...and they're getting in Dave Scatchard's head.
Please, please, please bring more.
The Preds On The Forcheck are being good sports about it, for the original see this.
Very... studious.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Once Again, How Did This Not Get Any Play?
Truth be told, there was a lot of great hockey on last night. There was the anticipated matchup of the Caps and Pens that didn't disappoint, the Flames looked to rebound against the Hawks (but didn't), and the Flyers and Rangers heated it up in a big game against division rivals. Being on the West Coast I was forced to only listening to this one on the ride home...
Which was a real joy by the way. Kind of a 'who do you hate less?' kinda matchup.
But the one that caught some people's attention was this one with convicted felon Daniel Carcillo and Rangers offense Marian Gaborik...
Other than Joe Micheletti proving that he's an idiot, this strikes me as the same situation between Ovechkin and Steve Downie, yet no one stepped in to bail Gabby's ass out. Now neither Gaborik or Ovechkin asked for it, but you've got to step in and protect your goal scorers which is what Bradley did in Ovechkin's case.
I think we can all agree that Gaborik is probably a lot more frail than OV when it comes down to it, Alex is one big muscle. Which is probably even more reason why someone on the Rangers should have stepped in, but who? Brashear was out of the lineup, but Voros was nowhere to be seen, at least not in terms of getting in Carcillo's face for payback. No, who was the only Ranger who acted pissed off and wanted to get some revenge on Carcillo? Why that was standup guy Sean Avery, who else?
I'm not a Avery fan by any means but for once this ass clown did the right thing, and gave Carcillo a run for his money.
I almost see this as a changing of the guards here, in reigning biggest asshole around the League. Avery used to take that title hands down, but now Daniel Carcillo is stealing the show in Philly with antics like his fists raised on the way to the box a la Tie Domi, (King Piece of Shit).
Which was a real joy by the way. Kind of a 'who do you hate less?' kinda matchup.
But the one that caught some people's attention was this one with convicted felon Daniel Carcillo and Rangers offense Marian Gaborik...
Other than Joe Micheletti proving that he's an idiot, this strikes me as the same situation between Ovechkin and Steve Downie, yet no one stepped in to bail Gabby's ass out. Now neither Gaborik or Ovechkin asked for it, but you've got to step in and protect your goal scorers which is what Bradley did in Ovechkin's case.
I think we can all agree that Gaborik is probably a lot more frail than OV when it comes down to it, Alex is one big muscle. Which is probably even more reason why someone on the Rangers should have stepped in, but who? Brashear was out of the lineup, but Voros was nowhere to be seen, at least not in terms of getting in Carcillo's face for payback. No, who was the only Ranger who acted pissed off and wanted to get some revenge on Carcillo? Why that was standup guy Sean Avery, who else?
I'm not a Avery fan by any means but for once this ass clown did the right thing, and gave Carcillo a run for his money.
I almost see this as a changing of the guards here, in reigning biggest asshole around the League. Avery used to take that title hands down, but now Daniel Carcillo is stealing the show in Philly with antics like his fists raised on the way to the box a la Tie Domi, (King Piece of Shit).
We need an award for Best Asshole of the League, any ideas for a name?
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Trade Deadline: 40 Days and Counting...
This whole post may as well be a Sky is Falling type post. Of course the only teams that usually get mentioned are the one's with lost seasons and available rentals, or one's that need to plug the holes in the hull on the way to the post.
Souray, aka Studley Wonderbomb (beautiful by the way, Matt), known for his manly good looks, heavy shot, and of course his babies's Mama, has been unofficially placed on the trading block. Of course, Mr. Souray has a NMC or NTC or whatever other cockblocking contract stipulation so he's not willing to go just anywhere. No, the Alberta native wants no part of the Eastern Conference, in fact he's going so far as to pull the Dany Heatley 'I only want to go to California' card.
