Woohoo!!!!!

Bring it on!!!

Je disais lors des dernières séries que les Flyers ont brassé le Canadien et il n'y avait pas personne pour défendre les joueurs du tricolore et leur gardien.  Le Canadien s'est finalement incliné face aux Flyers.

Maintenant Carey Price, Alex Kovalev et les autres pourront dormir sur leurs deux oreilles, Big Georges sera là pour les protéger.

Big Georges est à mon avis encore de loin le meilleur pugiliste sur patin de la LNH et le Canadien l'a eu pour vraiment pas cher.

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La venue de Marc Denis à Montréal montre évidemment la porte de sortie à Jaroslav Halak.  Bravo, Denis est un gardien d'expérience et il saura bien secondé Carey Price, même que Denis pourrait bien enlever le poste de gardien #1 si Price devient aussi instable que durant les séries.  Je vous le répète, jusqu'ici moi Price m'a rien prouver.  Pour la prochaine saison, je mettais un gros point d'interrogation à la position de gardien chez le Canadien.  Avec la venue de Marc Denis, cela me rassure beaucoup.
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Michael  Ryder vient de signer un beau contrat à Boston et croyez-moi là-bas c'est 25-30 buts par saison qu'il fera.
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Markus Naslund maintenant avec les Rangers amènera certainement son compatriote Mats Sudin.  Pourquoi est-ce que le grand Suédois irait à Vancouver si son compatriote Naslund ne s'y plaisait plus?
On le sait les Suédois aiment ça jouer ensemble, on a qu'à repenser aux dernières séries et les Suédois des Red Wings.
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Mikhail Grabovski, la fusée russe de l'organisation du Canadien, passe aux Leafs.  Il s'y plaira et encore une fois le Canadien échange un joueur dans sa division.  À mon avis on verra l'éclosion de Grabovsky à Toronto.

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Un retour au New Jersey et 4 ans 20 millions à Brian Rolston.  5 milions par saison pour Brian Rolston, un joueur que je respecte beaucoup mais lui donner un contrat de 4 ans à son âge ?

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Columbus: 4 ans 19 millions à Kristian Huselius.  Sans commentaires.

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Marian Hossa, 7,45 millions pour une saison avec les Red Wings... Comme si les Red Wings en avaient de besoin.

Avec toujours Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Lidstrom, Holstrom, je me demande bien quelle équipe pourra enlever la Coupe Stanley aux Red Wings la prochaine saison?  Venez surtout pas me dire le Canadien pour son 100e anniversaire.

Avec les améliorations dans l'Est des Rangers, du Lightning, des Capitals, des Islanders, des Senators sans Emery et des Devils, j'en suis à me demander si le Tricolore se classera dans le top 8 dans l'Est.  À moins d'une grosse signature je ne vois pas comment ça pourra être possible de voir les Canadiens dans le top 8.
Répéter une saison de 100 points avec les effectifs en place?  Je serai le premier surpris.  N'oubliez pas que toute l'équipe a vieillit d'un an.

Les Stars de Dallas ont donné à Sean Avery, un plombier de luxe, 16 millions pour 4 ans.
4 millions par année.  Totalement R-I-D-I-C-U-L-E!

Mark Streit a reçu un beau contrat des Islanders, 5 ans / 20,5 millions.  Encore une fois le Canadien a été trop chiche.

Streit manquera beaucoup au tricolore et viendra certainement les hanté lors des confrontations contre le Canadien.

Est-ce que le lock-out a vraiment donné quelque chose?

Update

O'Sullivan did not file for arbitration and is a restricted free agent, curious. The Wild who originally trade O'Sullivan are also considered in the running along with the Canadiens and Rangers.

Brendan Shanahan appears to be out of the Rangers plans, rumor has it he is very interested in the Canadiens. Shanny has said before he has always wanted to play with Montreal.

As I suspected Mathieu Schneider is being heavily shopped. Although the Rangers don't have the cap space for him I would be interested to see if they try to make a play for him. The Panthers, Flyers, Senators, Thrashers, Bruins, and Islanders are interested in him.

His signing comes as an attempt to fill the skates of Georges Laraque, who recently signed with the Montreal Canadiens. The 6'4", 218 pound winger comes to the Penguins from Calgary with little proven in the NHL other than he has a knack for finding the penalty box.

The 28-year-old enforcer has recorded 481 penalty minutes in only 200 career games. The kid shows promise in his fighting ability. In what I've seen he works the jersey grab/jab technique while waiting for the right time to hit with a cross or an uppercut.

