(Quick note to those of you in the playoff pool. Line-ups for the first week are due by noon on Wednesday.)
This could be a long one because I'm going to do the whole Eastern Conference at once just so it all gets done before the playoffs start. (Do I really need to say, "This could be a long one?" Is it at all shocking when I talk for a really long time?)
1. MONTREAL CANADIENS
I dig the Canadiens. There's no one on their team who I hate and there are even a few people who I really like (Saku Koivu and Mike Komisarek being the big two). Classic jerseys. A real hockey tradition. And I love their crowds. It can be annoying when you're on the other side but I love how quick Montreal crowds are to express themselves and I'm not going to lie, I love the "Ole Ole" song. I find myself singing along even when they're playing against the Sabres. The Canadiens are also really, really fun to watch. I love their fast back-and-forth style and I'm in awe of their powerplay. Going into the playoffs, the Habs are my favorite on the Eastern Conference side. We'll see if it sticks.
2. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
I was born in Pittsburgh and raised by Pittsburghers. Every childhood vacation involved Pittsburgh and I still have family there. The Mario Lemieux-led Penguins were the first hockey team I was really aware of. Heck, my first jersey was a Penguins jersey (Ron Francis #10). When all is said and done, I probably should be a Penguins fan right now. Even though fate stepped in and steered me toward the team and city that has no pro sports championships instead of plenty of them (thanks, fate!), I do still have a soft spot for Pittsburgh and I do mostly like the Penguins. Now that I've managed to dig through the media hype I think Sidney Crosby really is the cat's pajamas. And I'm totally in love with Evgeni Malkin. I'm amazed at how he just took over while Crosby was out and I love his silent, slightly embarrassed smile. Part of me hopes he never learns to speak English. (Part of me believes he speaks perfect English and just chooses not to) Really, do we need to hear "We're just going to take it one game at a time" from yet another player? I think Crosby has that covered. I am decidedly pro-Penguins.
3. WASHINGTON CAPITALS
Remember how Kevin Sylvester kept saying, "All hockey fans would be happy to see the Caps in the playoffs" and other similar things? Kevin forgot to poll me. I fully acknowledge that Alexander Ovechkin is an amazingly gifted player and barring a career-ending injury or a total collapse will be one of the best players of my lifetime. But I'm just not sure how I feel about him. There are times when I get a kick out of him and there are times when I feel like he's veering awfully close to showboating. And again, while I fully acknowledge that the NHL could use a good kick of personality, that's never been my thing. I hate running backs who start dancing before they're in the end zone and defensive players who celebrate a tackle like they just won the lottery. I hate baseball players who stand at home plate and watch the ball soar over the fence. I also hit Ovechkin Overload weeks ago. And now he's dragged his team into the playoffs? The hype is about to go off the charts insane. I don't know if I can handle it.
The good news for the Caps is that I don't find the team itself particularly offensive and I don't outright hate anyone on the team. And the good news for Ovechkin (because you know he's weeping at the thought that I don't like him) is that once upon a time I refused to like Sidney Crosby because of the endless hype and adoration and what finally changed my mind was watching Sid in the playoffs last year. So I'm not completely closing the door on the Caps but right now it doesn't look good. This one could definitely go either way.
4. NEW JERSEY DEVILS
This is another team where blogging rears its head and influences my opinion. I've spent many an hour lounging around Interchangeable Parts and emailing Pookie and Schnookie, the ladies who run the joint, so I know a lot about the players on the Devils and have even come to like a few of them. If I didn't talk to Pookie and Schnookie so much I would probably never have given the Devils a second thought and might outright hate them after all the stupid shootout losses this season. But I like them okay and I love Marty Brodeur so I'll cheer for the Devils in the right situation. They're not the most exciting team to watch but I fear the Eastern Conference is going to end up being a battle of the lesser evil.
