chippa13

What is so horrible about a guy asking for skates to be baked? Simply do it for him for a reasonable price, offer good service while doing it for him and then you've just increased your customer base by 1.

Hamill getting a call up?

Most self respecting hockey players will end a bad shift with, "Get me the f--- off the ice."

I don't have a problem with that, per se, but I have never quite understood why folks do it.

Maybe that Kovalchuk rumour can grow some legs.

Sounds to me like they were trying not to run up the score further and just get the game over with. It would have made more sense to gain the zone and pass around until there is a shot that they have to take. Ragging back to their own zone isn't the best move.

I'm curious if the Kobasew move was simply a way to open a roster spot. There are a few guys off to strong starts in Providence, most notable is Sobotka.

If the Bruins have tuned out Julien then they are idiots, plain and simple. They only have to look at their results last season to see that it does work. I was perplexed by two decisions yesterday. The first was going with Thomas in back to back nights with travel thrown in and the second was calling up Lefebrve. When a first liner goes on the shelf then you should be filling that roster spot with a talent guy and not a 4th line mucker. That way you're only tinkering with one line and not 3 like they did last night. I still think Morris is proving to be a big mistake. Heck, I don't think he was even a top pair guy when he was with a struggling Phoenix squad, who by the way are playing inspired hockey so far this season. Say, who pegged that team as up and comers, again.

Not so sure. Coach firings usually occur within weeks of such gems from a GM.

I hope so. I hate watching a whole game only to be left wondering how Jack feels about those sticks. As for Ott, we'll get to spend the whole game hearing about how lucky he is to be injured. Over/under on Edwards speculating that Ott is "injured" just to miss the B's in town, 2 minutes into broadcast.

I'm not a fan of Komisarek by any means but he is a strong defenseman. He gets off his game when he tries to play the tough guy role.

He's not the best. His catchphrases are only slightly better than "laser beam" and "stapled". The whole game in Dallas will be a comparison to the game last season. Edwards will be all over it each time the Stars take Ott off of the ice with the last change when one of Chara, Lucic, or Thornton are on for the B's.

I forget who it was but I remember someone in the playoff threads trying very hard to convince that the Caps weren't weak on the blueline.

Isn't this "pedestrian defense" the same defense that some were so high on last season?

The way things are looking, the losses of Axelsson and Yelle are definitely hurting the B's. The penalty killing has been horrible and their defensive coverage has been spotty, at best.

Hunwick is having a very shaky start to the season and Morris isn't looking too much sharper. I wouldn't be surprised if Boychuck gets the nod on Saturday instead of Hunwick.

Yeah, but that's next year, and let's not forget Backstrom and Semin are both UFA's at the end of the year as well. That's going to take up atleast Theodore's and Nylander's cap space. You shouldn't score 5-6 goals in a game and narrowly win or lose. IMO, 6 goals tonight wasn't AS bad as the 4 against the Leafs, simply because of who's in the Flyers line-up. Plus, that one goal was giftwrapped and hand delivered from Varlamov to Richards. If this team had a better D-corps, they could steamroll most teams simply because of their offense. I really want this team to be good, but I think in the end their D-corps and goaltending are going to let them down. Semin and Backstrom are RFAs not UFAs. Also, Semin is making $4.6 mil this year, I think he will probably get a bump to about $6. Backstrom will also get a bump to about $6. Backstroms cap hit is already $2.4 (rookie deal + Bonuses), so it adds $3.6 mil to him and $1.4 mil to Semin (again, just guessing figures on my part, may be more, may be less). So that's $5 mil additional cap space, and you lose $4.5 with Theo and $4.875 with Nylander. Pothier is $2.5 mil and a UFA also. The cap space will be there, but I just don't get encouraged about the caps in free agency. Poti, Pothier, Nylander, Theo, all decent players don't get me wrong but do you look at those signings and say THAT'S the player to get us over the hump and to the cup? I don't. Then you look at the Flyers who brought in Pronger, that's a bold move. May screw them over because of the contract extension being in effect after his 35th birthday, but the caps have been screwed by the cap 2 years running now, at least the flyers will be screwed with a real chance of winning it all With the projection of a drop in the salary cap, I doubt that the Caps will have so much money tied up between Ovechkin, Semin, and Backstrom. GM's have (hopefully) learned from Tampa's mistake.

Clearly. Leafs may not have played fantastic after the alfredsson goal but that was also stupid, Michalek was clearly diving as he was out a few shifts later, a small cut shouldn't stop you from taking a penalty shot. What he did was smart, however it was kinda greasy. Alfredsoon scored a nice goal but the high stick should have been waved off. I didn't see the play but you should know that a player can't resume play while bleeding.

Well, here is the language. It seems that the average does go into effect in the current year in a slightly confusing way but the team can "tag" amounts from expiring contracts that it has for the current season. I suppose factors like Savard being in the last year of his deal creates space for Lucic's extension.

I believe that you have to stay under at all points during the season. These negotiations could have been the impetus for Sobotka starting the season in Providence.

Good that they've got him signed but I wonder what it does to their cap situation. They were already pretty snug this year and I assume that this extension will up his average salary cap hit.

Absolutely a third pairing guy. He just never panned out as a true defenseman.

Not bad for a power play specialist.

Probably couldn't get a sweet KHL deal.

I don't believe there was any intent on the play. That is the danger of making a late cut-back on a guy lined up for a hit.