As a winger, he doesn't provide much offense. In five NHL seasons, Godard has produced only eight points (3 G, 5 A). Also, he has had trouble showing the consistency needed to be a regular in the league (yahoo.com)

In the 2006-2007 season, Godard was assigned to Calgary's AHL affiliate in Omaha three different times. Health has also been an issue in his career.

Godard's upside is that he has been known to get under the skin of opponents and has found familiar foes in the Western Conference. The hopes likely are that Godard will provide the team with the power missed by Laraque and the instigator lost in Jarkko Ruutu (signed with Ottowa).

Pittsburgh can take confidence in that he is coming off his longest and most consistent NHL season to date. His 74 games played and 171 penalty minutes are both career highs. Also, he experienced a six-game series loss to San Jose.

His signing, combined with Miroslav Satan's addition, rounds out the right wing position along with Petr Sykora and Tyler Kennedy.

And then, seemingly from out of nowhere, he signed with Montreal.  What the *&#%? 

Ok, I think you have to look at this logically.  First of all, Craig MacTavish is still coaching in Edmonton.  Craig MacTavish who seems to be able to take the physical aspect of any players game and crush it out like a cigarette.  If you don't believe me, see Matt Greene, Raffi Torres, Chris Pronger, Mike Peca, JF Jacques etc.  So if you are a one trick pony like big Georges, there is your first barrier.

Then there is the fact that MacT was really the reason Georges left Edmonton in the first place, playing him sparingly, and leaving him a healthy scratch in many contests. 

So when Mr. Gainey came along and offered Georgy Boy 1.5 million per season, who can blame him for jumping.  He moves back to his native Quebec, and gets to play for the team he probably dreamed of playing for as a child. 

The question now is, does Georges move his family, who he relocated to Edmonton from Quebec, back to Quebec, or does he continue to be a valued member of our community in Edmonton?  Time will tell.

Good luck Georges!  You will always have a place in the hearts of Edmontonians whether it be for your fighting skills on the ice, or your tireless, selfless, humanitarian efforts off the ice.  You will always be a champion here!

I was browsing the NHL sites and came across a jersey I've never seen before. That lead me to the OHL's Belleville Bulls site. How illin' are those uniforms? I love them. Needed to point those bad boys out.

Ray Shero has been a busy man. He signed both SATAN and Fedotnko for a year with the Pens, Montreal locked in Laraque, the Sharks scored big time defensively with Rob Blake from the Kings, and Jarkko Ruutu signed with Ottawa. Whoa. Wait, wait, wait. Ruutu in Ottawa? Gahhhhh. 

And finally, the Rangers signed Wade Redden, Markus Naslund (yeah, um, the one from Vancouver!) along with our very own Dmitri Kalinin. SABRE STEALERS! Who's next, Max Afinogenov?! Awww. I'll miss you, Kalinin.

I can't keep up. I must say, I was not at all excited about free agency but this is CRAZY FUN!

After years of ignoring obvious liberties opponents were taking with their stars, the Montreal Canadiens have signed the heaviest of the heavyweights, Georges Laraque. Good idea. He can play a semi-regular shift, he speaks French and he has a devastating left, as seen above.

Three years, $4.5 million, which is great for 31-year-old Georges. Fighters don't last like skating defencemen. Alex Tanguay, Saku Koivu, Tomas Plekanec, you can now breathe easier.

Bonjour la police!

by JT UTAH

Ben voyons donc! Je suis vraiment entrain de me demandé si Bob Gainey n'est pas influencé par les morons de 110% qui chialent que le CH n'a pas assez de francophone dans l'équipe. Peu importe, je trouve que c'est juste trop fou que Georges Laraque vienne jouer à Montreal. Plekanek et Koivu n'auront plus peur de se faire pèter la gueule. Laraque aurait signé un contrat de 3ans évalué à 4.5 millions avec le Canadien de Montréal.

De plus, Gainey vient de faire une décision en fonction des séries éliminatoires et non pour la saison. N'attendez-vous pas à trop de Mononcle Georges en saison régulière, mais checker le ben en playoff.

Sur ce, voici un petit vidéo des meilleurs moments de George Laraque:

Et un autre pour le fun:

]]> http://theryancokeexperience.wordpress.com/?p=136 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:30:53 +0000 newfcollins http://theryancokeexperience.wordpress.com/?p=136 Okay, so Sundin says he's now weeks away from even deciding whether he even wants to play next season or retire. If he decides to play, then he won't have the same options he has now. All these teams aren't going to wait to see if he might retire, and then get into a bidding war if he decides not to.

He'll either end up playing with a cup contender team for a discount, or making a lot of money with a team with a lot of cap room, like Atlanta. Teams like the Detroit Red Wings and the New York Rangers have already moved on and signed other players.

