jammer2

@doom88 ha ha....Parent (Mr.deer in headlights) was certainly one of them doom.....

@JackStraw yep, I think the whole idea was to not have a defense pairing that the other teams would be able to target during the playoffs. As good as Bourdon looked throughout the season, opposing teams circle the rookies and look for them to get on the ice. Forget who it was at the moment, but the Hawks picked on our 5/6 pairing endlessly. They played less than 10 minutes a game and *always* seemed to allow a goal against. That's what Grossman and Kubina represent, the inability of opposing coaches to exploit an obvious weakness. Of course, it's all moot if the tenders preform like they have been, but at least they will get some help ie boxing out and clearing the crease...making it easier on them.

@JackStraw Agree jack, just because you're not a cup fav does not mean you become a seller. Besides, giving up Carle for picks would be totally counterproductive to acquring Grossman and Kubina....the whole idea was to bolster the defense, not subtract a playoff savvy vet (although I'll admit I'm not a huge fan of Carle....playoff experience is playoff experience.....can never discount the value of being there many times before). Homer saw the goaltending was what it was....so chose to do the next best thing, bolster the defense around the tenders....at least that's my take.

I really think Cody Hodgson can be the #1 star center the Sabres have longed for. All he needs are talented players around him. Having said that, I believe the Canucks won this trade in the long term. I've been adament from the start, Kassian will be a star. In 3 years he will be putting up Lucic numbers and he's every bit as tough....in other words, the kind of power forward that exist's on about 5 or 6 teams in the league. Add in the young physical Gragnani, who very well could become one of the better 3-4 shutdown guys in the leauge....I like the long term return Vancouver got, The days of finger pointing at the Sedin's will soon be over....ended by the fist of Kassian. The one downfall of Kass is the skating.....it has to improve if he is to become elite. He has gotten better since his Windsor days, but still needs work in that department. Don't know anything about Sulzer, so my take might be a bit screwed up...if he is substantial, it's a lot more even. Anyways, I see a 80 point center (minimum) in Cody....but I see a 30 goal 30 assist madman in Kassian, who will punch out 97% of the league. I really Gragnani.....but not sure how old he is right now. I don't for the life of me understand the Gaustad trade....a first rounder for him is OUTRIGHT highway robbery. I can only assume the market for grinders who add a tad of offense dried up to the point the Preds were desperate. This deal is outrageous. Gaustad is a gritty hard worker, nothing more....a dime a dozen player.....wow, ....just....wow. I'd much rather have Steve Ott for a first rounder....but he's not worth that either. What is the matter with the Preds??? Edit....ok, just read that Gaustad has 98 hits and 40 blocked shots this season....this really ups his overall value, still not worth a 1st rounder in my eyes...but it's not all about points, Gaustad is the type of guy you need on the 3rd and 4th lines to go far in the playoffs. I'm mildly surprised by his hit total. I also didn't know he was top 10 last year in the NHL in face off wins. When you're checking line center is winning face offs, he can play against the top pp late in the game and you get some much needed puck possession late in the game....a big advantage....ok, this makes a *bit* more sense now.

@mojo1917 I honestly believe that mojo, don't want to get into a big NCAA, CHL debate, but JVR would be a much different player right now if he had taken the CHL route. He really needed the 90 plus games these guy play (ex, reg.season and playoffs combined). Of course a big variable is also coaching, which I can't really comment intelligently about, cauase I know squat about the New H. coaching staff.

@Bakanekimiwa Offensive woes aside, I think Coburn is worth the cap hit. He is a seasoned vet with a LOT of playoff experience on his side, not something easily overlooked. I like his positioning, but like many others, just wish he would use his big frame to intimidate a lot more than he does. His skating ability combined with size and respectable positioning make him a valuable commodiity...thus the raise. I'm ok with it. It is hard to believe he's the longest tenured Flyers....wow, Homer has overhauled this roster....but still, no goalie.

