NHL, 2006-2007 season

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Post AllStar Break, my Leafs are 3-0-0, and the Habs have 1 win in recent memory (and Aebisher played for that one, not Huet). I think that if the Habs don't pick things up soon, they could choke their way onto the golf course while the Leafs make the palyoffs...

 

How about those Forsberg rumors? I wouldn't want him on my team - too costly and he's always hurt it seems. I'd rather get Alexander Frolov from LA; he's been soooo hot last 3-4 weeks. Too bad LA isn't going to trade him, the cornerstone of their franchise and all that. Calgary picking up Craig Conroy was a great move I think.

 

I definitely give Calgary acquiring Conry two thumbs up. I believe he can spark Iginla's offence.

I would be apprehensive about Foresberg on my team too. Too many injuries, and even he couldn't save the Flyers...

I really don't see anyone likely to be available in a fire sale that would be better than what the Leafs have on the ice right now. I think that even the return of Tucker, Wellwood or Peca may even disrupt the team too much...

The Leafs keep rolling and the Habs keep rolling over. I guess Samsonov and Kovalev both like their golf...

 

What a weird game the Leafs and Blues are having tonight - they have been going back and forth like crazy and yet there have been almost no shots on goal. Oh well, at least the Leafs are up 2-1 at the 2nd intermission.

Edit: and 2-1 it stayed - although Raycroft had to completely steal a goal from Guerin to keep it that way. That was an unbelievable save.

[ February 07, 2007, 05:14: Message edited by: JSBB ]

 

5 in a row! Gotta love that!

Meanwhile, the Canadiens just put Sergie Samsonov on Waivers today. I guess that signing didn't work out...

 

Yeah it was a pretty bad deal for the Habs. Worse still, he is earning way too much for the Habs to be able to get rid of him that easily. He has cleared waivers now.

 

You really didn't expect anyone to take him on those waivers. Now if he goes on recall waivers, then someone might grab him...

 

I don't expect anyone to claim him on the recall waivers either. Given his performance and attitude this year I don't think anyone will be interested at his current salary regardless of whether or not it all counts against the cap.

 

You have a point. Happy Trails Sergei Samsonov...

 

It was nice to see the Leafs come back from down 3-0 against the Penguins but the second it got to be three on three in overtime I knew the Leafs were toast. Four on four is bad enough but the Penguins just have too many highly skilled young players for the Leafs to be able to manage them three on three.

 

Of course, no one is going to take Samsonov off the waivers. Not with that 3.5 million dollars a year (with another year left) deal. I still have no idea why the hell Gainey gave him that money (he even admitted that if he hadn't signed Samsonov, he would've signed J-P Dumont. BTW, Dumont and his agent often said that the habs was the team he wanted to sign with...)

The only way (and the most probable) that Samsonov will leave is via a trade. In fact, it might be very likely. With the salary cap, there will be many trades where the teams trade salaries. In the trade rumors, the most persistent ones are :

1) Canadians : Samsonov and Craig Rivet to Chicago for Adrian Aucoin and Bryan Smolinsky.

2) Canadians : Samsonov and Rivet to Edmonton for Shawn Horcoff

3)The canadians are apparently in the three teams Forsberg wants to be traded to (with Detroit and Vancouver). So with Forsberg's salary, Samsonov is bound to be part of the trade. Probably Aebischer and Perezhogin also.

Meanwhile, the habs are losing and losing and looooooooosing...

 

Wow, I didn't realize just how bad the Habs have been playing recently. I just looked at the Habs stats. Koivu has managed only one goal in the last 20 games, Higgins has not scored in the last 12 games, Kovalev has one goal in the last nine games , and Ryder has scored only twice in the last 13 games.

With those kinds of numbers from their big guns is it any wonder why they can't win these days?

 

Absolutly. When a defenseman is first in goals and points in your team, there's a problem somewhere. I also heard on the radio this morning that if you take the 5 top players per team in points and add their "+ / -" stat, the habs are the worst of the 30.

 

Sigh, another shootout loss for the Leafs. Raycroft almost invariably ends up looking down right foolish in shootouts and tonight was no exception. He just goes down and anyone who can manage to put the puck upstairs scores upon him with ease.

It is pretty sad when you outshoot your opponent by a two to one margin and yet still find a way to lose.

On the Habs front they were shut out tonight so I guess you can add another game to all of those scoring droughts. So much for Souray's grandiose promises of things being turned around tonight.

 

Interesting trade - if Forsberg can stay healthy then Nashville will be downright nasty in the playoffs this year. Either way, Upshall, Parent and first and third round picks are a pretty steep price for an injury prone unrestricted free agent.

Without Forsberg the Flyers were pretty easy pickings for the Leafs tonight. Both Flyers goals were scored seconds after the first penalties in 5 on 3s ended. The end was pretty entertaining though. 2.5 minutes with the goalie pulled isn't something you see every day.

Edit: I watched the third period of the Devils-Penguins game tonight - it was really entertaining hockey. The Penguins started the period with a 5-2 lead and Jersey came back and almost managed to tie the game.

Parise's goal was a real beauty - a shot missed the Penguins net and he picked it out of mid air just behind the red line and in a quick motion swiped it forward and then into the open side of the net. The eye hand co-ordination necessary to pull that off is just unreal.

[ February 17, 2007, 04:29: Message edited by: JSBB ]

 

Edmonton is in deep trouble; they are sliding out of the playoff picture really fast. At the start of the year, I thought they'd go deep in the playoffs again because they added some better forwards. But their defense without Pronger and Spacek has been a major problem.

 

Hmm, the Leafs lost in a shoot-out again.

You have to love the brawl in the Ottawa-Buffalo game. It was nice to see the goalies get involved - it has been ages since I last saw that happen.

 

There goes the trade deadline. Todd Bertuzzi is back in the Western conference in Detroit. It'd be weird for the Canucks to play against him. I wonder if he'll regain his form - for some uncanny reason, Detroit's star players tend to play well. Ryan Smyth is now an Islander. He looks weird in a different jersey.

 

Smyth being traded was criminal.

The Penguins got Roberts and Laraque. I watched the Rangers game and they looked like garbage and highlights from the Canes game didn't look great either. I hope they can string together a couple of wins.

 

Ryan Smyth being traded was a questionable move. If they need to rebuild, they should have started by nor resigning all those free agents and then trading Smyth (Losing Pronger, Spacek and Peca was enough warning). If they wanted to contend again, then they should have paid Smyth off. The only way to save face is to pay him off July 1 and make a run at the cup again.

As for the Leafs, I think that the Injuries and goaltending will be their undoing. I'm still not sold on Raycroft. He's too inconsistent, and trading Tuuka Rask to Boston will come back to Haunt the Leafs. Losing Kaberle to a cheap shot will cost them key points down the stretch. I think that the Leafs won't make the playoffs, and the Leafs will draft around 12 to 14 in the first round...