5. NEW YORK RANGERS
If this season ends with Chris Drury hoisting a Stanley Cup - and Kate and I have had endless discussions about how that might be the only way this season can end - I'm building a bunker under our apartment building. Then I'm digging underground tunnels that connect the bunker to the parking lot at work. And then I'm constructing a bubble to live in during those times I have to interact with the outside world. I'm cutting myself off from media of all kind - newspapers, magazines, sports radio, message boards, and 99.7% of the blogs I read. I will do all that and somehow, some way I'll still end up hearing about Chris Drury and how his Little League triumph prepared him for this day when he would lead the New York Rangers to the Stanley Cup and I'll still end up hearing about how the Buffalo Sabres have doomed themselves to a history of defeat and despair and Bucky Gleason will call it the Curse of Captain Clutch and in thirty years I'll be the haggard od woman with no teeth and a swarm of cats who stands at the corner outside the arena all day yelling, "CAPTAIN CLUTCH NEVER WON US NOTHING AND WASN'T VERY CLUTCH IN THE FACE-OFF CIRCLE AGAINST JASON SPEZZA!" and "THE SABRES WANTED TO MATCH BUT CAPTAIN CLUTCH WANTED TO BE A DIRTY RANGER!" and people will point and laugh and throw things. I would hope that this is a future we all want to avoid.
(Also, Jaromir Jagr? Sean Avery? Scott Gomez? It's like someone decided to dump the very douchiest of douchebags on one team. No one with a soul could possibly cheer for the Rangers.)
6. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
In the battle of Former Sabres Lost in the Last Calendar Year, Daniel Briere is the one I'd be the most okay with winning it all if you put a gun to Mark's head and made me pick one. (I asked Mark what he would say if someone put a guy to my head and told him to choose Drury, Briere, or Brian Campbell and he said, "I'd tell them to shoot you," and then attempted to justify it with, "You wouldn't want to live in a world where any of those guys won a Cup!" I can't decide if that's really sweet or really disturbing.) I think Bucky and Co. would still go crazy but maybe not quite as crazy and I like Danny enough that it wouldn't make me throw up.
That said, it's the Flyers. I wasn't in Buffalo for most of the Buffalo-Philly history but even I hate the Flyers. And even if we just go by this year, how can you cheer for the the Flyers? The gooning it up? The stupid suspensions? The horrific mishandling of concussions? How many years has this franchise taken off Simon Gagne's career already? No, I'm afraid the Flyers are unacceptable.
7. OTTAWA SENATORS
I don't hate Ottawa the way some Buffalo fans do but I don't love them enough that I don't think this whole season has been pretty hilarious. With apologies to the Senators fans who I do know, like, and respect, this season has been a delight to watch. From the day the puck dropped against the Islanders I think Sabres fans knew we were going to be in for an up and down season. The Senators went something like 15-2 to start the season. Everyone was ready to hand them the Conference title if not the Stanley Cup. Even the most pessimistic and cautious fan had to be feeling pretty good about that kind of record. And then the team just fell apart. Gloriously and spectacularly. And now they get Pittsburgh in the first round? Without Daniel Alfredsson and Mike Fisher? Oh, Ottawa. You're toast. You're toast and yes, I think it's pretty entertaining. There is some small part of me that wouldn't be opposed to the Sens winning (with Mike Fisher) some year but if they pull it off this year it'll be way too much of a feel-good story. ("The struggling Sens pull off a first round upset in the name of their fallen captain!") This year I'm pulling for the collapse to be complete. The Ottawa Senators are a living example of why maybe it was better to just miss the playoffs instead of squeaking in.
8. BOSTON BRUINS
I can't think of any players on the Bruins who really disgust me (I kind of like Zdeno Chara) but I've had my fill of them for one year. The only thing the division heavy schedule really accomplished for me was making me hate them. And not in a "I love to hate them" kind of way. More like in a "I hate them and would rather pull my toenails out with tweezers than watch them for another second" kind of way. I do not want to see this team, playing this kind of hockey win anything. Ugh.