So with that being said, I'm tired of Mats Sundin. Screw him. I wanted him in Montreal, but we can't wait around. There's still plenty of other options out there.

So that being said, here are my top five options on who Montreal should sign.

Just missing the cut:

Brendan Shanahan, Martin Straka, Georges Laraque: Shanahan is getting old, and would bring experience, but he doesn't fit into the speed system. Straka may fit in easier, but I'm not sold on him. I like Laraque, and think he's a great fourth liner, but he's not the last impact player Montreal needs (the Canadiens should still sign him though).

5) Sergei Fedorov: He brings experience, speed, defensive prowess. Another Russian in the locker room for the young players to look up to. He can still play, as evidenced by what he did in Washington when he was traded (13 points in 18 games, and five points in seven playoff games). His age might be a factor, but he could probably be signed for cheap.

4) Jaromir Jagr: With all the signings the Rangers have done, I don't know if they can afford him anymore. Jagr is still a great player. I'd be worried about his reputation of having "off-games", since we have a player like that with Alexei Kovalev. This year, Jagr had 71 points, and that was considered an off-year for him. Is he on his way down in his career, or does he have another couple of good years left? I think he'd be worth the risk.

3) Teemu Selanne: He may be retiring. No one seems to know. Will he want to go back to Anaheim? Will he want to play his friend, Saku Koivu, in Montreal? He definitely fits into the Habs' system with his speed. If he played a full season, he could probably still score 40 goals (and would probably be the best bet on this list to score 50, the first Montreal player to do so since Stephane Richer). He revived his career in Anaheim the last three seasons. Would he be willing to take a chance on leaving the team to start over again elsewhere? On the bright side, he could probably come cheap, and also would be a good leader for the young players.

2) Peter Forsberg: He's pretty high on my list. Much higher than a lot of people would have him. Yes, he gets injured a lot, but he plays through a lot of pain (take a look at this year's playoffs: he played in pain as long as he could, longer than a lot of other players would have). He has performed in the regular season, in the playoffs. He's a Hart trophy winner. He's strong defensively, and is mentally tough. He never gives up. He also wouldn't be counted on to lead the team, which means he wouldn't be the sole focus of the other teams. That could lead to him not being injured as much. The only downside is that he would want a huge contract, but I think it would be worth the risk.

1) Joe Sakic: Okay, so it may seem hypocritical that my number one pick is in the same situation as Sundin. He hasn't decided on his future and haven't given the Colorado Avalanche a decision. He would probably want to sign back with the Avalanche, but I think he would look good in a Habs uniform. Sakic played part of his career in Quebec, so he knows what it's like to play in the province. He's a Conn Smythe and Hart trophy winner. He's one of the all-time greatest players, and is known as Mr. Clutch. He has more playoff overtime goals than any other player in NHL history. He's a point-per-game player in the regular season and playoffs. He's a leader, and would be a great #1 player in Montreal. Bob Gainey should be doing everything he can to sign Sakic. No more trips to Sweden to talk to Sundin. Let's get Sakic.

Actually, I don't hate it.

On June 23, I wrote that Michael Ryder should leave Montreal and sign with the Bruins (read my original post here).

Yesterday, it was announced Ryder has signed with Boston for three years and $12 million.

This was the best move for him. He's reunited with his former coach, and he'll have a chance to screw Montreal every time they play, which should give him more incentive. Plus, he'll probably play on a line with Bergeron or Savard, so he has an opportunity to rack up quite a few goals.

Da ist einer den ganz harten Weg gegangen und fährt nun den Lohn dafür ein. Und die New York Islanders können sich freuen, einen charakterlich so einwandfreien Spieler und Team-Player in der Organisation zu haben.

Mark Streit:
217 NHL-Partien in drei Jahren für die Montreal Canadiens, 26 Tore, 87 Assists

Flyers give up:Denis Gauthier and a 2009 2nd round pick.

Solid additions across the board for Paul Holmgren.  Metropolit may not have quite the faceoff percentage provided by Jim Dowd (compare 49.4% to 53), but he's a better two-way player and much quicker on his feet.  Osmo Vaananen is a Finnish blueliner spent last year in the Swedish Elite League after tours of duty with Phoenix and Colorado.  He could be described as a larger, more physical version of Lasse Kukkonen.

UPDATED:  Randy Jones has signed a 2-yeard deal worth a total of $5.5 million (2.75 cap hit).  Holmgren also announced that the Flyers would not pursue signing Jason Smith.

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I don't care what Cliff Fletcher tells the rabid Toronto media tomorrow - Jeff Finger at $3.5 million is not a steal, a bargain, or even comparable to paying a little extra for bonafide Fair Trade Coffee as opposed to Folgers.  That's too much for an unproven, midgrade D. 

