Flyers make offer to Kesler

[Chadd 916]

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/teams/news_story/?ID...name=nhl-flyers

I have them at $42M and change before the offer, maybe this is an indication that Keith won't be back.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/feature/?fid=2664&hubname=

[chippa13 1844]

In other news, Bobby Clarke has virtually assured himself of no trade partners this season.

[jbyun04 7]

well there goes 2 of the canucks #1 draft picks to philly

[Nick411 0]

Wow thats nuts I think he is going to be good but 1.9m for 1y for someone whith 23 points

well sad to see him go and only a 2nd round that sucks

and what is Clarke doing?

your probably right no Keith next year, man there going to have nice young core Richards, Carter, Umberger, Kes and more just can't think of them

[chippa13 1844]

Latest word has the Canucks matching.

[troy 12]

Latest word also has Primeau reitiring, it was at the end of SportsCenter, so if hockey news made it on there it must pretty definite.

[Fire0nIce228 1]

Yes Primeau is going to announce retirement..

[msander 0]

Well Bobby strikes again. Although it is certainly well within the rules, it seems that in almost all cases it's courtesy amongst GMs not to tender offer sheets to RFAs. I can only hope the Flyers tank their season and finish last in the East...wait, that would be pointless since Clarke wouldn't lose his job anyways.

[DarkStar50 679]

Good article on TSN today about how this offer sheet effects all GMs. Clarke is such an idiot. Even when he played it was all about Bobby Clarke. It still is. Someday maybe he will see the big picture. So he couldn't get Kesler by trade, he screws the Canucks(Kesler makes 1.9 next year,too) and then f's up everybody else. Hall of Shame candidate.

[jjtt99 0]

Management practices of Philly and the Islanders would make a great case study of how not to run a team.

Edit: You could throw Chicago and Boston in there was well.

[Chadd 916]

Management practices of Philly and the Islanders would make a great case study of how not to run a team.

Edit: You could throw Chicago and Boston in there was well.

With the exception of being an asshole to their best player (lindros), constantly firing coaches and refusing to sign a top end goalie when they had a chance to win a cup, Clarke has actually been pretty good. His drafting and trades have been much better than average.

[Chadd 916]

Interesting angle from Spector

CLARKE TRIED TO TRADE FOR KESLER.

TSN.CA: Bob McKenzie reports the offer sheet sent to Vancouver Canucks forward Ryan Kesler by Philadelphia Flyers GM Bob Clarke wasn't the first time Clarke was interested in acquiring the young centre. McKenzie reports sources claim Clarke tried to acquire Kesler via trade earlier this summer but was "rebuffed" by Canucks GM Dave Nonis. Clarke then apparently told Nonis he'd send Kesler an offer sheet, which Nonis claimed he'd match under any circumstance.

Spector's Note: There's plenty of other theories kicking around as to why Clarke did this. It's retribution for Nonis trying to hire away Ken Hitchcock. It's a feint by Clarke to ensure the Canucks don't re-sign Anson Carter, the real object of Clarke's interest. Machiavellian Clarke may be to a certain extent, but I think what pushed Clarke into trying this was the uncertainty over Keith Primeau's future.

[DarkStar50 679]

Drafting and trades are a reflection of your scouting system. Clarke's team management skills still suck. You mentioned three of them.

[willc7786 0]

If the Flyers sign Carter now due to this, I'll be looking forward to Flyers/Canucks becoming a pretty good rivalry.

[Chadd 916]

Drafting and trades are a reflection of your scouting system. Clarke's team management skills still suck. You mentioned three of them.

His ego and personality get in the way

[Chadd 916]

If the Flyers sign Carter now due to this, I'll be looking forward to Flyers/Canucks becoming a pretty good rivalry.

Yeah playing once a year two out of every three years, it should be a great rivalry.

[willc7786 0]

Sorry, wasn't sure how often they played. I know its obviously less because they're East/West teams, but sometimes thats good. If you play a team you dislike fewer times, it makes each game more intense. Didn't realize it was only once a year though, I thought it was 2 or 3

[Chadd 916]

This is the year that they don't play each other at all.

[EBondo 233]

I think this may be one of the few and only times I'll ever agree with Bobby Clarke, but he is 1000000000% right in this situation. Everyone wants to get pissed off at him for something he's allowed to do, so he has a right to be pissed. Good on him.

[Eazy_b97 1]

He purposely screwed the Nucks just to be a jerk. He tried to buy a prospect from them. Kesler isn't worth anything close to that amount of money at this point in time. He's screwed the Nucks, himself and effectively every other NHL team by setting the mark for an RFA with potential at roughly 2 mill a season. It wasn't like Kesler was having a ton of negotiation issues with the Nucks. If this was Zherdev or someone along those lines I could see the motivation, but here he knew Vancouver would match and just wanted to put Nonis balls in a vice.

[Duder84 0]

it kind of makes me wonder if Kesler now "owes" Clarke one now...

[LegoDoom 0]

Will someone explain to me why people are mad at this? It happens in football all the time. If the player isn't worth that much, then let him go and get another prospect next year.

If Kesler isn't worth $1.9M, then it seems that Nonis is the bad GM here.

[jbyun04 7]

Will someone explain to me why people are mad at this? It happens in football all the time. If the player isn't worth that much, then let him go and get another prospect next year.

If Kesler isn't worth $1.9M, then it seems that Nonis is the bad GM here.

see when you have a guy with his wheels who can backcheck and forecheck AND has some hands which still need to be developed, it just doesn't seem right that the canucks only get a 2nd rounder in return. It's almost like a lose-lose situation for them since a 2nd rounder is pretty much nothing and if Kesler signs for 1.9 well then I'd have to say what Carters asked for doesn't sound so bad.

[LegoDoom 0]

It's not like Kesler was a top pick and I'd think with a salary cap that drafting would become more important anyway (like it is with football). If nothing else, a 2nd round pick should have more bargaining power in trades than it used to.

If he's not worth it, let him go and re-sign him when he's more skilled for not much more money. And you get a 2nd round pick out of it. With a salary cap, teams are going to have to get creative with ways to use the rules for their benefit. As for it driving up the price of similar players.... it's impossible to do with a salary cap. And if it does inflate certain players contract, then it will decrease others.

[Chadd 916]

I do see teams making runs at Flyer RFAs in the future.