Official picks:
MONTREAL vs. BOSTON - Montreal in 4
PITTSBURGH vs. OTTAWA - Pittsburgh in 5
WASHINGTON vs. PHILADELPHIA - Washington in 6
NEW JERSEY vs. NEW YORK - New York in 6
Showing posts with label philadelphia flyers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label philadelphia flyers. Show all posts
Monday, April 7, 2008
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANK!
I totally admit it. I had pretty much given up. The Sabres weren't playing badly really but they only had a one goal lead. And then Henrik Tallinder got boarded and collapsed in a heap. (That gut-wrenching scream you heard around 7:48 or so was me.) And then the Flyers tied up the game. And I don't know, I was ready to throw in the towel. Andrej Sekera was killing penalties, Toni Lydman was playing on the powerplay. Our best defensive forward and best defensive d-man were out with injuries. I was ready to admit it just wasn't going to happen this year. I even had a post half-written in my head about how it might be a good thing in the long run for the team to miss the playoffs. And then it turned out that Sekera was playing pretty well. And Max came out of nowhere and started playing like he's capable of playing. And they won. The little rat bastards won and now I'm hopeful all over again. They're gonna be the death of me, these kids.
Don't get me wrong. I think if Jochen Hecht doesn't get back soon and if Hank is out for any extended time, we're pretty much screwed. At this point the team does not have a lot of games to fritter away. But it was good to see the boys take control of the game and push it out of Philly's reach.
According to Versus, the Sabres didn't really earn much of anything in this game. Every penalty was "sold" to the refs (which is not to say that the officiating was stellar because it was not and Philly got the worst of it) and every goal was because the Flyers screwed up. They didn't look great on any of the goals but they weren't responsible for the perfect tape-to-tape passes up the ice, the Sabres were.
And that never-ending interview with new NHLPA head Paul Kelly was awful. It was boring. He speaks in a monotone and he didn't say anything interesting. (Hockey players are "true human beings." As opposed to fake ones? Droids? Cylons?) And it took place over the play! I know it's a regular complaint that people make about Versus but good grief, guys, there's a game going on! Wrap up the interview or squeeze Boring Cliche Guy into the stops in play. Don't ignore Max going in on a breakaway. I doubt there are a ton of non-hockey fans tuning into a Tuesday night game on Versus but if they are, what are they supposed to think of a game that's so unimportant that the guys calling it can't be bothered to pay attention to it? Kelly also talked about the Sabres playing a blue-collar, physical style of hockey which proved that he hasn't seen much of the Sabres.
This is getting off-track but one of the unexpected side-effects of blogging has been how much more confident I am in my own opinion even when it doesn't line up with what other people are saying. I haven't really been following hockey for that long and often in the past if someone disagreed with me I automatically assumed they knew more than I did and were seeing something I was missing. One of the startling realizations I've had this season is that just because someone is in a position of power or is on a national broadcast, it doesn't make them right about everything. I know that is a super obvious thing but I don't know, it took a while to get through. Brian Engblom (just as an example) may be very knowledgeable about hockey and have insights to it that I don't since he is a former player, but he doesn't watch every game that every team plays. He can't! There's no reason for me to assume that he knows the Sabres better than me since I choose to torture myself by watching every single game they participate in. So when Keith Jones said tonight that Steve Bernier has the potential to be a fifty goal scorer I got really excited. And then I remembered that last week he called Brian Campbell one of the best open ice hitters in the NHL because he's seen two or three hits played over and over and realized that he might have no idea what he's talking about.