And as for Wade Redden and Brian Campbell, well, the price of NHL defensemen seems to bear much in common with the escalating price of fuel for my car.

Anyone notice that we'll see Campbell and Ty Conklin face off outdoors yet again on New Year's?

Michael Ryder watched the Boston Bruins from the Montreal Canadiens' section of the press box during the 2008 playoffs.  At $4 million per season over the next three years, you can bet Claude Julien will at least have him put on the jersey and lace up the skates in the postseason.

Is Chicago looking for Cristobal Huet to be an upgrade on Lalime or Khabibulin?  I'm not entirely sure he's a replacement for either.  And that $12 million the Blackhawks have invested in goaltending can't last forever.

Good luck to Joni Pitkanen as he heads to Carolina.  Maybe he'll finally figure out that it takes more than skill to be successful in the NHL.  It also takes a few smarts.  Unless you work in the Florida Panthers management.

And am I the only person in the rational world who realizes that Mark Streit's 62 points came primarily while he was playing offense for the Canadiens last season?  Good luck getting that sort of production from Streit as a full-time D-man.

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Free agency continues tomorrow - a few things to consider:
1.  Riley Cote, and Patrick Thoresen are not yet officially signed.  And remember you need to leave cap space in case of injuries, etc.
2.  With the addition of Vaananen, the Flyers open the door to trading Lasse Kukkonen.  If Holmgren can find someone willing to offer prospects and/or picks, he sheds salary off the cap and adds to the stockpiles for the future.
3.  The so-called free agent period last from July 1 to the trade deadline.  This is just the beginning.
4.  UPDATED: I have seen rumor from Eklund, the anonymous hockey blogger, that suggests the Flyers may be trying to trade from Dan Boyle of the Tampa Bay Lightning.  How that will fit in the cap and who would be offered up in return, I don't know.  And whether Boyle is truly recovered from that severed tendon in his wrist?  I don't know. 

At this point, it looks as if Slovakian right wing Marian Hossa will sleepwalk into offers of $8 million a year or more, and according to a variety of sources, he is leaning toward signing with a club that can be considered both a short- and long-term contender. In other words, welcome to Detroit.

But don't discount the New York Rangers or Montreal Canadiens trying to convince him they're in the Cup hunt for keeps, too.

Yahoo Rumors are normally a big pile of B.S, but in this case it most likely holds some truth. Marian Hossa has three needs that the Rangers can provide; money and a team that will be able to make a serious shot at the Cup the next couple of years.  Is he worth $8M a year? Considering that the cap keeps rising he's in the prime of his career and he is a very good fit to play alongside Gomez.. I would say yes. I really do think that he is worth the money because I have it made up in my mind he would be great with Gomez. They're both high paced north south players with Gomez being the set up man and Hossa being the finisher.

The only problem with a signing like Hossa is it leaves holes in the lineup, especially on defense. There just won't be enough money to go around.

The big winners of 07's Free Agency. So excited they actually began to look alike. To a horrifying degree.

Being that the NHL's Free Agent Signing Period begins in three days (On Canada Day!!! How demeaning!!), I figured I'd use my limited knowledge to analyze the NHL's Northeast Divisions' cap situation*. It'll be similar to a TSN special, but with a heightened self-awareness of inferiority.

Boston Bruins

Current Number of Dudes Under Contract for the 08-09 Season: 19

Current Cap Number: $46 Million

Most Expensive Dudes: Zdeno Chara @ 7.5 million, Mark Savard @ 5 million, Patrice Bergeron @ 4.75 million, Manny Fernandez @ 4.33 million, Glen Murray @ 4.15 million

Dudes' Take of Current Cap Figure: 55.9%

Will Savard and Hossa be recreating the magic of 05 in Boston? It's almost certainly possible.

Wild speculation has the Bruins buying out Murray and signing Marian Hossa, a move that would reunite the old Atlanta teammates (Marc Savard had a career year in 05-06) in a more conducive environment. If Hossa could help Savard get 97 points in Atlanta, I'd say 150 isn't out of the question in Boston. Also, when the hell did this Manny Fernandez signing occur? Don't they have like 4 competent goaltenders within the Boston organization (Toikkenen, Auld, Thomas, Rask)? Fuck buying Murray out, get rid of that Fernandez clown and promote Tuuka Rask. Leafs' fans haven't suffered enough.

