Don't expect the Flyers to make any moves this offseason. They are under strict orders to reduce payroll, if that is possible.
The reasoning is that even though they are owned by Comcast, the general economy is making it difficult to justify keeping the level of spending where it is. The Flyers always justified the high spending by assuming they would make it to the second round of the playoffs or further. But as we all know, that has not been happening.
There is also the matter of Simon Gagne. He may be a Group 2 free agent and no one is going to make an offer but finding a comparable player to base a contract will be difficult for this emerging star.
Prime evil of Kaiju Big Battel is very mysterious and expensive doctor.
Fuck you, Maple Leaf management. You not only disrespect the best goalie in the league, you turn around and sign a washed-up veteran to replace him, instead of the next best thing (Byron Dafoe).
I was born in a manger, like that other guy. You know, he wore a hat?
I'm not huge into hockey, but as a former Torontonian now living in Calgary, the talk of Cujo had me scratching my head.
On Sunday, there was conversation that he was signed by Calgary, but he wouldn't don the Flames jersey. Same thing with Tie Domi, well sort of. He's been signed by the Nashville Preditors, but may not play for them?
I'm confused. Anyone care to tell me what's this about?
As per Cujo as a Wing? Hopefully not. I'd rather see him in Toronto, but he'll go where the money is, right?
Proud resident of Lance Storm City, Alberta, Canada...
Because of the NHL's equalization policy, if a "rich team" gets an unrestricted free agent signed away from them, they don't get squat, because it's making them unfairly better than the small market teams. So, The Leafs (a rich team) traded Curtis Joseph (an unrestricted free agent) to Calgary (a small market team) for an 8th rounder in 2004. If/when Joseph signs with anybody, the Flames will get a second round draft pick next year. That's it.
Bart: Hey, immigrants! Beat it! Country's full! Sailor: OK people, you heard the lady. Back into the hold. We'll try Canada. [the immigrants moan] -- "The City of New York Vs. Homer Simpson"
"That's what the Internet is for, slandering others anonymously" Banky Edwards (Jason Lee) in Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back
Originally posted by evilwaldoThe dominoes are starting to fall.
Don't expect the Flyers to make any moves this offseason. They are under strict orders to reduce payroll, if that is possible.
The reasoning is that even though they are owned by Comcast, the general economy is making it difficult to justify keeping the level of spending where it is. The Flyers always justified the high spending by assuming they would make it to the second round of the playoffs or further. But as we all know, that has not been happening.
There is also the matter of Simon Gagne. He may be a Group 2 free agent and no one is going to make an offer but finding a comparable player to base a contract will be difficult for this emerging star.
The Flyers continue to befuddle me, and as a hometown fan, I have to wonder whether fumes from the football stadium construction are wafting into Bobby Clarke's office.
I nearly threw a shoe through my TV when they made the Oates trade in late-season, and current events make that deal seem even more moronic. They gave up their top goalie prospect (Maxime Ouellet) and three picks; in return, they brought in an aging assist machine for fourteen meaningless regular-season games, watched him flame out with the rest of the Flyer forwards in the first round, then LET HIM WALK (which they'd planned on all along, according to Clarke, win or lose). ASS!
They then traded Brian Boucher to Phoenix for two bags of pucks, leaving them with one NHL-level goalie -- Roman Cechmanek, who many Flyers revolted against after he blew his top during the Ottawa series. (And, frankly, I didn't blame him one bit -- he'd played his ass off for four playoff games and his players had scored _zero_ regulation-time goals over that period.) Justified or not, he had pucks fired at his head by his own teammates during warmups in Game 5, was benched, and was widely expected to be traded. Instead, oddly, they traded the other starter, who was (a) locally popular due to his stint with the Phantoms, (b) cheaper and (c) less likely to have his tires slashed by disgruntled wingmen.
Personally, I love Roman as a player and as a character, and if he can iron things out with his teammates, I'm glad they kept him. But he's now ALL they have. They are one injury to Roman away from having NOBODY to fill the net -- not just on the big club, but in the whole damn system. Neil Little gets pencilled in by default, who's been a career minor-leaguer with the Phantoms since their inception. With no free-agent goalie signings apparently in the offing, not having Ouellet around is looming larger and larger.