Many know, I'm usually on the side of patience.....devloping our young kids to their full potential. Everybody has seen the flashes of brillance out of JVR, his playoff performance was stunning. This year has been a huge dissapointment, but I'm a tad gun shy on dealing a youngster with that much obvious talent. The points Can and Rux made....very, very valid. His heart is not in this as far as I can tell. He does not play for the love of the game, it's a business venture for him....and a business he would rather not be in IMHO. Taking this into consideration, I'd put the oars in the water....just what could we get and how will it impact the team. A few things....first off, because of JVR's immense talent, we must get a return that reflects that...not a return based on this years unflattering stats. Second, he must never come back to haunt us....a trade to the Western Conference is a *must* for me. Bottom line, if we don't fix the goaltending, this team will never, ever win a playoff round....so any JVR trade must address that problem, in other words Bob is traded with him in a package deal (assuming Bryz the bum is untradeable). Also agree with rux on Bob, I like his Nitty comparision, decent at times....but just blah....good from far, but far from good IMHO.

Hiller outright stunk the first half of the year. Jan and Feb he turned it around big time. His true value is somewhere inbetween. As far as the Flyers go, Halak is not feasable. What could be possible is trading a goal scorer for Elliot. He just signed a 2 year deal for just under 2 mill a year. Guess it would depend on who St.Louis had in the system goalie wise. Would be tough to convince them to deal Elliot though, they have a real nice 1-2 punch. With the return of Andy McDonald, they might not be anxious to make a big move....plus looks like Stewart is finally starting to heat it up after a God awful year. Don't know if anyone has watched the Blues this year, but T.J Oshie is a vastly underrated young talent. Don't know where the goals will come from, but the Blues might make some noise in this years playoffs.....guess you can say the same about Nashville though. Edit....i would credit Hillier's astounding turn around to the coaching change and the new defensive system Boudreau instuited when arriving with the Ducks, much like Hitch drastically altered Halak's season.

This moves gives the Wings tremendous depth on defense. Can run the pp, perfect insurance against a Lindstrom injury...and like Yave stated, allows Kindl (who is a serviceable d-man despite languishing in the minors for 5 seasons) to be some nice trade bait. Smart move by the Wings. Should be interenting to see how Downie fits into the Aves plans. Only thing I'm sure of, it won't be the last time he is traded.

Any Nash deal would have to include Bryz from my standpoint....and NOT Couts....I believe he will be better than Nash straight up.....so no dice if he's included.

Little worried about Kubina's lack of mobility, but at least his presence takes the horrid potential Luke Schenn deal out of the equation....thank the good Lord for that. We got grittier in our own end, not a bad thing. Like the fact it's the Panthers second and a measley 4th rounder. Did not break the bank and got some respectable depth. Curious to see where this all leads, looks like the tip of the iceberg here.

@brelic I remember many, many panic threads during the summer which asked the basic and fair question....where are the goals going to come from? Who will pick up the slack left in the wake of Richards and Carter being dealt? Now, months later we know, it was not JVR and Danny B picking up the slack, it was a NHL leading 38 goals from rookies and career years from Simmonds and Talbot....with respectable contributions from Voracek as well. If you told me at the start of the season Simmonds would outscore Richards I'd straight up laugh at you, but then again, I didn't expect the Kings to be LAST in goals either....lol.

Just watched the ceremony, very nice. I gave the guy tons of flack over the years, but bottom line.....hat's off to Mat's...he didn't have much to work with for many of his Toronto years, but made the best of it. A good solid captain, played the game with more grit as he got older. I respect the guy. Glad he got his night....much deserved.

@WingNut722 Across the river, in Windsor, Ontario. Huge, huge Tiger fan and kinda sorta cheer for the Pistons (not that I really care about basketball....but did care when the Bad Boys were in their hay day). I'm actually a 5th generation Tiger fan....my Great Great Grandfather rooted for them back in the late 1800's before he passed.

@hf101 Loktinov is small enough, I'm not sure he will make it long term in the NHL. One thing I can tell you, he is a special talent, truly a wizard of time and space with the puck. He operated the half wall in Windsor like no one I've ever seen. That's where I see his niche, a power play specialist. He just gets knoced off the puck to easily to be taken seriously....but I saw him do some absolute magic with the puck.....amazing passer, amazing anticiaption.

@WingNut722 Yeah, I read that also, glad it's not as bad as first reported. Saw the story in the Free Press also. Actually, I've read the Free Pres almost every morning for the past 30 years.....lol.