Buffalo Sabres

Current number of Dudes under contract for the 08-09 season: 16

Current Cap Number: 39 million

Most expensive dudes: Thomas Vanek (wow Kevin Lowe's wheelings and dealings are simultaneously alienating fans in two cities) @ 7.14 million (for the next 5 years too. Wow), Derek Roy @ 4 million, Jochan Hecht @ 3.525 million, Jaroslav Spacek @ 3.33 million, Maxim Afinogenev @ 3.33 million

Dudes' Take: 54.7%

Who is this wonderfully coiffed young man? While it's Thomas "7.14 million" Vanek, or the Christopher Columbus of Restricted Free Agency. Enjoy the next five years, Sabres' fans!!

That Vanek deal is looking awful. He's one of the Top 10 highest paid in the Eastern Conference and he racked up 64 points last year. In a full 82 game season. Plus he has a child out of wedlock!!! All this money has and gone to his head!!! Take him Edmonton!!! But seriously, was keeping him the right move? Too early to tell, but in Buffalo, Kevin Lowe voodoo dolls must be at a premium. Also, will Campbell return to Buffalo? They got some room to make something happen, but it may come down to him or Maxim, whose contract ends after this season. Personally, I'd go with BC. Highly compensated Europeans haven't worked out too well in Buffalo (I'm using Vanek as precedent. It's not too early too tell. He's a colossal bust)

Montreal Canadiens

Current number of Dudes under contract for the 08-09 season: 17

Current Cap Number: 41 million

Most expensive dudes: Andrei Markov @ 5.75 million, Roman Hamrlik @ 5.5 million?, Alex Tanguay @ 5.25 million, Saku Koivu @ 4.75 million, Alexei Kovalev @ 4.5 million

Dudes' Take: 62.8%

Will Scandinavia follow their victory of 08 with a similar result in 09? Haps' fans keep your fingers crossed, since it may be the last chance for Scandinavian success in Montreal.

It's got to be pretty sweet to have your highest paid players either be mediocre or above the age of 33. Nice long-term strategy, Mr. Gainey cuz your fucked after this year. The Canadiens only have 5 players signed beyond this season and they will have to deal with the Free Agenting of Higgins, Komisarek, Kovalev, Tanguay, Koivu, and Ryder after this season. Whose without a chair? Could Canadian teams' supposed purging of their European captains spread to Quebec? Will Kovalev make the decision easier and retire to a life of exorbitant luxury in the Russian Superleague? Will there be any dough left for Price in the summer of 10? They better make things happen this year because the future of their team in its current form is non-existent.

Ottawa Senators

Current number of dudes under contract for the 08-09 season: 14

Current Cap Number: 40 million

Most Expensive Dudes: Dany Heatley @ 7.5 million, Jason Spezza @ 7 million, Daniel Alfredsson @ 4.4 million, Mike Fisher @ 4.2 million, Martin Gerber @ 3.7 million

Dudes' Take: 67%

Would Alfy be willing to accept fewer dollars to stay with his boys?

I really love the long term deals of Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley. They will look better the more time passes too. That being said, they have a number of questions confronthing them both this summer and next. Concerning this season, what defenceman will they choose to retain: Mezjaros or Redden? For next summer, they must decide whether or not Gerber is the goalie of the future or look elsewhere for help. And more importantly, they will have to decide whether or not to resign Alfredsson. His current contract is a fucking steal but I doubt he'd be willing to resign for anything less than 6 million/year, which is completely fair considering his career production. This is potentially crazy shit; all 4 of the European Captains within Canada could be on the way out in the next two years. Sundin and Naslund could both be gone this summer and Alfy and Koivu are Free Agents next summer for teams that are either financially committed to younger talent (Ottawa) or more likely to resign younger talent (Montreal with Higgins, Ryder, and Komisarek). This is all very ironic considering European leadership has peaked within the NHL with Nicklas Lidstrom's captaining of the Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings. Though predicting the success of one team based upon the nationality of another's captain is questionable, Detroit's victory would allow teams to squash any uncertainties surrounding their captain's ability to lead by pointing to the success of Lidstrom. Considering this new get out of jail free card with the increasingly xenophobic Canadian media, the timing of these player's potential exits is very odd. Or it could be a coincidence. We'll have to wait and see. Anyways, it'll be interesting to see where these great players end up in the next couple years.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Current number of dudes under contract for the 08-09 season: 18

Current Cap Number: 40 million

Most Expensive Dudes: Bryan McCabe @ 5.75 million, Pavel Kubina @ 5 million, Tomas Kaberle @ 4.25 million, Jason Blake @ 4 million, Vesa Toskala @ 4 million

Dudes' Take: 57.5%

Jason Blake: Not the worst contract on the Leafs, but certainly in the Top 3. The Leafs take pride in that skill, dominating the Northeast leaderboard with 3 of the worst 4 contracts in the division. It's difficult to place, however, considering the parallel shittiness of McCabe and Vanek.