And speaking of opinions that don't often line up with others, I hated Dmitri Kalinin being scratched tonight. I hated it. It worked out okay in the end but I hated it. He and Nolan Pratt had become a very good pairing and then Campbell was traded and he switched partners. Now he's playing with someone who plays a totally different kind of game than Pratt and was maybe playing against competition that was a little tougher than he was accustomed too. To pick him out as the scratch seemed unnecessary to me. I will go to my grave arguing that Kalinin has too often been the scapegoat for poor play from the team during the past few years. He gets very little credit when he's playing well - even if he's one of the only ones playing well like during the first couple rounds of last year's playoffs - but the second the wheels come off everything comes down on his head. I would love for the Sabres to re-sign him. I think he's a solid defenseman who can chip in his fair amount on the offensive side, especially when paired with a partner he's comfortable with. But I also feel like it might be best for him to end up somewhere far away from the expectations Buffalo fans have that he'll never live up to. Maybe some fanbase out there can just be satisfied with Tri being the defenseman he is instead of fixating on how he's not the defenseman they wanted him to be.
I just read that Hank's definitely not playing tomorrow. Ugh. I'm unhappy. Who's gonna defend Ovechkin? And seriously, that wasn't boarding? And while I hate throwing around the word "classless" - a lot of behavior I've seemed deemed as classless is simply people pulling for their team/against the opposing team - a crowd booing a guy wobbling off the ice is pretty classless. What a bunch of douchebags. If you don't want to cheer, don't cheer. But don't be a douchebag and boo. Also, I'm still convinced that first goal was actually Hank's. I never saw it touch Pommers. (That wasn't boarding? Am I being too sensitive? Because I'm totally willing to admit I might be a little sensitve on this one.)
Don't get me wrong. I think if Jochen Hecht doesn't get back soon and if Hank is out for any extended time, we're pretty much screwed. At this point the team does not have a lot of games to fritter away. But it was good to see the boys take control of the game and push it out of Philly's reach.
According to Versus, the Sabres didn't really earn much of anything in this game. Every penalty was "sold" to the refs (which is not to say that the officiating was stellar because it was not and Philly got the worst of it) and every goal was because the Flyers screwed up. They didn't look great on any of the goals but they weren't responsible for the perfect tape-to-tape passes up the ice, the Sabres were.
And that never-ending interview with new NHLPA head Paul Kelly was awful. It was boring. He speaks in a monotone and he didn't say anything interesting. (Hockey players are "true human beings." As opposed to fake ones? Droids? Cylons?) And it took place over the play! I know it's a regular complaint that people make about Versus but good grief, guys, there's a game going on! Wrap up the interview or squeeze Boring Cliche Guy into the stops in play. Don't ignore Max going in on a breakaway. I doubt there are a ton of non-hockey fans tuning into a Tuesday night game on Versus but if they are, what are they supposed to think of a game that's so unimportant that the guys calling it can't be bothered to pay attention to it? Kelly also talked about the Sabres playing a blue-collar, physical style of hockey which proved that he hasn't seen much of the Sabres.
This is getting off-track but one of the unexpected side-effects of blogging has been how much more confident I am in my own opinion even when it doesn't line up with what other people are saying. I haven't really been following hockey for that long and often in the past if someone disagreed with me I automatically assumed they knew more than I did and were seeing something I was missing. One of the startling realizations I've had this season is that just because someone is in a position of power or is on a national broadcast, it doesn't make them right about everything. I know that is a super obvious thing but I don't know, it took a while to get through. Brian Engblom (just as an example) may be very knowledgeable about hockey and have insights to it that I don't since he is a former player, but he doesn't watch every game that every team plays. He can't! There's no reason for me to assume that he knows the Sabres better than me since I choose to torture myself by watching every single game they participate in. So when Keith Jones said tonight that Steve Bernier has the potential to be a fifty goal scorer I got really excited. And then I remembered that last week he called Brian Campbell one of the best open ice hitters in the NHL because he's seen two or three hits played over and over and realized that he might have no idea what he's talking about.
