NHL: Lets make a deal

[Michael Griffiths]

Wow, a lot happened today. The Leafs signed free agent Joe Nieuwendyk, and the Canucks signed former Senator free agent Magnus Arvedson. He's a class player, too, and a Selke Finalist. The Canucks also invited free agent Mike Keane to camp. All of this allows the Canucks to free up back end players as trade bait for a top notch forward. I could see Burke trading Sopel, Cooke, and Chubarov (maybe a pick, too?) for, say, Eric Daze or someone else like that. If he makes that move, Vancouver, I believe, will be in the same league as Detroit and Colorado.

 

[Chizip]

youre funny

 

[AvsGirl41]

The Avs finally signed Tanguay to a year deal. The trade rumors immediately began.

*wonders if Lacroix has enough rope yet to hang himself this season*

 

[Michael Griffiths]

I still maintain your team has *way* too much talent for its own good. Just like Rome, that will be your secret downfall. *begins evil laugh* bwaha...bwahahaha...bwahahaha!

 

[Chizip]

i guess thats why burke isnt going after any real talent

 

[Michael Griffiths]

LOL. No, it's because the Canucks don't have money growing on trees like the Avs do. Our payroll actually increased from 36 million to 42 million this year -- a 16% increase, all in US funds. That's not too bad really...but still way off from the bottomless pit Colorado has at their disposal. It must be pretty easy being a GM like Lacroix when all you have to do is sign cheques.

We should see an improvement in the young players this year, though (guys like the Sedin twins could break out now that they're 23 years old). Morrison is ready to explode in a big way, too. This team will be better than last years team on improvement alone. The addition of Arvedson only solidifies that...and I think one more trade will put us over the top.

 

[Chizip]

wanna make a bet that vancouver doesnt get as many points this year as they did last year?

 

[Michael Griffiths]

Hee hee hee!!! You're hilarious. Very funny. That's a tempting bet, yes. If I were to make such a bet, how much would you like to bet me? Vancouver has improved steadily over the last five years, getting 104 points last year, 94 points the year before, 90 points the year prior to that, and 83 the year before that. And the year prior to that (98-99), they only had 58 points. That was the season they did the bulk of the rebuilding which created the nucleus they have today, the year they traded Bure for Jovo and hired Crawford, etc. Since that time, as you can see, they haven't once dipped below their previous year's point total. Add to that their young players haven't even hit their primes. The Sedins are on the verge of exercising their potential, and Brendan Morrison is in the best shape of his career, looking for a banner year and become a superstar just like his two linemates already are. Arvedson, previously a Selke canditate with limited ice time in Ottawa due to depth, is now in the Western Conference playing for an offensive minded team, and will be sure to improve the Canucks as well. The Canucks are also better in goal this year, adding probably *the* best back up in the NHL. If Burke adds a top 6 forward via a trade, look out. Even if he doesn't, the sky's the limit.

Are you sure you want to make that bet?

 

[AvsGirl41]

I still maintain your team has *way* too much talent for its own good. Just like Rome, that will be your secret downfall. *begins evil laugh* bwaha...bwahahaha...bwahahaha!

Probably.

Somebody has to be pessimistic this seasn to balance out everyone else's filthy joy.

Lots of firepower. Not enough grit. We'll see. And if he trades Tanguay, he can kiss the Cup goodbye right now.

 

[Chizip]

i guarentee you they will not reach 104 points

 

[Michael Griffiths]

Probably.

Somebody has to be pessimistic this seasn to balance out everyone else's filthy joy.

Lots of firepower. Not enough grit. We'll see. And if he trades Tanguay, he can kiss the Cup goodbye right now.

Yes, Tanguay is integral. I think he could explode offensively this season with the added room he'll have due to the addition of Kariya and Salanne taking away the pressure off his line.

 

[Michael Griffiths]

i guarentee you they will not reach 104 points

What makes you so sure? Which reasons?

 

[Chizip]

cloutier sucks

defense sucks

no secondary scoring

bertuzzi is an idiot

sedins are terrible

improved competition in the wc

 

[Michael Griffiths]

cloutier sucks

Since we're talking about regular season points, here's what Cloutier has done in the regular season:
* Set career highs for wins (33) in only 57 games.
* Finished tied for second in the NHL with seven shutouts in 2002.
* Named Player of the Month (for November), posting a 11-1-0 record.

defense sucks

* Mattias Ohlund: one of the best two way D men in the NHL, scoring 29 points in only 59 games); had 3 goals and 7 points in 13 playoff games last spring
* Ed Jovanovski: one of the best offensive defensman in the game, scoring 46 points in only 67 games; scored 7 playoff goals in only 14 games last spring
* Sami Salo: a highly skilled defensman with a booming shot.
* Sopel: another offensive defensman, scoring 37 points last year; scored 8 points in 14 playoff games
* Brian Allen: huge potential
* Malik: very creative
* Slegr: booming shot
* Nolan Bomgartner: great prospect