And finally onto the team most likely to be analyzed, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Their most highly compensated players are pretty comical considering that 4 of the top 5 payed are defensive players. Funny. Besides that, puzzling is the only way I can describe the contract of Jason Blake, or the the man most likely to be around in 2011-2012 (based solely on his contract. Only guy signed that long) Tucker is living the high life right now; guy could be living pretty doing shit for five years on the 1 mill/year the Leafs are paying him. Is the 2nd worst buyout in the Eastern Conference, behind the enviable situation of Mr. Alexei Yashin. Anyways, the big question revolves around Sundin's future in Toronto. Is he coming back or not? I think he should go. Coming back would diminish his legacy. Leaving now would sollidify his position as a victim of the incompetency of JFJ and the rest of the idiotic Leafs' management. Go to a contender, win a cup, and be celebrated like Kevin Garnett.

So we thought we'd catalogue the reasons Mats might not be so eager to join the Habs. Add any you please, within the bounds of good taste (i.e. no franco-baiting):

• Taxes. Players in Quebec pay more than any in the league.

• Habit. He's spent his life battling the bleu, blanc et rouge, first with the Nords, now with the Leafs. This would be like changing religions.

• Loyalty to the Leafs. Apparently this stuff matters to him, and it sounds like Toronto has made Sundin an offer which he has not yet refused.

• Disgust with the Leafs. He was legitimately miffed with the pressure brought to bear on him to waive his no-trade clause last February (see Loyalty, above). If Sundin's still bitter, he'll want to do them no favours, and jumping to the Canadiens now would ensure the Leafs get something for him. Not sure I buy this—bitterness, sure, but not vindictiveness.

• Too many egos in Montreal, not enough dressing room. There's a fine line between great chemistry and a surfeit of alpha dogs. You have Sundin, Koivu, Kovalev, Higgins on the same team, not to mention Tanguay, Hamrlik, Komisarek, Markov. Who doesn't get to wear a letter on his jersey? Plus, some people don't much like playing with Alex Kovalev. He's wonderful to watch, and he's learned to rein in his big mouth. But he's not exactly Mr. Generosity with the puck. Consider, too, that the Rangers might be without Jaromir Jagr next season ...

• The wife. Wild card here. The guy just got married. Anyone consider where she might like to live?

• As per last Friday's post, it turns out the Leafs are so determined not to let Mats skate into the sunset without compensation they dealt "negotiating" rights to him to Bob Gainey and the Habs before the July 1 free-agent signing deadline. Huh? Without a copy of the National Hockey League's 17,000-page CBA at our fingertips—not to mention legal counsel and six hours to blow—we can only assume this is permitted.

• Essentially, the two teams have a deal in place that would be triggered should Sundin sign with les glorieux before Canada Day. What kind of deal? Good question. But pointier heads suggest it could involve a second-round pick, and/or speedy Habs centre Mikhail Grabovski. Either (or both) represents decent return for a player who has clearly had enough of the Leafs Alternate Dimension—sorry, Nation. It would however mean one of the best -nicknamed lines in history, will never play together again. That would be Alex Kovalev, Grabovski and Andrei Kostitsyn—or, as Habs fans knew them for their brief time together, Kovy-Grabs-Tits.

• Bob Gainey has reportedly flown himself and his owlish visage to Sweden to talk to Shrek. Could be the least photogenic summit of all time. Small children: avert your gaze.

• The dastardly New York Rangers are now in the picture, mischievously letting it slip they'd be in interested in signing Mats should he still be in play after July 1. The Habs might have hoped to get him for two years at $7.5 million per, but the big boy is still, you know, thinking about it. In short, whatever the price was, it just went up.

• The Canadiens may have to shed a roster player just to sign Sundin. They picked up Alex Tanguay from Calgary on Friday for their 25th overall pick, plus odds and sods. Tanguay commands $5.3 million a year, and the Canadiens have slew of restricted free agents (the above-noted Tits chief among them) to cram in under the cap, which should be about $55 million. This means they'll let UFA Mark Streit, arguably the league's most versatile player, go free on Canada Day regardless of whether they land Sundin.

• Oh yeah. The draft happened. Steve Stamkos went first overall, as expected, while the Leafs made a nice little move, picking up the Isles' 5th overall choice and selecting blue chipper Luke Schenn. Nice one, Fletch! We thought you were nodding off at that table!

