2010 Offseason Thread

[A.E]

This Kovalchuk fiasco is getting extremely old & the media is (of course) making it even more painful to sit through.

The same a-hole who last week reported that Kovy to NJ was a done deal, said today:

Kovy-gate comes 2 an end tomorrow. Kings win the process.. Don't want announcment 2 get overshadowed by WC.

Thought it to be over? Not really, Daren Millard screws us again.

Darren Dreger's Twitter:

Lombardi tells TSN. "Ilya Kovalchuk is coming to Los Angeles for face to face discussions, just like any free agent would. We are a long way from agreeing on a contract."

and then...

RT @helenenothelen: Hold off on buying Kovalchuk King jerseys. Lombardi: "reports of us signing him are utterly false."

 

[playmaker7]

Kovalchuk news pisses me off

Sign already God damn

I think he needs a 1 hour special to announce it too.

 

[snipezo]

I think we're all sick of this crap lol. This is getting really annoying as hell. I'm not worried anymore if he signs with the Kings anymore. We have a re-vamped defense with the addition of Hamhuis, Ballard and a checking centre in Malhotra.

 

[LeafsFan4Life]

All the Kovalchuk talk isn't bothering me.

 

[A.E]

All the Kovalchuk talk isn't bothering me.

The Los Angeles Kings are starting to bother me more than Kovalchuk is. The way I see it, Lombardi is the one holding all this up. SH1T OR GET OFF THE POT LOMBARDI!

All the man has to do is tell Kovy's agent that the Kings are OFFICIALLY & POSITIVELY out...and Kovy is a Devil by Monday afternoon.

 

[playmaker7]

Even Kovalchuk knows the Kings are his best option

Someone is letting the glamor go to his head

 

[A.E]

Even Kovalchuk knows the Kings are his best option

Someone is letting the glamor go to his head

Not when you bring money into the equation. Kovy is holding out and just waiting for the Kings to offer him something in the $8-$9M per range.

 

[playmaker7]

He's already rich enough <_<

Just take your 8M and go

 

[A.E]

He's already rich enough <_<

Just take your 8M and go

Well even though he said his decision wouldn't be all about the money...he was full of it.

 

[playmaker7]

I'll just wait til I read the headlines about him sgning I'm through reading about it lol

 

[Rios15]

Kovalchuk doesn't deserve Ovechkin or Crosby money. You have to be kidding me with $8M and over.

 

[playmaker7]

Kovalchuk is a top 10 player in the league

Crosby only gets $8.7M. I can see Kovy wanting 9

 

[Rios15]

He hasn't accomplished much yet though.

 

[playmaker7]

He shared a Rocket Richard trophy and has a couple medals for international play but thats like it.

He's a top tier player who will get you at least 40 goals consistently from season to season...he wants to get his payday

 

[A.E]

Kovalchuk is arguably a top 5 player and given the market (which is ironically working against him) he deserves $9M per. Would make the Kings the Western Conference favorite overnight. I would put money on a Kings-Nuck WCF if Kovy goes to LA.

 

[stewza]

Blackhawks WILL match San Jose's offer sheet for Hjalmarsson.

 

[A.E]

Blackhawks WILL match San Jose's offer sheet for Hjalmarsson.

Where the hell is that cash coming from?

 

[Mooche]

The Vancouver Canucks announced on Monday that the club has signed forwards Tanner Glass and Alexandre Bolduc and defenceman Shane O'Brien.

In keeping with club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. All three players were restricted free agents who received qualifying offers prior to July 1.

O'Brien, 26, finished the 2009.10 season with eight points (2-6-8) and 79 penalty minutes in 65 games. In 299 NHL games, the 6-3 defenceman has registered 55 points, 605 penalty minutes and a career +15. O'Brien was originally selected by the Anaheim Ducks 250th overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

Glass, 26, finished the 2009.19 season with 11 points and 165 penalty minutes in 67 games. The Regina, SK native was originally selected by the Florida Panthers 265th overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

Bolduc, 25, split the 2009.10 season with the Canucks and AHL affiliate Manitoba Moose. In 15 games with Vancouver, the Montreal, QC native registered 13 penalty minutes.

The Canucks also announced that the club has signed goaltender Tyler Weiman.

Weiman, 26, appeared in 43 games last season with the AHL's Lake Erie Monsters, posting a record of 21-18-3 with a goals against average of 2.48 and a save percentage of .912. The Saskatoon, SK native has appeared in 186 AHL games in his six-year pro career.

In that span, he has put together a mark of 84-85-10 with a goals against average of 2.77 and .909 save percentage. Weiman was also selected to the Canadian All-Star Team as part of the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic. He appeared in one NHL game with the Colorado Avalanche in 2007-08.

Weiman was originally drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the fifth round, 164th overall, in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.

Good news for the Canucks fans I guess.

 

[snipezo]

Good depth signings. I love OB.

 

[A.E]

General manager Stan Bowman says Blackhawks will match Sharks' offer sheet to defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson.

With a cap hit of $3.5 million per year, the Blackhawks now find themselves that much more up against the salary cap. According to CapGeek, they've only got about $113,410 left to reach the cap. While the Blackhawks can go up to 10% over the cap and then have to get back down below it before the season, they really don't have much of a need to go making their situation worse before it gets better because it's about as rough as it can be.

The Hawks only have 15 players under contract and trying to get five more, which include one goalie and at least two defensemen while staying under that allowed limit of overage is daunting to say the least. Restricted free agent goalie Antti Niemi is going to salary arbitration if he can't negotiate a new deal with the team and he's likely to get something between $2 million and $3 million if he can't get a deal done. What the Blackhawks will do to try to position themselves for better cap space bears watching.

This is what I am saying...What else can they possibly do to keep out of cap trouble? Match Hjalmarsson's offer sheet, they've got pennies left to spend, and that's without considering the raise Niemi is going to get. They should of held onto Versteeg and traded Sharp. I love Sharp in Chicago but he'd of cleared up more cap space. I also don't think Niemi is THAT good. Let Niemi walk and put Huet between the pipes, make him earn his money.