giroux long term (but what do I know?). Pro sports salaries are stupid - if you can't get used to that idea, then don't go to capgeek.

I was at that game and other than the play mentioned, Scheifele looked awful. Actually, the talk about Coots is very similar to how Jets fans talk about Scheifele - the impatient ones anyway. I think both are going to turn into good players given time. Scheifele's best showing was in his first pro training camp and exhibition season while Coots showed us his stuff against the Pens in the playoffs. They may have both created unreasonable expectations for their fans about how quick their progression is going to take. While both have already shown they are capable of being the best player on the ice, that was a while ago for both of them. As mentioned over and over again, both these guys are going to require patience.

If I were the Flyers, I would be up in arms over this, especially if Bryz ends up in the K this year. While the Flyers certainly were the authors of a very stupid long term contract, the Devils are no more and no less innocent. The difference being that the Flyers are on the hook for all that money (hello ticket buyers) and the Devils get a comparatively free pass. I wouldn't say that the Devils organization is screwed by this - it might have saved them from folding or relocating. The Devils on ice team is definitely a different story. It's like Mogilny all over again. I guess it figures that all the funny business happens in Jersey.