Oh, and the Jiri Dopita era ended abruptly. How dare he have the audacity to suffer some injuries in his rookie year...
The only move I won't second-guess quite yet is the Fedotenko trade, which they used to move up in this year's draft. I'll miss Rusty, but I'll wait and see who they get at #4.
"No society has managed to invest more time and energy in the perpetuation of the fiction that it is _moral, sane and wholesome_ than our current crop of _Modern Americans_." -- Frank Zappa
Free-agent goalie Curtis Joseph said Tuesday that he was signing with the Detroit Red Wings, who saw goaltender Dominik Hasek retire last week after leading them to the Stanley Cup.
At a news conference in Toronto just before leaving for Detroit, Joseph was overcome with emotion and discussed how difficult it was leave the Maple Leafs - but that the lure of hockey's top team prize was too strong to resist.
"Probably a year ago I couldn't have seen myself playing anywhere else," he said. "Detroit offers a very unique opportunity. Everybody who plays there says the future is now. That was enticing. ...
"There's no guarantee's that I'll go to Detroit and win a Stanley Cup. But I'd like to take that opportunity."
Joseph, with his daughter on his lap and his family around him, said there were "a lot of sleepless nights" in deciding his future.
The 35-year-old Joseph gives the Red Wings another of the NHL's top goalies. Hasek led the Red Wings to their third Cup in six years before announcing that he was going home to the Czech Republic.
Joseph said money was not the biggest consideration in leaving Toronto, and added he wants the chance to win a Stanley Cup with the Red Wings.
Joseph compiled a 133-88-27 record and a 2.42 goals-against average in four seasons with Toronto. Joseph earned $6.57 million last season, which was the last of a four-year, $24 million deal.
Joseph broke his hand last season but went 29-17-5 with a career-best 2.23 GAA and a .906 save percentage in 51 games. He had a 2.30 GAA and a .914 save percentage in 20 playoff games. The Leafs were eliminated in the Eastern Conference championship series by Carolina.
Joseph became an unrestricted free agent after failing to reach a deal Sunday with the Maple Leafs, who then traded his rights to Calgary for a 2004 eighth-round draft pick.
Calgary had the rights for about two hours Sunday before the goalie became a free agent.
"I guess the bottom line ... at 22 years old, when I came into the league, if you told me I was 35 and I hadn't won a Stanley Cup, and you are able to go where the odds may be 3 to 1 or 2 to 1, I'll take it," Joseph said.
The only move I won't second-guess quite yet is the Fedotenko trade, which they used to move up in this year's draft. I'll miss Rusty, but I'll wait and see who they get at #4.
Don't even get me started on the Rusty trade. He was only a '3rd line' player that scored more than 20 goals. Maybe I was watching another team but I thought he had a better season that our $9 million dollar man, John LeClair.
The only thing for certain is that I am going to have a lot of open games with my season tickets next year.
Prime evil of Kaiju Big Battel is very mysterious and expensive doctor.
Dammit. Just what i wanted to happen. For the Red Wings to get stronger. Geez. And it doesn't look like the Blues are going to make any major deals this off season.
I've torn myself apart.... and tried to figure out why... but the only answer i was ever given... that really fits..... is the fact... that women are crazy.
I have trouble believing that the Wings will be quite as dominant this year. Scotty Bowman was a much bigger piece of the puzzle than any one player.
And all of the Wings big names are another year older; how many of them have anything left to prove? By that I don't mean they'll be slack, but last year they had the motivation of winning one for the Robitailles and the Haseks. Can they do the same for Joseph? Will they pick up another cupless ``name'' for additional motivation?
As for Cujo, I think it very telling his tearful comment of, ``If we don't win the cup in Detroit, I hope Toronto wins it.'' Emotional and heartfelt though it was, it says, along with his departure, that he doesn't really believe Toronto can do it.
Lastly, I said some things about Philadelphia's situation not really being Bobby Clarke's fault in a thread here several months ago. Perhaps I was sniffing too much glue that week... I still firmly believe that Hitchcock's not the right guy, and now they've got no depth in nets and they've already traded away most of the reasonable trade fodder they had. For next to nothing.
