Monday, July 02, 2007

 

Collector's Item #34

*Ryan Smyth and Joe Sakic on the same team... cripes, I practically want to cheer for the Avs. Between a) adding Hannan and b) Leopold being healthy, their D is going to be a lot better too... bad news for the rest of the NW.

*Isn't Horcoff the logical choice to be the next captain, not Moreau? I realize Moreau was hurt, but it wasn't him that the team trotted out in front of the media to defend the Smyth trade.

*I hope Michael Nylander is no more effective in this Alberta stint than the last one

*I really hope Sarich is as good as Vic thinks he is.

*There were more contracts for less than I expected today than for more. Gomez and Kariya were the only ones that gave me the annual Wow, Sellers' Market! twinge. Hannan, Blake, even Rafalski and Briere were lower than I expected.

*Honest question: just how screwed are the Islanders right now? Seems like every other guy signed today was an Islander this past year, plus Yashin was paid to FOAD.

*I know we've been over this general concept before, but again, if Hale is the Flames' #6 D on Opening Night instead of Giordano, I might just... ack. Dunno. It would displease me, how about that.

*I saw very little of TSN's Frenzy blahblah today, except for Pierre McGuire saying that Joffrey Lupul was young and would be "energized by his new surroundings". So much of the bad rap about Edmonton fans is 100% true, but it would be completely unfair (and hilarious, natch) if Lupul had a good year this year, and the story locked in that his problem this year was the whole thing about the fans expecting him to replace Pronger, then jumping on him when he struggled.

*The other thing I caught on TSN was Sutter's little thing commenting on the rumoured Iginla extension. Now, either I'm deaf, or he said that extensions for Iginla and Regehr were getting done, like, right now.

I'm on the wrong machine to update my spreadsheets, but: between the Sarich signing, the Iginla extension, the Regehr extension, and that fact that Keenan (much like Playfair) is going to ride Kiprusoff like a rented-with-insurance Durango....

The odds of Kipper being the Flames #1 goalie in October '08 dropped today. They dropped for me, and I had some of this stuff priced in already. It's not impossible that he'll be back: the fact that Iginla will be at less than $8M and Regehr will be less than $5M helps. But I have it as below 50/50 now, easily. Enough to predict that he's gone by this day next year (might as well get it in early). Fortunately, he's here this season, and the team might be pretty good...

Comments:

With sarich and aucoin on d, the flamees are off the charts crazy good on d this year. this is a really exciting time to be a calgarian.
 


Spread the word. "Flamees" is the new "Falmes." (And apparently a gimpy 34-year-old Adrian Aucoin is the new Nick Lidstrom.)
 


Did Vic do something on Sarich's numbers?

Do you have a link?

In any event, I don't know if the signing is right for the flamees, esp. if it means potentially losing their most important player.
 


Well the Flames are going for 'now' for sure.

Ryan Smyth facing off against the Oil 8 times a year for 5 years...fun thought.

Sykora signing with Pittsburg, another fun thought (wish we had traded him for a pick).

Blake signing in Toronto for 4 million a year for 5 years is the biggest surprise and steal for me. Had to be some sort of hometown discount. He's not exactly a soon to be over the hill guy, and damned if he's not good for 30 goals a season and plays in all situations. Maybe Sundin will finally have that winger he needs.

God I still hate JFJ, Rask for Raycroft will haunt me for a long, long, long time.
 


but it would be completely unfair (and hilarious, natch) if Lupul had a good year this year,

Oh, he'll score 30. Who doesn't in the Eastern Conference? But you are right. We will get blamed for his bad season, and some twat like Strachan will write the inevitable and unoriginal, "see, this is why Chris Pronger wanted to leave Edmonton" article. I'll gladly accept that responsibility, however, since a) Lupul plays a terribly soft brand of hockey, and b) the players get free rides from the local media all year long.
 


Oh, and can I just add how happy I am that we acquired two former Whalers today? Oh, and Geoff Sanderson is from this area. Will we get blamed if he plays poorly, too?
 


I'd love to know what more the Edmonton media could have done to stop bullets for Lupul this year. Maybe the Journal could have done a special seven-part illustrated series on how plus-minus is a junk stat? Would that have helped?
 


Pardon me, this was Vic F on Sarich two threads ago:

"Sarich? Damn, terrific pickup. A significantly better version of Stuart I think. And a bunch cheaper.

