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NHL 2013 off season thread
- Thread starter MJ5150
- Start date
Just about. Those dirty Canadiens stole Penguins mega-star Douglas Murray. I don't know how the Pens will manage in 2014 without him, 
-Mike
-Mike
Haha, I caught so much crap for saying the Murray trade wasn't a good one for Shero. I mean, I think Shero's a good GM, but the way folks talk you'd think he could do no wrong!
At $1.5m though? The Habs got a good price. Better than two second round picks, anyways.
Also, let's go Flyers!
At $1.5m though? The Habs got a good price. Better than two second round picks, anyways.
Also, let's go Flyers!
I think that's a good signing for the Caps. It's a "show me what ya got" kinda contract for a guy who feels he has a lot to prove. Win win.
That being said, my Flyers will crush them this year
I think that's a good signing for the Caps. It's a "show me what ya got" kinda contract for a guy who feels he has a lot to prove. Win win.
That being said, my Flyers will crush them this year
Definitely a good signing by the Caps. I don't understand the Leafs' buyout, but then I don't understand ANYTHING they've done this summer.
BTW, thoughts on our offseason?
Murray didn't really fit into our system, but I loved him as a player. His fight with Crombeen was hilarious. I also distinctly remember a play against the Bruins in the playoffs, where Pens were desperate for a goal and Murray actually pinched down in the offensive zone. I remember screaming "why do they have Murray pinching?" and then he made contact with two Bruins and wiped them both out. It was glorious.
Pens still have a great squad, but they lack any type of enforcer. I am curious to see what they do about that. Now that the Habs have Parros and Murray, I don't think they're going to be losing any team fights in the future.
Pens still have a great squad, but they lack any type of enforcer. I am curious to see what they do about that. Now that the Habs have Parros and Murray, I don't think they're going to be losing any team fights in the future.
The Pens still have Engeland, no? Anyways, I don't think you really need an enforcer. Instead, gritty checking skaters and two way players with less offensive punch fill out the bottom six on better teams. I think the Pens will be fine, but I never considered Montreal a real contender.
Yeah, Engo is still around. Don't think he'll get much play time this year though. I think he's on the decline. We've got a young D prospect with lots of talent in Bortuzzo. He really liked to scrap in the AHL, so maybe he'll be the one who steps up when players like Crosby, Malkin and Letang start taking head shots.
Grabo is a great pickup for the Caps, but I'm disappointed I will now have to boo him
I liked him a lot in Toronto, and was disappointed to see them get rid of him.
Grabo is a great pickup for the Caps, but I'm disappointed I will now have to boo him
I liked him a lot in Toronto, and was disappointed to see them get rid of him.I just remembered, you guys got Scuderi back. That should help with the back end some, he's been pretty reliable in the past (I remember him hopping into net to save the 09 Cup for the Pens, as much as I hate to admit it). The Pens need more out of MAF if they want to overcome their playoffs demons. I wonder if the sports therapist will be beneficial.
As for Toronto, I truly do not understand that franchise. I really think they have no idea what they're doing.
As for Toronto, I truly do not understand that franchise. I really think they have no idea what they're doing.
Down Goes Brown has a great breakdown of the Leafs off season.
The funny thing is, and I was never a big believer in his plan as GM, Brian Burke's talent pool finally seemed to be coming together. Nonis hasn't been in long enough to change that team, and they finally made the playoffs. I think ownership got impatient at the exact wrong time.
And then this off season came. I think some of their moves will pay very short term dividends, but that team is a huge mess in the mid and long term IMO.
The funny thing is, and I was never a big believer in his plan as GM, Brian Burke's talent pool finally seemed to be coming together. Nonis hasn't been in long enough to change that team, and they finally made the playoffs. I think ownership got impatient at the exact wrong time.
And then this off season came. I think some of their moves will pay very short term dividends, but that team is a huge mess in the mid and long term IMO.
I'm still waiting for Nonis to work some of that magic he stole from Burke. Trade Liles contract and sign Kadri and Franson.
Good question. Overall, I think it was a smart offseason. Lecavalier, Streit, and Emery added to the roster for nothing more than $$ (and a 4th rounder for Streit).