And speaking of opinions that don't often line up with others, I hated Dmitri Kalinin being scratched tonight. I hated it. It worked out okay in the end but I hated it. He and Nolan Pratt had become a very good pairing and then Campbell was traded and he switched partners. Now he's playing with someone who plays a totally different kind of game than Pratt and was maybe playing against competition that was a little tougher than he was accustomed too. To pick him out as the scratch seemed unnecessary to me. I will go to my grave arguing that Kalinin has too often been the scapegoat for poor play from the team during the past few years. He gets very little credit when he's playing well - even if he's one of the only ones playing well like during the first couple rounds of last year's playoffs - but the second the wheels come off everything comes down on his head. I would love for the Sabres to re-sign him. I think he's a solid defenseman who can chip in his fair amount on the offensive side, especially when paired with a partner he's comfortable with. But I also feel like it might be best for him to end up somewhere far away from the expectations Buffalo fans have that he'll never live up to. Maybe some fanbase out there can just be satisfied with Tri being the defenseman he is instead of fixating on how he's not the defenseman they wanted him to be.
I just read that Hank's definitely not playing tomorrow. Ugh. I'm unhappy. Who's gonna defend Ovechkin? And seriously, that wasn't boarding? And while I hate throwing around the word "classless" - a lot of behavior I've seemed deemed as classless is simply people pulling for their team/against the opposing team - a crowd booing a guy wobbling off the ice is pretty classless. What a bunch of douchebags. If you don't want to cheer, don't cheer. But don't be a douchebag and boo. Also, I'm still convinced that first goal was actually Hank's. I never saw it touch Pommers. (That wasn't boarding? Am I being too sensitive? Because I'm totally willing to admit I might be a little sensitve on this one.)
Monday, February 25, 2008
This Game Never Happened
Raise your hand if you knew the second that delay of game penalty was called on Jason Pominville that the Sabres were going to lose this game. Yep. Me too.
Even I, the eternal optimist, cannot deny that that game sucked and blew in so many ways that it's tough to quantify. Choking away a three goal lead? To a team that's missing something like 18 forwards? And on a ten game losing streak? Loose play in the defensive zone? Again? Soft goaltending when it mattered? Letting Danny Briere be the hero? Sweet moses that game was pretty much my hockey nightmare come to life.
- Versus was making my head spin. One moment they'd say something that was actually kind of insightful and right on the nose for people who probably don't watch every Sabres game (Jochen Hecht has been the team's best all-around player, Jason Pominville has developed into a mature, responsible player, Roy is becoming a good playmaker) and then they'd say stuff that was not so right (Campbell and Spacek are the top guys (at certain things yes, but "top guys" with no qualifier is not acceptable), Campbell is an amazing open ice hitter, and I know there was another one but I can't remember it. Trust me though, it was there.)
- I was very wishy-washy on the little turtleneck thing Henrik Tallinder was wearing tonight until someone mentioned it was a neck protector. It may look a little silly but by golly, if it means I'll never have to watch Hank hustle to the bench with blood gushing from his throat, I'm all for it.
- Ryan Miller was not good tonight. He didn't get a lot of help most of the night and there were some great saves mixed in but he has to be better, especially in games that are so important. Sometimes I hate how much fans put on the goalie's shoulders but it comes with the position. I know he has a little stretch every season where he seems to wear down a bit before finally snapping out of it but he needs to snap out of sooner this year.
- I was going to shoot my TV if I had to watch that Alexander Ovechkin 60 Goals commercial one. more. time. Mark pointed out to me that when the player names pop up all over the ice, HULL pops up in the crease which was very amusing... but only the first 37 times. After that I hated Alexander Ovechkin, the Washington Captials, the NHL, and Gary Bettman.
- Also, Versus was killing me with the Umberger "poetic justice" bit. Nothing they were calling "poetic justice" was actually "poetic justice." And scoring on a power play is not really scoring in an "unusual circumstance." I hate you, Versus.