(Aside: There's something about Edmonton that makes people want to go to California, or maybe its just a rite of passage in order to get to California, you have to go through Edmonton. Think about it... First, Pronger plays a year in Edmonton, leads the Oil to the Cup, (his wife) demands a trade, ends up in Anaheim. B, Dany Heatley demands a trade out of Ottawa, Tambellini makes a pitch that includes a promotional DVD about why you'd want to come to Oil Country (that runs for less than 3 minutes), says no, ends up in San Jose. Finally, Joffrey Lupul, one of the guys sent to Edmonton for Pronger, gets traded to Philly, and then gets traded again for Pronger, only to end up back in Anaheim. There's a conspiracy here.)
So if that narrows it down to the three teams in the Pacific, and you can probably rule out San Jose, I don't think they'll be tinkering with anything come deadline, and we're down to two. Realistically, he could go to either Anaheim or Los Angeles.
The Kings have the space for his pro-rated number this season, and they'll be pressed the following two seasons with his $5.4mil annually but it can be done. The Kings already have their top 4 defensemen with Doughty, Johnson, Scuderi, and Greene, but Jack has been suspect since he started in the NHL. O'Donnell is due to be put out to pasture, and Drewiske is coming along nicely. With that in mind, and the fact that the Kings will probably looking for more scoring (if anything), probably makes them a much less likely candidate than the Ducks.
Anaheim has been lacking that big physical presence since Pronger left for Philly on Draft Day this past summer. They seem lost without him, and after looking at him objectively, its easy to see why. Of course since the Cup run, the Ducks have also lost Beauchemin (TOR), and lesser role but solid defensemen like 'Sheriff' Shane Hnidy (MIN), and Kent Huskins (SJS). Its very easy to see now why the Pens faithful wanted Whitney out of town. In order to make this work however, Anaheim is going to have send something the other way. Maybe Lupul?
The other monkey in this wrench is that Bob Murray has recently been checking on the availability of current Oiler captain Ethan Moreau. In order to get those two, there's going to have to be a lot of bodies moving, and picks. Murray has collected quite a few conditional picks this season, but whether or not the conditions are right is another story, but he did grab a first rounder for 2010 for sure in the Pronger move. Moreau will most likely will have the same effect that Laperriere adds to Philly, a hard-nosed veteran that's willing to get dirty. But the Ducks are going to need the pull the trigger on something sooner than later considering they're sitting in 11th four points behind the 8th see with Dallas and Detroit ahead of them.
Gillis was supposed to go to the CHL Prospects game in Windsor but instead went to Montreal to watch (Janssen launch into Price) the Blues. While Davidson was in Manitoba to scout the Moose, and apparently Cory Schneider. Ahh, I don't know if I buy the last part, but hey, its all speculation.
The post also talk about the potential of Vancouver looking to replenish their banged up blueline with the likes of aging veteran Darryl Sydor or Carlo Colaiacovo (to give Luongo some ginny company). That almost seems more likely than St. Louis parting with Backes. Nuck thoughts on it all.
Paul Kariya doesn't strike me as a Calgary (i.e. Sutter) -type player in any way, shape or form. Not to mention the fact that he hasn't don't shit for the Blues with 9 goals in 42 games considering his past totals.
Keith Tkachuk, (apparently all the Blues are for sale, I guess that was obvious when Payne was hired), is more like hinderance than help on a Calgary team. Besides the Flames already have a hundred of this guy, you know, the medium sized guy in Nintendo Ice Hockey.
Ray Whitney is rumored to go everywhere. I could see this guy making an impact on the Flames but I don't see Daz beating out the other 28 teams looking to grab him, okay top 5.
Colby Armstrong I see as more of an addition defensively rather than offensively which is exactly a Sutter-type player but not what the Flames need at this point. They need scoring, can I get an Amen?
Alexei Ponikarovsky definetely adds offensive touch, but also adds Russian to the equation. Darryl would have to swallow his pride, and trick Burke to get him away from the Leafs. Both highly unlikely, one more than the other. Try to guess which one!
And finally, former Flame Alex Tanguay. When I first saw his name, and the thought of him returning to Calgary I said, 'youfuckincrazy?!' The more I think about it, the more it makes sense, and is certainly the best choice out of this list. Tanguay's been a shell of himself since he left Colorado, and respectively Calgary, but he was injured in Montreal (who's fickle as fuck anyway) and is stuck in purgatory on a team like Tampa. He worked well with Iginla way back when, and the way the Lightning are hemorraging money and faith, it might be the one possible scenario that could actually work.