There were so many rumours involving Couturier and/or Brayden Schenn that made me think "oh great, here we go again...". The Flyers always seem to be in win-now mode.
But, they hung on to the young guys, made some great acquisitions without affecting the roster (though I'm not a fan of the Streit contract at all), and drafted very smartly.
The one big question mark? Defense. I mean, you could say goaltending too, but I think Mason and Emery will, at the very least, be an upgrade over Bryz. But our defense is largely the same, and Streit brings more defensive liability with him. Not exactly what we needed.
Prediction? I think they'll finish somewhere in the 4-8 range in the conference.
What did you think of the offseason?
I'm pretty much on the same page. After aiming high and coming home empty handed last summer, I'm glad Holmgren took the safer approach this summer. I'm leery about all the years given to old guys, but we got the (imo) best value player at each position.
Vinny gives us the second line center we need in the short term, and when Couts or Schenn10 is ready for that role Vinny has voiced interest in moving to wing for Giroux's line. Funny, at first I was really upset with this signing, feeling it was wasteful and short sighted. It's really grown on me, though. This should help the forward corps, at least on the defensive side of the puck. Between Vinny and Adam Hall, that should be a lot less defensive zone draws for Giroux in the regular season, freeing him up to do what he does best.
The Streit signing is a little more concerning, but still a good move. I don't like having another 35+ contract on the books, what with Pronger already filling Rathje's seat on the LTIR. Still, despite his defensive shortcomings I think Streit actually helps this blueline. I know, it seems to defy logic, but stay with me here.
Defensive play for the whole team was an issue last year, there's no two ways around it. Goaltending was up and down, but no matter how Bryz was doing the team defense was porous through all but the very end of the season. A big part of this is the aggressive system Lavi plays, it's very live by the sword, die by the sword. Last year, it was the latter.
Last year, with Meszaros getting hurt again and Carle's departure, there wasn't really much in the puck movement department. We had plenty of defensive blueliners in Grossmann, Coburn, and Schenn22. But Coburn struggled with increased offensive assignments, and we regularly got stuck in our own end. This year, it's not just Streit assuming puck movement duties: Meszaros has another chance to re-establish himself, Gustafsson is coming off a strong international campaign and should be ready to make the jump to full time NHLer, and Timonen has always been pretty reliable in a two way role (even if he's a step slower). The way I see it, we've got a lot of balance not only on the whole top six, but on each pairing. It won't make up for the lack of a bona fide #1 defender (my heart is still broken by the Pronger injuries), but it won't be the broken roster we had last year. Also, it'll be nice to have ANYBODY with a shot from the blueline (.
As for Emery, I'm just happy to make a low commitment, low dollars signing that has a chance to work out. I bear no enmity towards Bryz, but I'm glad he's gone. The situation was toxic, and even if he's not a terrible goaltender he was never as good as the cap dollars he cost. Mason hasn't really proven anything yet, but the potential is there.
As for the young guys, I've been really apprehensive about potential trades involving them too. Especially Couturier, I think he's going to be a special player. But after all these rumors, and then seeing the moves we made instead, I think the organization may be turning a corner. Last summer, we went with impossible offer sheets, and this summer we actually picked up veteran help. In retrospect, it seems to me Holmger is doing what he needs to to avoid trading these guys. There's progress made on the talent pipeline too, including a glut of defensive prospects, something we haven't seen perhaps ever.
So yeah, I wouldn't say the team has been pushed into cup contender status, or that the roster is perfect. But we have balance on the backend, we have reinforcements up front, and we kept our core. I think we should see a playoffs berth, and once you make the dance who knows? After 2010, I honestly believe anything can happen.
So yeah, now that I've published an entire novel here, that's more or less my thoughts
Vinny gives us the second line center we need in the short term, and when Couts or Schenn10 is ready for that role Vinny has voiced interest in moving to wing for Giroux's line. Funny, at first I was really upset with this signing, feeling it was wasteful and short sighted. It's really grown on me, though. This should help the forward corps, at least on the defensive side of the puck. Between Vinny and Adam Hall, that should be a lot less defensive zone draws for Giroux in the regular season, freeing him up to do what he does best.