- While I certainly will not blame this loss on injuries - that would be ridiculous, especially considering the Flyers were even worse off than us in that regard - I will say again that I don't think Jochen Hecht's absence can be underestimated even though it totally will be. Taking him out means losing our best defensive forward, one of our most responsible players, and one of the guys who never seems to hit panic mode and it means shuffling two lines that have been playing really well together (Roy-Connolly-Vanek, Pominville-Hecht-Player X). I think Jochen is one of the cards on the bottom of the house of cards that is the Sabres roster. Pull him out and the whole thing tumbles down or at least starts teetering an awful lot.
- Some good things: Derek Roy was a beast on the first goal, Timmy made a gorgeous pass on Pommers' goal, Pommers continues to be his steady, reliable self, ummmm... Henrik Tallinder was wearing a neck guard... Timmy was really funny yapping at the Flyers bench... let's see... Oh! Andrew Peters threw a punch! Lindy was screaming and that always amuses me... That's pretty good, right?
- This game was so bad that I can't even fully enjoy the Sens 5-0 loss to the Leafs and that is just not right. Let's forget this game happened and move on, okay?
Tomorrow is trade deadline day and all I can say is thank the Lord. I can't wait for this to be over. I don't think it'll surprise anyone to hear me say I'm firmly on the side of trading Brian Campbell. I think the Sabres are absolutely right to not budge on their most recent offer because Campbell is simply not worth a big money contract. And considering how clearly unfocused he's been for the past few weeks, I have to wonder how well he'll handle the expectations that come with a big contract. Get something for him and then let's all move on and, Darcy, don't even think about calling one of your "Everything is under control!" press conferences because you don't owe anyone an apology for trading an overrated, overpriced d-man. Oh, I know there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth from some quarters about how he's gone and how the Sabres were stupid to let him go and how they should have paid him but I feel pretty good about ignoring those quarters because they are, quite simply, wrong. (As always, feel free to disagree. But you're not changing my mind on this one.) Also I totally want to re-sign Dmitri Kalinin. I would like for Darcy to announce Kalinin's re-signing and Campbell's trade at the same time. It would send some people over the edge but I? I would be very happy.
Dan Boyle's contract? Ridiculous. One, it's awfully close to Nicklas Lidstrom money and while I know Lidstrom probably gave the Red Wings a little bit of a discount, that still ain't right. Two, he got ridiculous money AND a no-trade clause. Really? After all the guys refusing to waive NTCs, GMs are still giving those out? And they're not going to ask the guy to take a little less money if they're included? Three, did I mention that it's ridiculous? Because I don't know if you guys remember but we just had a lockout and part of the justification of the lockout was the need to institute cost control. Which is HI-larious considering that Brian Campbell is probably going to be making Brad Boyle money come July.
Tomorrow - today by the time most of you read this - I'll be strapped to the laptop. Mark has elected me to update him and his co-workers on any breaking trades. Next up: My sparkling commentary on said trades and finally - finally! - my thoughts (and yours) on the shootout.
Even I, the eternal optimist, cannot deny that that game sucked and blew in so many ways that it's tough to quantify. Choking away a three goal lead? To a team that's missing something like 18 forwards? And on a ten game losing streak? Loose play in the defensive zone? Again? Soft goaltending when it mattered? Letting Danny Briere be the hero? Sweet moses that game was pretty much my hockey nightmare come to life.
- Versus was making my head spin. One moment they'd say something that was actually kind of insightful and right on the nose for people who probably don't watch every Sabres game (Jochen Hecht has been the team's best all-around player, Jason Pominville has developed into a mature, responsible player, Roy is becoming a good playmaker) and then they'd say stuff that was not so right (Campbell and Spacek are the top guys (at certain things yes, but "top guys" with no qualifier is not acceptable), Campbell is an amazing open ice hitter, and I know there was another one but I can't remember it. Trust me though, it was there.)
- I was very wishy-washy on the little turtleneck thing Henrik Tallinder was wearing tonight until someone mentioned it was a neck protector. It may look a little silly but by golly, if it means I'll never have to watch Hank hustle to the bench with blood gushing from his throat, I'm all for it.