The Sky is Falling In...
The changing of the guard has raised some eyebrows around the League, some see it as half a season too late while others look at it as genius, allowing Staal to slowly transition into the leadership role, while giving Rod the opportunity to bow out quietly. To me, the eldest Staal brother has been ready for this role for years now, and was more or less the leader of this team while wearing the A. Sure, Rod 'the Bod' is the elder statesman, but his waning effectiveness has been speaking louder to this team than his words, as referenced in this seasons complete, and utter failure.
Blackhawk alumnus, and League loudmouth (even after retirement) Jeremy Roenick stoked the fire with his recent comments, and now everyone and their Mums has been speculating as to who the Bowmans' should acquire come deadline to sure up that soft spot. Considering how aggressive Chicago has been in acquiring free agents (Campbell, Huet, Hossa, Kopecky, Madden) its logical to think that they would make a move. Names that have been thrown about include soon-to-be Dallas exile Marty Turco, overachieving client Jaroslav Halak, underachieving Conn Smythe winner Jean-Sebastian Giguere, and even Tomas Vokoun. However, the chemistry issue keeps coming up when you talk about that young team and moving any of the pieces before the offseason, and that may be enough to hold off, considering how well Huet and Niemi are playing, and not to mention the fact that Huet was one of those assets that were brought in. They most certainly evaluated him to the point of bring him over for a Cup run, unless it was just that he was the best choice available at that time.
Sheldon
Souray, aka Studley Wonderbomb (beautiful by the way, Matt), known for his manly good looks, heavy shot, and of course his babies's Mama, has been unofficially placed on the trading block. Of course, Mr. Souray has a NMC or NTC or whatever other cockblocking contract stipulation so he's not willing to go just anywhere. No, the Alberta native wants no part of the Eastern Conference, in fact he's going so far as to pull the Dany Heatley 'I only want to go to California' card.
(Aside: There's something about Edmonton that makes people want to go to California, or maybe its just a rite of passage in order to get to California, you have to go through Edmonton. Think about it... First, Pronger plays a year in Edmonton, leads the Oil to the Cup, (his wife) demands a trade, ends up in Anaheim. B, Dany Heatley demands a trade out of Ottawa, Tambellini makes a pitch that includes a promotional DVD about why you'd want to come to Oil Country (that runs for less than 3 minutes), says no, ends up in San Jose. Finally, Joffrey Lupul, one of the guys sent to Edmonton for Pronger, gets traded to Philly, and then gets traded again for Pronger, only to end up back in Anaheim. There's a conspiracy here.)
So if that narrows it down to the three teams in the Pacific, and you can probably rule out San Jose, I don't think they'll be tinkering with anything come deadline, and we're down to two. Realistically, he could go to either Anaheim or Los Angeles.
The Kings have the space for his pro-rated number this season, and they'll be pressed the following two seasons with his $5.4mil annually but it can be done. The Kings already have their top 4 defensemen with Doughty, Johnson, Scuderi, and Greene, but Jack has been suspect since he started in the NHL. O'Donnell is due to be put out to pasture, and Drewiske is coming along nicely. With that in mind, and the fact that the Kings will probably looking for more scoring (if anything), probably makes them a much less likely candidate than the Ducks.
Anaheim has been lacking that big physical presence since Pronger left for Philly on Draft Day this past summer. They seem lost without him, and after looking at him objectively, its easy to see why. Of course since the Cup run, the Ducks have also lost Beauchemin (TOR), and lesser role but solid defensemen like 'Sheriff' Shane Hnidy (MIN), and Kent Huskins (SJS). Its very easy to see now why the Pens faithful wanted Whitney out of town. In order to make this work however, Anaheim is going to have send something the other way. Maybe Lupul?
The other monkey in this wrench is that Bob Murray has recently been checking on the availability of current Oiler captain Ethan Moreau. In order to get those two, there's going to have to be a lot of bodies moving, and picks. Murray has collected quite a few conditional picks this season, but whether or not the conditions are right is another story, but he did grab a first rounder for 2010 for sure in the Pronger move. Moreau will most likely will have the same effect that Laperriere adds to Philly, a hard-nosed veteran that's willing to get dirty. But the Ducks are going to need the pull the trigger on something sooner than later considering they're sitting in 11th four points behind the 8th see with Dallas and Detroit ahead of them.
