[lf16]

and Gaborik is officially a ranger 5 years 5.75 mill source TSN

[raven warrior]

The Wild offered him a 10-year, $78.5 million deal last fall and he turned it down. Then he went and got hip surgery against management's wishes.
People need to be careful what they wish for.

[sirwilliam]

aero, on Jul 1 2009, 04:49 PM, said:

They have 6

http://www.hockeybuz...am.php?team=NYR

Zherdev, Dubinsky, Callahan, Higgins... all highly likely to be re-signed.

[sirwilliam]

lf16, on Jul 1 2009, 05:20 PM, said:

and Gaborik is officially a ranger 5 years 5.75 mill source TSN

Actually, $7.5 a year.... OUCH.

[MikeGillis58]

sirwilliam, on Jul 1 2009, 05:30 PM, said:

Actually, $7.5 a year.... OUCH.

Thank god we didn't sign him for $7.5 million.

[SammyG]

AstraZeneca, on Jul 1 2009, 05:34 PM, said:

Thank god we didn't sign him for $7.5 million.

You would rather pay Havlat 6.5 than Gaborik 7.5?? I think both are brutal.

[alldownhillaftertallon]

SammyG, on Jul 1 2009, 05:59 PM, said:

Calgary's defence got better but their offence got a hell of a lot worst. They lost their leading goal scorer and a guy who put up 82 in 81, they lose Bertuzzi who ya you can argue is a bum, but a bum that put up 15 goals and 44 points in 66 games. To be they're not going to be any better than last year because as good as they got on the back end, they got worst in the front end.

Chicago definitely did improve I can't argue that. Having said that, Hossa is like their Havlat of last year. Albeit it's an upgrade over him but he's not THAT signficant of an upgrade over Havlat (barring he's healthy).

The list goes on? Who else? Detroit hasn't done anything. Anaheim hasn't changed any dynamics. In fact they traded away a monster in Pronger. San Jose is the same. Edmonton (without Heatley) haven't improved much aside from goaltending (even though I still don't have faith in Khabibulin).

So I'm really curious how the list goes on because in the west as far as I'm concerned, nothing major has happened to put any team over the top so just relax. It's the first day of free agency for crying out loud.

I guess the point is addressing your needs.

Calgary's biggest problem last year was inconsistent defence, and Bouwmeester and Brent Sutter should change that. For all his offensive talent, Camellari or however you spell it, was streaky and showed a soft side in the playoffs. Jokinen, given a full year, will replace a lot of the offensive punch. Bertuzzi's point production was more than offset by his non-existent defensive play. I suspect the Flames will more than offset the scoring they lost with much improved defence (including Kiprusoff, who can look forward to a bit of help).

I don't know that Detroit has to do that much. They're getting older but there's still a ton of talent and great coaching there.

Anaheim may miss Pronger a bit in the short term, but effectively getting four 1st-round picks for him sets the table for the future.

Vancouver's problems were a weak defence and not enough talented grit up front. Gillis hasn't addressed either, and he had tons of cash to do so. Obviously, you need to be judicious where you throw the $$$, but having it and not using it is a waste.

[BringBureBack]

alldownhillaftertallon, on Jul 5 2009, 01:53 PM, said:

I guess the point is addressing your needs.

Calgary's biggest problem last year was inconsistent defence, and Bouwmeester and Brent Sutter should change that. For all his offensive talent, Camellari or however you spell it, was streaky and showed a soft side in the playoffs. Jokinen, given a full year, will replace a lot of the offensive punch. Bertuzzi's point production was more than offset by his non-existent defensive play. I suspect the Flames will more than offset the scoring they lost with much improved defence (including Kiprusoff, who can look forward to a bit of help).

I don't know that Detroit has to do that much. They're getting older but there's still a ton of talent and great coaching there.

Anaheim may miss Pronger a bit in the short term, but effectively getting four 1st-round picks for him sets the table for the future.

Vancouver's problems were a weak defence and not enough talented grit up front. Gillis hasn't addressed either, and he had tons of cash to do so. Obviously, you need to be judicious where you throw the $$$, but having it and not using it is a waste.

This is where I think the problem is, everyone thinks that Calgary lacked consistent defense, but the fact is they lacked cap-room, which when injuries occur, Sutter didn't have enough space to bring in extra help, either from their farm or via trades. Another big problem is that they lack chemistry in their first line, especially with all the expectation on Jokinen. I agree that with Camalleri and Bert gone, they will a superb season from Jokinen and Conroy if they wish to remain as competitive as they did.

They are spending way too much on their defense right now, but who knows, maybe we will see a trade coming with Regehr going for a top-six forward??