I can't for the life of me see how this deal helps out the Flyers. It's sickening really. I kinda figured Marshall was a bust, but held out hope I was wrong......but to deal a 3rd rounder to move up in the 2nd to select Marshall in the first place....and then move him for a soon to be 28 year old....WTF....BRUTAL. I'm disgusted with lateral moves like this.

I thought it was a Peter Falk reference...."one more thing".....

What a sad story we have here. One of the greatest players and ambassadors to the game ever, falling ill to the same fate that took his beloved wife Colleen in 2009. A perfect example of how life can have cruel twists and turns. I guess his dementia is not really bad at this point, more like short term memory loss, but sadly, it will probably get worse. I met him once at the Windsor Arena....what a nice man.....every bit of the gentlemen he comes off as during interviews. Prayers and thoughts to the family during this trying time. http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=386711

NHL is looking into this one. Drew Doughty scored the winning goal with one second left, but time *should* have expired. Apparently the clock *froze* for a second, which gave Drew just enough time to pot the winner. Perhaps a misguided fan working the clock, perhaps the Kings knew nothing about it. Nonetheless, time the NHL looked into just who is working the clock and how they can be made accountable for their actions. This should be interesting....but regardless, the result cannot be over-turned. http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=386722

@flyercanuck Agreed, Burke reaached a bit on Luke. If my memory serves correct, didn't he make a deal to move up (or was it a move down?) before selecting Luke?

@JackStraw Valid point Straw-man. No matter how obvious things can seem at the NHL level, this year (along with others) has taught me one thing, what you see, is *not* always what you get. For instance, I figured the Flyers got outright ripped off when they acquired Versteeg, this year he is among league leaders in goals. I could have sworn he was a bum. He proved me wrong. This could indeed happen with Luke, stranger things have happened. Yet, he projects (at this point) as a stay at home d-man with limited offense.....but yet, the weakest part of his game is in his own end and involves simple solutions that he over-complicates by brain farts. After 281 NHL games, that worries me. I see a pattern, one that I would prefer to not see re-played on the Flyers.

@AbelMorpheus I've said all along, injuries are a blessing in disguise. Many, many NHL careers have started on the long term injury of established vet. and *somebody* had to do it.....lol.... http://www.google.ca/imgres?q=megan+fox+hot&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=Cnf&sa=X&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1256&bih=841&tbm=isch&prmd=imvnso&tbnid=6uZ3FKHQ5UrYaM:&imgrefurl=http://jaipals.com/hot-megan-fox-2012/&docid=wGM0iz38WzGTJM&imgurl=http://jaipals.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/megan-fox-hot-in-bikini.jpg&w=514&h=799&ei=TrcqT9C3DOPWiAK-5PziCg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=404&vpy=110&dur=972&hovh=280&hovw=180&tx=103&ty=142&sig=112133002012543145192&page=1&tbnh=142&tbnw=87&start=0&ndsp=28&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0

@jkearse123 Ask any regular watcher of the Leafs and they will tell you, they are hoping and praying he is included in some type of trade deadline deal. The deer in headlights thing is real, happens far to often in his own end. He panics and gives up the puck. While he is still young, he has been around long enough to know, patience and grace under fire is the real mark of a top notch NHL d-man. If I had a dime for every time he threw the puck into the middle, I'd be retired. I watch the Leafs enough to know, he would be eaten alive in Philly. Like fc said, you can find a U-Tube clip of anybody throwing a nice hit or making a nice play. To be honest, when I saw this kid play for Team Canada, I was really, really impressed. I was upset the Leafs got him. Years later, the offense has not come through at the NHL level (played the pp point for Team Canada)....while he is a physical d-man, the hitting is far from consistant, but admittedly, that part may come as he learns when to hit and when not to. I realize it's a learning process for young d-men, but the lack of poise is startling for somebody with 3+ years in the NHL. Sorry, but no go for me.

@hf101 Harts added a lot of life and spunk to a somewhat dreary game. His "triplets" remard to the Sedin twins was hilarious. I very much enjoyed him being miced up............the NHL made a nice call there. You can see how he would be a really cool teammate, somebody you would enjoy hanging out with and passing the time on long flights. A kind of life of the party type.