The Streit signing is a little more concerning, but still a good move. I don't like having another 35+ contract on the books, what with Pronger already filling Rathje's seat on the LTIR. Still, despite his defensive shortcomings I think Streit actually helps this blueline. I know, it seems to defy logic, but stay with me here.
Defensive play for the whole team was an issue last year, there's no two ways around it. Goaltending was up and down, but no matter how Bryz was doing the team defense was porous through all but the very end of the season. A big part of this is the aggressive system Lavi plays, it's very live by the sword, die by the sword. Last year, it was the latter.
Last year, with Meszaros getting hurt again and Carle's departure, there wasn't really much in the puck movement department. We had plenty of defensive blueliners in Grossmann, Coburn, and Schenn22. But Coburn struggled with increased offensive assignments, and we regularly got stuck in our own end. This year, it's not just Streit assuming puck movement duties: Meszaros has another chance to re-establish himself, Gustafsson is coming off a strong international campaign and should be ready to make the jump to full time NHLer, and Timonen has always been pretty reliable in a two way role (even if he's a step slower). The way I see it, we've got a lot of balance not only on the whole top six, but on each pairing. It won't make up for the lack of a bona fide #1 defender (my heart is still broken by the Pronger injuries), but it won't be the broken roster we had last year. Also, it'll be nice to have ANYBODY with a shot from the blueline (.
As for Emery, I'm just happy to make a low commitment, low dollars signing that has a chance to work out. I bear no enmity towards Bryz, but I'm glad he's gone. The situation was toxic, and even if he's not a terrible goaltender he was never as good as the cap dollars he cost. Mason hasn't really proven anything yet, but the potential is there.
As for the young guys, I've been really apprehensive about potential trades involving them too. Especially Couturier, I think he's going to be a special player. But after all these rumors, and then seeing the moves we made instead, I think the organization may be turning a corner. Last summer, we went with impossible offer sheets, and this summer we actually picked up veteran help. In retrospect, it seems to me Holmger is doing what he needs to to avoid trading these guys. There's progress made on the talent pipeline too, including a glut of defensive prospects, something we haven't seen perhaps ever.
So yeah, I wouldn't say the team has been pushed into cup contender status, or that the roster is perfect. But we have balance on the backend, we have reinforcements up front, and we kept our core. I think we should see a playoffs berth, and once you make the dance who knows? After 2010, I honestly believe anything can happen.
So yeah, now that I've published an entire novel here, that's more or less my thoughts
I'm glad Scuderi made it back. Each year the Pens lose a guy or two, and that was one of the ones that disappointed me the most in recent years.
-Mike
-Mike
Thoughts on Cooke's departure? Of course, I hate his guts, but he did provide a lot for the Pens in terms of physical and defensive play.
Also, did anybody see the Travis Yost incident? Eugene Melnyk might find out what a REAL forensic investigation is like:
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-p...finances-dispute-eugene-melnyk-210553389.html
Also, did anybody see the Travis Yost incident? Eugene Melnyk might find out what a REAL forensic investigation is like:
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-p...finances-dispute-eugene-melnyk-210553389.html
Bummed on losing Cooke. Obviously I've got biased rosey colored glasses when looking at him, but aside from some of his questionable hits (some just unfortunate circumstance, but others down right dirty) he was one of my favorite personalities on the team. Great teammate, hard worker, can play on any line, and always gives his best. He was one of the most consistent players for the Pens in the playoffs and they're going to miss him and the intangibles he brought.
On the other hand, there are lots of players at his skill level that can be paid much less money, and don't carry the same stigma as Cooke, who also won't earn ghost penalties for simply being Matt Cooke. I wish him the best in Minnesota, hope he can finish his career without any more negative incidents, and earns some new fans up north.
On the other hand, there are lots of players at his skill level that can be paid much less money, and don't carry the same stigma as Cooke, who also won't earn ghost penalties for simply being Matt Cooke. I wish him the best in Minnesota, hope he can finish his career without any more negative incidents, and earns some new fans up north.
I have a Minnesota North Stars cap I will wear now and then in honor of Cooke. I'll miss him too.
-Mike
-Mike
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