Gillis Crushing on Backes
I don't remember this and I don't know why (i.e. too many bonghits), but newly appointed Canucks head honcho Mike Gillis apparently offered David Backes an offer sheet of $7.5mil spread across three years. A pissed off Davidson ponied up the dough and matched the offer to which Backes couldn't put the ink on quick enough. According to this post by Matt Sekeres of the Globe and Mail, the Canucks have obviously grown tired of Pavol Demitra and apparently AV has had enough of Wellwood, and are looking for new centers. The part that sets all the alarms off on this post, the travel plans of the GM's of both teams.Gillis was supposed to go to the CHL Prospects game in Windsor but instead went to Montreal to watch (Janssen launch into Price) the Blues. While Davidson was in Manitoba to scout the Moose, and apparently Cory Schneider. Ahh, I don't know if I buy the last part, but hey, its all speculation.
The post also talk about the potential of Vancouver looking to replenish their banged up blueline with the likes of aging veteran Darryl Sydor or Carlo Colaiacovo (to give Luongo some ginny company). That almost seems more likely than St. Louis parting with Backes. Nuck thoughts on it all.
Calgary Looks to Aging Veterans
Kent W. over at Matchsticks & Gasoline, always on the cutting edge of Flames analysis, put together his list of top 6 forwards on non-playoff teams that Calgary should be targeting. Its kind of sad that these are the type of guys you need to look to in order for the Flames to make some sort of impact. Let's go through them shall we? Quickly.Paul Kariya doesn't strike me as a Calgary (i.e. Sutter) -type player in any way, shape or form. Not to mention the fact that he hasn't don't shit for the Blues with 9 goals in 42 games considering his past totals.
Keith Tkachuk, (apparently all the Blues are for sale, I guess that was obvious when Payne was hired), is more like hinderance than help on a Calgary team. Besides the Flames already have a hundred of this guy, you know, the medium sized guy in Nintendo Ice Hockey.
Ray Whitney is rumored to go everywhere. I could see this guy making an impact on the Flames but I don't see Daz beating out the other 28 teams looking to grab him, okay top 5.
Colby Armstrong I see as more of an addition defensively rather than offensively which is exactly a Sutter-type player but not what the Flames need at this point. They need scoring, can I get an Amen?
Alexei Ponikarovsky definetely adds offensive touch, but also adds Russian to the equation. Darryl would have to swallow his pride, and trick Burke to get him away from the Leafs. Both highly unlikely, one more than the other. Try to guess which one!
And finally, former Flame Alex Tanguay. When I first saw his name, and the thought of him returning to Calgary I said, 'youfuckincrazy?!' The more I think about it, the more it makes sense, and is certainly the best choice out of this list. Tanguay's been a shell of himself since he left Colorado, and respectively Calgary, but he was injured in Montreal (who's fickle as fuck anyway) and is stuck in purgatory on a team like Tampa. He worked well with Iginla way back when, and the way the Lightning are hemorraging money and faith, it might be the one possible scenario that could actually work.
The Sky is Falling In...
Carolina
Jim Rutherford has pretty much put everyone on notice with the exception of their young core including but not limited to, newly appointed captain Eric Staal, Brandon Sutter, Cam Ward, and Juomo Ruutu. Looking over that roster there are some pretty good veterans that can add some spice to a playoff lineup, and a lot of them own rings from a Championship not too long ago. Ray Whitney is the name most mentioned (as referenced above), not to mention Niklas Wallin, defenseman Joe Corvo, and Rod Brind'Amour will more than likely be put out to pasture.The changing of the guard has raised some eyebrows around the League, some see it as half a season too late while others look at it as genius, allowing Staal to slowly transition into the leadership role, while giving Rod the opportunity to bow out quietly. To me, the eldest Staal brother has been ready for this role for years now, and was more or less the leader of this team while wearing the A. Sure, Rod 'the Bod' is the elder statesman, but his waning effectiveness has been speaking louder to this team than his words, as referenced in this seasons complete, and utter failure.