My Habs are looking better and better :)
/tarnish... I'm a disturbed and bitter herb, like salt water and parsley... -- Cleofis Randolph the Patriarch
Anything that weakens the bully scum that are the Toronto Maple Leafs is A-OK with this Islanders fan. Even better is that Cujo went to Detroit, who are on my "likes" list because of the Hasek factor.
CRZ NOTABLE QUOTABLE OF THE MONTH: KANE: Triple H...tonight, I will burn the flesh from your body! MICHAEL COLE: OH MY GOD. KANE THREATENING TRIPLE H, SAYING HE'S GONNA BURN THE FLESH FROM HIS BODY! CRZ: Umm, I heard it the FIRST time! -- WWF Smackdown, 9/9/99
Originally posted by Texas KellyAnything that weakens the bully scum that are the Toronto Maple Leafs is A-OK with this Islanders fan. Even better is that Cujo went to Detroit, who are on my "likes" list because of the Hasek factor.
Bully scum? Dude, the Leafs WERE blatantly dirty in that series, but don't forget that the Islanders gave as good as they got in the cheap shots department.........Both teams were pretty intent on giving the sport a black eye. Plenty of blame to go around on that front.
And I know it's contrary to the conventional wisdom, but the Leafs don't really come out too far behind with Belfour tending goal instead of CuJo -- They did pretty well with Corey Schwab in the net, for crying out loud.
Everything I touch, starts to melt in my clutch........ I'm too much!
The key factor in Cujo's decision apparently was that the TML weren't able to sign him last summer when they signed Sundin. He took that as a big slap in the face. And then they re-signed Quinn mid-season and still left him hanging. There was really no way he was staying with the organization. I think it was a good call on his part.
I also don't think the Leafs weaken a bit with Belfour(unless he goes nutty again off-ice). I do wish they did sign Schwab again, though. And they still haven't signed any defencemen.
Hockey salaries have hit that baseball level now of being completely out of control, which is going to bankrupt a number of teams in short time.
With all this off-season activity, it seems like hockey is a 12-month season now.
On another note, the crying about "bully scum" made me laugh...there's always something in different sports series that make fans bitter...there are still Leaf fans here complaining about the non-call on Gretzky in the 93 LA-TML series which may have sent the Leafs packing. It was 1993, people! Get over it!
On another note, the crying about "bully scum" made me laugh...there's always something in different sports series that make fans bitter...there are still Leaf fans here complaining about the non-call on Gretzky in the 93 LA-TML series which may have sent the Leafs packing. It was 1993, people! Get over it!
I was watching Game 7 of Calgary/San Jose at a Calgary movie theatre that had been converted to a sports bar ... the games are shown on the BIG screen. This was in 1992.
Overtime. Game 7. Calgary dominating the overtime. Puck is behind the San Jose net ... it gets flipped out to the slot to a wide open Joe Nieuwendyk in his prime! He winds up to one-time the pass -- and gets tackled from behind by a cheating bastard Shark player. Both players tumble to the ice, with Nieuwendyk held firm in a bearhug. That tackle was worthy of Ronnie Lott. No penalty call. Sharks of course score five minutes later.
That non-call ... unbelievable ... Christ I'm getting worked up again typing this out ... over 10 years later and I feel bile rising in my stomach ... aarrrrgggghhhhh
Never forgive Goon. Never forget.
Let me put you in the picture, let me show you what I mean; The Messiah is my sister, ain't no king man, she's my queen.
What is Trish going to do with her CuJo figurines that she showed in Confidental.
Eh I have to give respect for the Little Ceaser owner for actually caring about his team and spending his money wisely. I guess the Tigers are his ugly red-headed step child (lol)
I don't get it, everyone loves rats, but they don't want to drink the rats milk?
I've been thinking the same thing. Theadore needs to be signed, and we gotta get Gilmour back, then we're ready to make noise =)
(edited by El Nastio on 6.7.02 1148) On June 27th, 2002, the Montreal Expos (number one on the MLB contraction list) added MONEY to their payroll, aquiring Bartolo Colon. In a time like this, there's two quotes that come to the forefront;
cfgb: "I hate to say it, but Atlanta really needs to be watching their rear ends". And Number Two;
Heeeeey - I'm sure they'd like to think that it's the new arena, and I was halfway convinced until they got rid of Audette and plugged in Brunet. Brunet came in like gangbusters and had a point in 8 of his first 9 games, or somesuch.