I was under the impression that the NHL lockout and the new salary cap system was suppose to allow teams like the Buffalo Sabres to play with the big boys.
Instead, since the lockout, the Sabres are now the NHL version of the Montreal Expos.
They keep producing all these talented players who eventually walk away or are traded because they cannot afford to re-sign them.
The latest example is defenseman Brian Campbell.
Since the famous this will solve everything lockout, Buffalo has lost the following players :
BRIAN CAMPBELL
DANIEL BRIERE
CHRIS DRURY
DAINIUS ZUBRUS
MARTIN BIRON
JP DUMONT
MIKE GRIER
JAY MCKEE
TAYLOR PYATT
What do the Sabres have to show for losing these 9 players ?
The answer would be Steve Bernier,a first round pick in 2008 and defenseman TJ Brennan who was drafted last year with the pick from the Biron trade.
Now the Sabres are fighting for a playoff spot...and survival.
Remember what happened to the Expos after the 1994 players strike.That's right, the fire sale in the spring of '95 when Marquis Grissom,John Wetteland and Ken Hill were traded and Larry Walker left as a free agent.
The strike did not save major league baseball in Monteal it killed it and the lockout hasn't been the solution for the Sabres...or should I say the Buffalo Expos !
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Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Gainey strikes out !!!
No Marian Hossa, no Brad Richards, no Martin Havlat, no Impact player...unless the Canadiens have acquired Mauro Biello.
At 3pm on trade deadline Tuesday the Canadiens are a worse team than they were 24 hours ago.
Habs fans who live in the past will bring up the names of Ken Dryden in 1971 and Patrick Roy in 1986.
Let's be clear , Carey Price will be the goalie of the future and he may go on to win a Cup , but I believe that Bob Gainey has taken a huge risk by trading Cristobal Huet for a second round pick in 2009.
This is the same GM who last year,at the deadline, hung on to Sheldon Souray, Radek Bonk and Mike Johnson who were all UFA's at the end of the season.What was the rush this year to trade away your number one goalie.It just doesn't make sense.
In the end the Canadiens still need a top six forward, and now they will go into the final 19 games of the regular season and the playoffs with two unproven goalies.
With this move, the spotlight is now on Carey Price.He is only 20 years old and the pressure will be unbearable.Gainey should have protected Price with at the very least an experienced backup, not a 22 year old Jaroslav Halak.Did Gainey jump the gun on Huet believing he had a deal with Atlanta for Marian Hossa and Johan Hedberg ?
Huet was a very popular player in the dressing room and a good teammate for Price.This move is a big mistake by Gainey.
Saturday, 21 273 fans stood and applauded Bob Gainey, the player.
Today, a whole city is booing Bob Gainey, the general manager.
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At 3pm on trade deadline Tuesday the Canadiens are a worse team than they were 24 hours ago.
Habs fans who live in the past will bring up the names of Ken Dryden in 1971 and Patrick Roy in 1986.
Let's be clear , Carey Price will be the goalie of the future and he may go on to win a Cup , but I believe that Bob Gainey has taken a huge risk by trading Cristobal Huet for a second round pick in 2009.
This is the same GM who last year,at the deadline, hung on to Sheldon Souray, Radek Bonk and Mike Johnson who were all UFA's at the end of the season.What was the rush this year to trade away your number one goalie.It just doesn't make sense.
In the end the Canadiens still need a top six forward, and now they will go into the final 19 games of the regular season and the playoffs with two unproven goalies.
With this move, the spotlight is now on Carey Price.He is only 20 years old and the pressure will be unbearable.Gainey should have protected Price with at the very least an experienced backup, not a 22 year old Jaroslav Halak.Did Gainey jump the gun on Huet believing he had a deal with Atlanta for Marian Hossa and Johan Hedberg ?
Huet was a very popular player in the dressing room and a good teammate for Price.This move is a big mistake by Gainey.
Saturday, 21 273 fans stood and applauded Bob Gainey, the player.
Today, a whole city is booing Bob Gainey, the general manager.
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Thursday, February 14, 2008
Rent-a-player time
12 days before the NHL trade deadline(Feb.26th 3pm)
I believe TSN's coverage has just started.
While the two biggest names are Mats Sundin and Marian Hossa, many players who are UFA's at the end of the season could be moved before or on deadline day.
With so many teams close in the standings, some may feel that they are one veteran defenseman or an experienced forward away from making a run in the playoffs.
Here is a list of UFA's that could be on the move:
FORWARDS :
Mats Sundin
Marian Hossa
Bobby Holik
Pascal Dupuis
Yanic Perreault
Martin Lapointe
Vinny Prospal
Chris Gratton
Andre Roy
Sergei Fedorov
David Viborny
Mike Peca
Scott Thornton
Martin Gelinas
Miroslav Satan
Mike Comrie
Ruslan Fedotenko
Trent Hunter
Josef Vasicek
DEFENSEMEN
Brian Campbell
Bret Hedican
Dan Boyle
Adam Foote
Rob Blake
Ron Hainsey
Dick Tarnstrom
Bryan Berard
Frddy Meyer
Bryce Salvador
Barret Jackman
Wade Belak
*******************************************************************
Very interesting interview on Wednesday between James Duthie and former Maple Leafs GM John Ferguson Jr on TSN.