Chicago?!
When you're built for the run, someone is always going to point out the weakest points of even the strongest team. Goaltending is this issue in Chi-town, or is it? Huet was looking like absolute shit early on this season, but Niemi has been consistently playing well, pushing Cristo to pick up his game, which, to his credit, he has. They are probably the most formidable goaltending tandem in the League right now, but are still taking heat since they are the weakest link of this powerful Hawks team.Blackhawk alumnus, and League loudmouth (even after retirement) Jeremy Roenick stoked the fire with his recent comments, and now everyone and their Mums has been speculating as to who the Bowmans' should acquire come deadline to sure up that soft spot. Considering how aggressive Chicago has been in acquiring free agents (Campbell, Huet, Hossa, Kopecky, Madden) its logical to think that they would make a move. Names that have been thrown about include soon-to-be Dallas exile Marty Turco, overachieving client Jaroslav Halak, underachieving Conn Smythe winner Jean-Sebastian Giguere, and even Tomas Vokoun. However, the chemistry issue keeps coming up when you talk about that young team and moving any of the pieces before the offseason, and that may be enough to hold off, considering how well Huet and Niemi are playing, and not to mention the fact that Huet was one of those assets that were brought in. They most certainly evaluated him to the point of bring him over for a Cup run, unless it was just that he was the best choice available at that time.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Tighten Your Belts
Can you tell me the three teams with the lowest payroll?Take a guess its not that hard, you'll probably get all three.
Yes that's right, Phoenix ($42mil), Nashville ($44mil), and the New York Islanders ($44mil).
Now, can you tell me where those three teams sit in the standings?
Go ahead you can cheat.
Look at that, Phoenix is sitting 5th in the West with 61 points, with the Predators sitting just above in 4th with the same point total but one less game played. And leaguewide joke, the Isles are bringing up the rear in the East at the 8th spot with 52 points.
Chances are the Isles will eventually bow out of the playoff race with 32 games left to play, or at the very best, act as a 1st round doormat, (see 2006-07 Atlanta Thrashers). But the Dogs and the Preds look to be nicely entrenched in the West, but hey, anything can happen.
Just a quickie, I don't know, I thought it was interesting.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Believe It or Not, We've Got Heart
This is our family's charity of choice to help in the Haiti relief efforts, but its not the only way to help. Show some heart will ya?!
How Did This Not Get Any Press Today?
Your favorite, and my pal Mr., Steve, Ott. I only wish Harding had actually connected with one those waffles to the jaw. Josh had enough of this asshole in his crease, somehow the rest of the Minnesota defense didn't pick up on it until he did this. Even if Richards had thrown out Boogaard to chase after Ott, he probably would have turtled. I hate that piece of shit, in case you couldn't tell.
Trade Deadline: 45 Days Away, or so...
Pondering what laxative to try next or what to do with Kovalchuk? Or both?Here we go, you ready for it?!
We are now officially less than a month and a half away from the trade deadline, and you know what that means... All that bullshit we've been talking about for the past few months finally comes to a head, and we are that much closer to the postseason.
What else does it mean?
Well it means the swill gets to stirring as all the ingredients of trade speculation get into a rolling boil. Yes, strike up the Lecavalier trade rumors (as if they ever cease), plot out what gaping holes in your team's lineup need to be addressed, and scan those impending free agent lists for potential trading pieces, mercenaries, or your new BFF. Luckily, we here at the Grip have worked tirelessly to prepare those FA lists by position for just such an occasion. We'll use those and all the other sinkers and floaters of trade potentials that we'll hear in the next few weeks to analyze their merit, and whether its worth pulling the trigger. As we get closer to the official cutoff date of March 3rd as the Trade Deadline, we'll take a look at the weak spots in, well, not all the teams, but those with even a speck of hope of extending their work schedule.
What makes this year more interesting, and the playoffs in a 'hurry-up-and-get-here-already' mode is the absence of the tedious All-Star break and the incorporation of the Olympics, which won't be handing out gold medals until the final day of February. Since the rumor mill kicked into overdrive today, or so it seems, lets take a look at those.