Overall, a great offensive defense corps, with a couple stay at home d men as well.

no secondary scoring

* see defense
* see Arvedson
* see a few facts you're overlooking, including:
- the Canucks scored 264 goals last season, 2 less than the leading club Detroit
- 119 of them were scored by the top line, which means the rest of the team contributed 145 goals (more than half). In other words, it's spread out amongst all the lines (forwards and defensmen) instead of one other potent line.
- 6 players scored over 40 points
- 10 guys had over 30 points
- 15 guys had 20 or more points
- 8 guys had 10 or more goals
- 3 guys had over 20 goals, and Linden had 19...so basically four 20 goal scorers

With the addition of Arvedson, I think they'll be just fine.

bertuzzi is an idiot

An idiot who scored 97 points last season...clearly the best power forward in the NHL.

sedins are terrible

They aren't the offensive threats they were billed to be, but they are great defensively and great at cycling the puck and keeping it in the offensive zone. They are not terrible.

improved competition in the wc

Finally, we agree with on one point. That one reason might be enough, but given the Canucks are also much improved this season, it could cancel that out.

Nice try though

 

[Chizip]

ok ill bet ya 1 million dollars then

 

[Michael Griffiths]

I don't think Vancouver is going to have two major streaks this year consisting of a 10 game winning streak as well as a 14 game unbeaten streak as they did last year, which of course made up a huge bulk of their points last season. For this reason, I am not going to make any bets. That said, I can still see them topping or equaling 104 points with the team they have. I'm just not willing to take the risk. A million dollars is a lot of money, and with inflation and the rising market, it's just too unpredictable. Should be interesting though.

 

[Chizip]

haha, not so confident now are ya?

 

[Michael Griffiths]

Oh, I'm confident. It's just that we're talking the NHL. Anything can happen. I believe Vancouver will finish around 100 points, but it could be plus or minus 5 to 10. How about this: I'll bet you a 1 BILLION dollars Vancouver gets more points than St. Louis. Seriously though, I will bet you that for whatever amount we can agree upon.

 

[Chizip]

st louis is gonna suck this year

 

[Michael Griffiths]

Well, haven't you just deflated our rivalry with a dull little safety pin then. Okay, how about this: I'll bet you Vancouver finishes ahead of everyone (in points) in the West except for two teams at the most. In other words, they'll have at least the 3rd highest point total in the West, maybe even the highest or the 2nd highest. For example, if Colorado and Detroit beat them, it means they will have to beat Dallas, St. Louis, Anaheim, and all the rest. That's higher than they finished last season, as last year they finished 4th. That's pretty confident, hey? (I would have used standings instead of points, but people get that confused with playoff seeding all the time.)

 

[Pinball Wizard]

My team's gonna finish in third freakin' place!

Confidence, you're riding shotgun!

 

[Michael Griffiths]

Overall?

BTW, The Canucks have been having their (open) training camp in Vernon this week. They played their intersquad game today, and Nazzy was brilliant, as were the Sedins and Hedberg. Langdon even scored 2 goals! He did this against NHL goalies! Named first star!! *baffled and amazed*

 

[Pinball Wizard]

Anyone going to see the huge ass oiler's game on Nov.22? I don't know if I can get tickets... apparently they're on sale... at Skyreach Centre.

 

[bonoman]

You will not get tickets from ticketmaster for the BIG game. They drew the 12,000 or so names today. They had a lottery to find out who would get the tickets. Unless you know one of those people or you know a season ticket holder you are screwed.

A funny side not, at the drawing today they had 75000 ballots and the President of the Oilers was doing the drawing. Any ballot he picked up with his hand was to be automatically put into the winners pile. Some guy attached a small alarm clock to go off at 9:30 am, when the drawing started. When it went off the President grabed it and he was automatically in. genius!

 

[Michael Griffiths]

bonoman, that is genius. Hilarious, too. I guess there are no rules in attaching things to ballots, are there? Well, not until now at least! He should get to keep the tickets for originality alone.

 

[Pinball Wizard]

I thought they would have more seats. How flagrantly shitty.

 

[bonoman]

Well they do have tons of tickets. 55,000 to be exact. But with the huge interest and the season ticket holders who are allowed to buy double the amount of tickets it makes the ticket go very quickly. Remeber it will be the greatest thing the NHL has ever seen!

 

[Pinball Wizard]

So there's no chance for public sale?

Do I have to mug or scalp in the chuck?

 

[Chizip]

what game is this?

 

[Pinball Wizard]

Nov.22 Montreal @ Edmonton + Legends of Hockey Game with Hall of Fame Oilers (Gretzky) vs. Hall of Fame Habs (Guy)...

So MacInnis is captain this year... Pronger buckled under pressure?