For Habs fans, things are getting really interesting. They are an upgraded team, which is to say, they've upgraded from a contending regular season team to a potentially dangerous playoff team—especially if the Sundin thing happens. I'm more curious to know whether Leaf fans care about losing their captain. As Maich has sagely noted, the only thing to talk about here is symbolism. What will it mean to Leaf fans for Sundin to come three or four times a year to the ACC wearing the CH? Are they mad at him? Are they glad they might get something for him?

Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if Sundin shrugged off Gainey and tested the free agent market—just to shaft Toronto. He wished to be one of those special players who is identified with one team, whose number gets raised to the rafters when he quits. But the Leafs thought he should peddle himself last February for draft picks. So there's bad blood, and if he really wants to screw them, he'll program Glen Sather's number into his cell phone and wait for July 1.

UPDATE: It turns out Sundin isn't waiting for July 1 to talk to the Rangers. Not, at least, according to this report. Interesting, because it suggests the Leafs have separate deals in place with Montreal and New York; whichever lands the big boy presumably pays up in draft picks. The plot, as they say, thickens.

Two minutes for: fixing what ain't broken. Matt stairs tees off on recently-fired hitting coach Gary Denbo. Not nice to dance on a guy's grave, but Stairs makes an excellent point. One of the keys to coaching is recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of your players and getting them to focus on what they do well. Denbo wanted to turn everybody into Lyle Overbay - working the count and shooting the ball to the opposite field - which might explain why Overbay is one of the guys who appears in the story to defend Denbo.

Anybody got tickets to: Wimbledon. That is, if you like tennis, and white tennis outfits. I like neither, because I think generally tennis is a game played by snobs and private school boys. But I understand the sport is pretty popular, and it's a slow day in the world of sports, so here you go tennis fans. Have some strawberries with cream, and prepare to watch Roger Federer beat the snot out of everybody...again.

Fun Police: Why, why , why does everybody in Leaf land have their knickers in a knot about Mats Sundin joining the Habs? The Leafs are a non-playoff team, begining a long, slow re-build. Sundin is a veteran superstar at the end of his career. It'd be nice if he hung around to help keep the team halfway respectable, and help teach the young guys something about being a pro. But if he's not going to sign in Toronto, it doesn't matter where he signs. Michael Farber on the weekend was comparing this to Johnny Damon jumping from the Red Sox to the Yankees. One key difference, the Sox and Yanks were highly competitive at the time. There is no Leafs/Habs rivalry until the Leafs get better.

Extra bases: Good bye TJ, Hello J.O.?; Cool story about Nashville Predators first round picks Colin Wilson and Chet Pickard both getting cut from the same kids' team when they were 14. Hey coach IN YOUR FACE!; Amazing and depressing story on the impact that suit technology is having on the sport of swimming. "By compressing his torso, the LZR not only lets him go faster, because it maintains a tubular shape, but also allows him to swim longer with less effort." Read the whole thing and you'll soon agree with me that if it's not lycra/spandex, it should be illegal. Honestly, baseball says bats must be wooden. Why can't swimming say suits must be Lycra/spandex?

The Montreal Canadiens are looking to sign most of their guys, plus maybe one or two more.

But they won't be signing Michael Ryder, and that doesn't make me happy.

Kovalev - Sundin - Tanguay
S. Kostistyn - Plekanec - A. Kostitsy
Higgins - Koivu - Smolinski
Latendresse - Chipchura - Lapierre

J'avoue que le premier trio est très relevé.

À la défensive

Markov - Hamrlik
Komisarek - Streit
Dandenault - Bouillon

Pas très fort mais pas si faible non plus.  Ils doivent signer Streit sinon bien ils le remplcent par Ryan O'Byrne....!!!

Gardiens Price et Halak.

Beaucoup de pression sur Price.

Avec pareille alignement le Canadien devrait se classer au minimum 6e dans l'Est. 
Sa grosse faiblesse sera dans les buts avec deux gardiens qui n'ont pas prouvé grand chose jusqu'ici.  Embaucher un gardien d'expérience pour seconder Price pourrait les amener au 4e rang.   Répéter la 1ere position tiendrait du miracle.

Pittsburgh avec les talents qu'on leur connaît et Ottawa avec un nouvel entraîneur et pas de Ray Emery devrait aspirer à cette position, Washington à la 3e. Tampa Bay sera rehaussé avec un nouvel entraîneur et ils vont bien finir par se dégotter un gardien.  New Jersey, Rangers et Philadelphie ne seront pas plus faibles cette année. 

Donc c'est pour ça que je dis que le Canadien devrait se classer 6e.  Mais attendons, nous sommes que le 21 juin, premier jour de l'été, Mats Sundin n'est pas encore signé, les autres équipes de l'Est n'ont pas encore de grosse prise non plus et le Canadien a beaucoup de pression avec son 100e anniversaire et tous les chandails qui seront retirés, les festivités... de quoi déconcentrer bien des joueurs.