Kovalchuk or Bust
Now old news, the situation of Kovalchuk and the Thrashers looms with his impending free agency and the ridiculous price tag associated with it. Soon enough, someone is going to start producing 'What Would Waddell Do?' bracelets and make a fortune off it.
Of course the problem is that no one knows the answer, so all the difficult decisions you face in life would be unanswered, unless you accept 'sit on it' as a decision. The Falconer put Ilya on the table and was willing to at least hear what the rest of the SB Nation would offer to get a crack at the Ruskie. The fans of most teams are willing to part with a whole lot of nothing in order to put their arms around Kovy, smarter fans aren't interested, while others put together reasonable trade offers. Doesn't matter anyway, its all just for fun for us, and the man at the top of the page isn't having any fun trying to figure it out.Turco Gets His Papers Ready
Word out of Dallas is that the Stars are ready to divorce their franchise goaltender Marty Turco, due to be a free agent at the end of the term, and earning $5.7mil this year. The skilled, puck-moving netminder is coming off the second of two disappointing seasons in which the former was blamed on Sean Avery's arrival and subsequent departure and a Stars team devastated by injuries, while it appears that the latter is being placed solely on the shoulders of the other Marty. Brandon Worley's excellent work on Defending Big D over at SB Nation has revealed that the Capitals have had scouts at the Stars practice sessions, while James O'B over at Cycle Like the Sedins has thrown his hat in the ring with a Turco for Giguere trade idea. Mike Heika, the beat writer of the Dallas Morning News for the Stars, has put together a list of who Nieuwendyk and the brass maybe taking a look at... Jaroslav Halak, MTL
Corey Schneider, VAN
Kari Lehtonen, ATL
Pekka Rinne, NSH
Dan Ellis, NSH
Mike Smith, TBL
Jhonas Enroth, BUF
Leland Irving, CAL
Justin Peters, CAR
None of those names are true number one's to replace a goalie of Turco's stature with the exception of the two Nashville goaltenders (Rinne & Ellis) and maybe Halak, and they would still be a downgrade. But if this is really the list that Dallas is looking at, with all of these young, mostly untested goaltenders, then the Turco to Washington makes the most sense.
Washington's soft spot was thought to be defense but with Alzner's progress, and Schultz's recent +/- numbers, the opinion has now changed to goaltending with Var-LAH-mov out since early December with a groin injury. Michal Neuvirth has played in eleven games this season and five games last season and has been impressive enough for Dallas to consider, of course there's going to have to be a plethora of prospects and/or picks to go along with him. Of course the Stars are going to want Varlamov, but that's the Caps goalie of the future, I don't think they'd be willing to part with him. Then again maybe they would, if the thought is to win now.
Turco is probably too rich for Nashville's blood, unless he's hired as a Merc to get them over that postseason hump they perpetually have. And I don't think the Stars would want Giguere since he's looked worse than Turco lately.
Frankly, I think Turco is a good goaltender and despite his lows this season, I'm surprised the Stars are willing to part with him. Then again maybe all he needs is a fresh start in another town. I hope for his sake he goes to a team with playoff implications, so he can show Dallas what his mettle really is.
The Sky Is Also Falling In...
Columbus, sounds like they're ready to call it a year and start looking to next season. Freddy Modin, newly acquired Milan Jurcina, and even Raffi Torres coming off a two-goal game all look to be on the chopping block without contracts for next year. Maybe Howson should re-think retaining their biggest asset, Ken Hitchcock.
Calgary, after that woodshed beating they just took from the Sharks. Daz is speechless. There will be repercussions.
Philadelphia, when your Captain has had it up to his eyeballs with the local media. After a loss, the Philly media heaped it on Richards who had voiced his thoughts on them in an article in the Hockey News about the partying atmosphere of the young Flyers. It got heated and Laviolette had to step in to seperate Richards and his off-ice dance partner, Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer who was, by the sound of it, goading Mike into a fight. By the way, the Flyers are sitting in 11th place in the East behind the Isles, who are sitting in the 8th and final seed ahead by three points, Florida and Montreal who are one point ahead. That might have something to do with it.
We'll give you the latest in trade talk (that never actually happens) every few days until we hit March 3rd, or at least until you get your walking papers.
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