He was asked which players he considered untouchables on the Leafs.
Ferguson's answer was :
Tomas Kaberle
Vesa Toskala
Justin Pogge
Anton Stralman
Jiri Tlusty
Alex Steen
and
Nikolai Kulemin a 21 year old Russian forward.
While everyone seems to believe that the Leafs will be in the Eastern conference cellar for years to come , I believe that if Cliff Fletcher makes the right decisions and the right deals, the future is not as bleak as many observers will have you think.
The four contracts that are killers are: Jason Blake (4 more years-16m),Pavel Kubina(2years-10m),Hal Gill(1year-2.1m)and Andrew Raycroft(1year-2m).
In the case of the last two, the Leafs could easily buy them out.
*************************************************************
I believe TSN's coverage has just started.
While the two biggest names are Mats Sundin and Marian Hossa, many players who are UFA's at the end of the season could be moved before or on deadline day.
With so many teams close in the standings, some may feel that they are one veteran defenseman or an experienced forward away from making a run in the playoffs.
Here is a list of UFA's that could be on the move:
FORWARDS :
Mats Sundin
Marian Hossa
Bobby Holik
Pascal Dupuis
Yanic Perreault
Martin Lapointe
Vinny Prospal
Chris Gratton
Andre Roy
Sergei Fedorov
David Viborny
Mike Peca
Scott Thornton
Martin Gelinas
Miroslav Satan
Mike Comrie
Ruslan Fedotenko
Trent Hunter
Josef Vasicek
DEFENSEMEN
Brian Campbell
Bret Hedican
Dan Boyle
Adam Foote
Rob Blake
Ron Hainsey
Dick Tarnstrom
Bryan Berard
Frddy Meyer
Bryce Salvador
Barret Jackman
Wade Belak
*******************************************************************
Very interesting interview on Wednesday between James Duthie and former Maple Leafs GM John Ferguson Jr on TSN.
He was asked which players he considered untouchables on the Leafs.
Ferguson's answer was :
Tomas Kaberle
Vesa Toskala
Justin Pogge
Anton Stralman
Jiri Tlusty
Alex Steen
and
Nikolai Kulemin a 21 year old Russian forward.
While everyone seems to believe that the Leafs will be in the Eastern conference cellar for years to come , I believe that if Cliff Fletcher makes the right decisions and the right deals, the future is not as bleak as many observers will have you think.
The four contracts that are killers are: Jason Blake (4 more years-16m),Pavel Kubina(2years-10m),Hal Gill(1year-2.1m)and Andrew Raycroft(1year-2m).
In the case of the last two, the Leafs could easily buy them out.
*************************************************************
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Sens send a loud message
WOW!!!
What a loud and clear message sent by the Sens.
A week ago, Habs fans were talking of first place overall in the eastern conference, but after Saturday night's debacle it is a very humble Canadiens squad that will jump on the ice Tuesday night in Tampa.
I have a couple of observations on tonight's game.
Once again, I did not like the way some players responded when they were challenged.
Yes, Maxim Lapierre drew two penalties on the same play after being attacked by Mike Fisher and Chris Neil, but no one came to his defense when Neil jumped on him and Lapierre should have challenged Fisher later on in the game.
Then, later on in the third period, Patrice Brisebois went after Nick Foligno.If you are a veteran and you are running after a rookie, better do something about it.
Instead, Brisebois started something and the result was that Sergei Kostitsyn got knocked out by Wade Redden.
Again, it was Francis Bouillon to the rescue of his young teamate who was in a vulnerable position after a big uppercut by the bigger and stronger Redden.
The lack of a legitimate tough guy is not the reason why the Canadiens lost in Ottawa, but with back to back games coming up against the Flyers next weekend and another visit by the Rangers, I am worried that the physical play from the opponents will not go away.
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What a loud and clear message sent by the Sens.
A week ago, Habs fans were talking of first place overall in the eastern conference, but after Saturday night's debacle it is a very humble Canadiens squad that will jump on the ice Tuesday night in Tampa.
I have a couple of observations on tonight's game.
Once again, I did not like the way some players responded when they were challenged.
Yes, Maxim Lapierre drew two penalties on the same play after being attacked by Mike Fisher and Chris Neil, but no one came to his defense when Neil jumped on him and Lapierre should have challenged Fisher later on in the game.
Then, later on in the third period, Patrice Brisebois went after Nick Foligno.If you are a veteran and you are running after a rookie, better do something about it.
Instead, Brisebois started something and the result was that Sergei Kostitsyn got knocked out by Wade Redden.
Again, it was Francis Bouillon to the rescue of his young teamate who was in a vulnerable position after a big uppercut by the bigger and stronger Redden.
The lack of a legitimate tough guy is not the reason why the Canadiens lost in Ottawa, but with back to back games coming up against the Flyers next weekend and another visit by the Rangers, I am worried that the physical play from the opponents will not go away.
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