This signing and the Rivet one strike me as crazy discounts relative to the rest of them."

 


So much of the bad rap about Edmonton fans is 100% true...

Kindly explain. I thought that, for about 80% of the year, any Lupul hatred was basically three or four guys screaming into the wind from their websites. I'm obviously situated well away from the situation - maybe that's my problem.
 


and Geoff Sanderson is from this area. Will we get blamed if he plays poorly, too?

IF? 35 year old checking winger? If the Oil wanted all that offensive upside, they should have kept Laraque.
 


35 year old checking winger?

Checking winger? Okay, that may be what Sanderson's job is now, but let's not throw that out there without some context. The guy has scored over 350 NHL goals, including two 40-goal seasons and six 30-goal seasons. He has a tad more "offensive upside" than Le GG.
 


Still no Nylander signing, eh? Man, I was really unfair in doubting Stauffer.
 


Tyler, my point (such as it is) was that while you can point to many previous situations where the fans just killed a guy for being greedy, lazy, etc. -- mainly for the sole reason that he wouldn't just shut up and do what Lowe/Sather said he should take -- that's not the case with Lupul.

Cosh's comment was exactly correct -- there is *nothing* more that the media (and the organization) could have done to make it easier for Lupul, take the pressure off. Furthermore, I never once got the sense from any fan that they actually expected Lupul to quote-unquote replace Pronger's contributions; it was only after all of (A) showing zero sack, (B) being useless on the PP, and (C) being worse than useless in ultra-soft minutes, that the fans got frustrated.

He was treated more than fairly by everyone, and given more chances and excuses than he deserved. For the record.
 


Also, Ken at Japers' Rink talked to Allan Watt at the Oilers, re: Nylander:

"Nylander To Edmonton" Not A Done Deal
 


I'd love to know what more the Edmonton media could have done to stop bullets for Lupul this year. Maybe the Journal could have done a special seven-part illustrated series on how plus-minus is a junk stat?

They could have done a special seven-part illustrated series that was made out of kevlar, so that the paper actually stopped bullets. But nooo, they had to just use pulp.
 


"Nylander To Edmonton" Not A Done Deal

You mean a blogger just phoned the PR guy for the Oilers and asked him? The nerve of some Ineternet Blog People.
 


The funny thing is hearing People justify the dropping of Hammer and Stuart for Aucoin and Sarich. Kinda sounds like Oilers fans from last year trying to justify Smid, Lupul and Futures for Pronger.
 


if Hale is the Flames' #6 D on Opening Night instead of Giordano, I might just... ack.

Agreed. Hell, I prefer Giordano to Warrener at this point.
 


If I was going to imply that Pronger and Stuart were at all comparable (or that 2 NHL veteran Dmen were at all comparable to Lupul & Smid), I'd post it anonymously too.
 


The Oiler fans haven't run that many players out of town. They possibly didn't give Anson Carter enough credit for what he does, but that's been the story of AC's life everywhere. The only guys we've really abused the hell out of were Arnott and Poti, so we're pretty much batting .500.
 


TSN says Regehr is signed. 5 yrs, $20 million.
 


considering Hammer signed for 4yr/22 million, I think Robyn gave the Flames a healthy discount.
 


Cosh: Anson Carter? Really? I don't think he was disrespected as a hockey player. In fact, he's probably worse than most Oiler fans think. I don't recall him being run out of town either.
 


"considering Hammer signed for 4yr/22 million, I think Robyn gave the Flames a healthy discount."

No shit. Iginla as well.

But there is a significant difference between cap teams and budget teams. Calgary is the former and Edmonton is the latter. And no player in their right mind will play for a discount on a budget team.

There is a new underclass in the NHL, The Budget Teams: Edmonton, Nashville, Miami, Tampa, Phoenix, Atlanta, Carolina ... maybe a couple of others.

It's simply not fair to compare the Oilers mgmt to the Flames right now. Not for the forseeable future either. It's different worlds, it really is. In terms of pocket depth ... it's like the Islanders/Rangers rivalry that way.
 


I think a lot of what you might refer to as pocket depth I'd call arm length.
 


Looks like the Oilers aren't going to let Nylander go without a fight!

http://sportsguru.eclecticblogs.ca/2007/07/oilers_release_statement_regar.html
 


Hey thanks random blog guy. That was insightful!
 

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