- Ryan Miller was not good tonight. He didn't get a lot of help most of the night and there were some great saves mixed in but he has to be better, especially in games that are so important. Sometimes I hate how much fans put on the goalie's shoulders but it comes with the position. I know he has a little stretch every season where he seems to wear down a bit before finally snapping out of it but he needs to snap out of sooner this year.
- I was going to shoot my TV if I had to watch that Alexander Ovechkin 60 Goals commercial one. more. time. Mark pointed out to me that when the player names pop up all over the ice, HULL pops up in the crease which was very amusing... but only the first 37 times. After that I hated Alexander Ovechkin, the Washington Captials, the NHL, and Gary Bettman.
- Also, Versus was killing me with the Umberger "poetic justice" bit. Nothing they were calling "poetic justice" was actually "poetic justice." And scoring on a power play is not really scoring in an "unusual circumstance." I hate you, Versus.
- While I certainly will not blame this loss on injuries - that would be ridiculous, especially considering the Flyers were even worse off than us in that regard - I will say again that I don't think Jochen Hecht's absence can be underestimated even though it totally will be. Taking him out means losing our best defensive forward, one of our most responsible players, and one of the guys who never seems to hit panic mode and it means shuffling two lines that have been playing really well together (Roy-Connolly-Vanek, Pominville-Hecht-Player X). I think Jochen is one of the cards on the bottom of the house of cards that is the Sabres roster. Pull him out and the whole thing tumbles down or at least starts teetering an awful lot.
- Some good things: Derek Roy was a beast on the first goal, Timmy made a gorgeous pass on Pommers' goal, Pommers continues to be his steady, reliable self, ummmm... Henrik Tallinder was wearing a neck guard... Timmy was really funny yapping at the Flyers bench... let's see... Oh! Andrew Peters threw a punch! Lindy was screaming and that always amuses me... That's pretty good, right?
- This game was so bad that I can't even fully enjoy the Sens 5-0 loss to the Leafs and that is just not right. Let's forget this game happened and move on, okay?
Tomorrow is trade deadline day and all I can say is thank the Lord. I can't wait for this to be over. I don't think it'll surprise anyone to hear me say I'm firmly on the side of trading Brian Campbell. I think the Sabres are absolutely right to not budge on their most recent offer because Campbell is simply not worth a big money contract. And considering how clearly unfocused he's been for the past few weeks, I have to wonder how well he'll handle the expectations that come with a big contract. Get something for him and then let's all move on and, Darcy, don't even think about calling one of your "Everything is under control!" press conferences because you don't owe anyone an apology for trading an overrated, overpriced d-man. Oh, I know there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth from some quarters about how he's gone and how the Sabres were stupid to let him go and how they should have paid him but I feel pretty good about ignoring those quarters because they are, quite simply, wrong. (As always, feel free to disagree. But you're not changing my mind on this one.) Also I totally want to re-sign Dmitri Kalinin. I would like for Darcy to announce Kalinin's re-signing and Campbell's trade at the same time. It would send some people over the edge but I? I would be very happy.
Dan Boyle's contract? Ridiculous. One, it's awfully close to Nicklas Lidstrom money and while I know Lidstrom probably gave the Red Wings a little bit of a discount, that still ain't right. Two, he got ridiculous money AND a no-trade clause. Really? After all the guys refusing to waive NTCs, GMs are still giving those out? And they're not going to ask the guy to take a little less money if they're included? Three, did I mention that it's ridiculous? Because I don't know if you guys remember but we just had a lockout and part of the justification of the lockout was the need to institute cost control. Which is HI-larious considering that Brian Campbell is probably going to be making Brad Boyle money come July.
Tomorrow - today by the time most of you read this - I'll be strapped to the laptop. Mark has elected me to update him and his co-workers on any breaking trades. Next up: My sparkling commentary on said trades and finally - finally! - my thoughts (and yours) on the shootout.
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