La coupe?  A ça avec des joueurs qui vieillissent comme Koivu, Sundin, Kovalev une défensive coussi-coussa... c'est possible mais ce n'est pas automatique.

On Friday night, I managed to complete the first item on my list of things I've always wanted to do. I attended the NHL draft here in Ottawa, which was #11 on my list.

It was lots of fun thanks to trades (although that meant my favourite team, the Montreal Canadiens, never got to choose). We also gave Wayne Gretzky the loudest and longest ovation of the night.

Steve Stamkos was selected first overall. Hopefully, he becomes a superstar so we can one day say "I was there when he was drafted." But Stamkos shook hands with three rows and about 40 people before making it to the podium. Next time, you can wait until after, eh Stamkos?

EDIT: The other great thing about the night was the fans' reaction to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Lots of booing every time they were even shown on the scoreboard, but it was crazy when they got up to announce their pick.

Montreal traded their pick to Calgary for Alex Tanguay, which is okay. They have a guy who can get 80 points a season, help out the other players, and fits in well. He'll probably replace Michael Ryder on the team.

Toronto also gave Montreal rights to talk to Mats Sundin. I think it would be great if Montreal could land Sundin before July 1. All of a sudden, they would have three potential scoring lines. They'd have Koivu, Higgins, Sundin, Tanguay, Kovalev, Plekanec, and the Kostitsyn brothers: That's eight scoring threats for the top three lines. They would then have four good role players for the rest of the lineup. Look for Latendresses to benefit greatly from all this. I think they would put him on the third line with two of those players, which should help his stock greatly.

Lors de la première ronde du repêchage à Ottawa ce soir, les Flyers de Philadelphie ont surpris tout le monde en échangeant R.J. Umberger aux Blue Jackets de Columbus.  Ainsi pour acquérir les service de Umberger et le 119e choix au total, les Blue Jackets ont cédé leur deuxième choix de 1ere ronde (19e acquis de Colorado) et le choix de troisième ronde (67e).

Umberger a du talent mais de là à céder un choix de premier ronde, je pense que c'est exagéré.

Avec ce choix les Flyers ont repêché le défenseur Suisse évoluant dans la ligue junior de l'Ouest (WHL), Luca Sbisa. 

Sauf qu'au printemps il aurait refusé de laisser tomber sa clause de non-échange pour endosser l'uniforme du tricolore qui l'aurait acquis dans une transaction avec Toronto.

Dites-moi donc pourquoi que 4 mois plus tard Sundin accepterait de signer avec le Canadien?

L'argent uniquement je ne vois pas autre chose.

Sundin chercherait un contrat de 1 à 2 ans.  Combien demanderait Mats Sundin? 
On parle d'un contrat évalué entre 6,5 et 8 millions par saison.

Est-ce que le budget est devenu illimité chez le Canadien?

Mettons que le Canadien signe Sundin pour 7 millions.
Andrei Markov 5,7 millions  (total 12,7)
Roman Hamrlik 5,5 millions (total 18,2)
Alex Tanguay 5,3 millions (total 23,5)
Saku Koivu 4,7 millions (total 28,2)
Alex Kovalev gagne 4,5 millions (total 32,7)
Tomas Plekanec 2,4 millions (total 35,1)
Les deux frères Kosty gagnent au total 1,6 million  (total 36,7)
Mike Komisarek 1,5 million (total 38,2)
Chris Higgins 1,5 million (total 39,7)
Guillaume Latendresse 0,8 million (total 40,5)
Carey Price 0,8 million (total 41,3)
Maxim Lapierre 0,5 million (total 41,8)
Jaroslav Halak 0,5 million (total 42,3)

Vous devez resigner Mike Streit ou lui trouver un remplaçant.  Streit ou un remplaçant équivalent coûtera au moins 1,7 million. (total 44)

Vous devez resigner Michael Ryder ou lui trouver un remplaçant.  Certes Montréal n'offrira pas 2,9 millions à Ryder 2 millions serait très généreux. (total 46)

Brian Smolinski ou un équivalent 2 millions (total 48)
Mathieu Dandenault ou son équivalent 1,7 million (49,7)
Tom Kostopoulos ou son équivalent 0,9 million (50,6)
Steve Bégin 1,2 million (51,8)
Josh Gorges 0,5 million (52,3)

Le cap salarial lors de la saison 2008-2009 serait de 56 millions.

Comme vous voyez la marge de manoeuve du Canadien n'est pas grande.  Donc signer Sundin comme 1er centre équivaudrait sans aucun doute à montrer la porte de sortie à Koivu.