shrader

Way to go out on a limb there, Darren. :wallbash:

He's definitely a cap dump throw in, but that doesn't mean he can't be useful. I hate mentioning this deal for obvious reasons, but just look at David Legwand. He was nothing special, but he was definitely a useful player in his short time here. That and wasn't he the one who scored a goal from the bench? That alone was worth taking on his salary. Now let's just ignore every other part of that trade, ok?

But would you exchange a $5 bill for 3 singles and 2 scratch offs? That's what pretty much any deal would wind up being, some immediate help for the roster combined with prospects(s)/picks(s).

These things are cyclical. We've been seeing an ebb and flow between the two side of the ice for almost 50 years now but somehow people tend to forget about it. People only care about right now. Goalie depth can exist on its own plane though. All it takes is one there.

I don't know if they have a more recent list, but as of February in their rankings of NHL-affiliated prospects, TSN had Mittelstadt at 5th and Thomas at 6th. That should put it in perspective as to where Thomas fits in.

You have to give something to get something. Three years in between and Duclair still playing in Quebec at the time. I'm not going to connect that trade to these two more recent transactions.

Buyout. Buried in Rochester. If that's the specific condition, there are ways to unload him without needing to upgrade the pick.

And now you have me thinking of Dougie Hamilton again. Anyway, there's not much to hate about this deal. Even if Sheary absolutely flops here, they've given up next to nothing.

Future considerations. If the new team is not paying the bonus, you make the deal right now and then on July 1st (or 2nd) the future considerations are officially announced as O'Reilly.

I hate you. You too.

Do you know how it would work legally? These kids do have contracts with the CHL teams. I have no idea what is in those contracts, but it's very possible that the NHL can't in fact do whatever they want.

I can't imagine any commissioner sticking with a league as long as he has and not winding up in the HoF. You're right though, it does seem a bit odd to do it while he's still on the job.

Exactly, you don't hand even the backup job, let alone the starting job to a young guy who just spent the previous year in the ECHL. He has a lot of work in front of him to climb up the depth chart.

Why would the CHL ever agree to that? They gain absolutely nothing from it. The two leagues have always had a relationship and the NHL is not going to risk that for a rule that focuses on only a handful of players.

Wilson is a great example. Let's face it, he's not getting much of anything if he goes to arbitration. Pretty much the only thing I can think of with someone like his is that the team doesn't want him on a one-way deal. He's a case where the team really doesn't care too much if he goes. Sheahan would have had a little more leverage with arbitration though.

It seems like an odd tactic. I have a hard time imagining arbitration giving the player more leverage than actual free agency would. As for the list, I feel like Yakupov at this point may just be the biggest first overall flop of all time now. It's tough to gauge across eras, but the only other competitors I see over the last 30 years are Stefan and DiPietro. Daigle was the poster boy for years, but I feel like he blows these guys out of the water.

It's not useless for any of them. They still have plenty to gain at that point. The only thing interfering with that is ego. Each case is different, obviously, but even those higher talent guys still have plenty to gain.

As I just said in another thread, just because one GM suggested that a deal was close, it doesn't mean that another GM thought it was close. Mix in a third GM into that picture and it gets even more questionable. I always take every almost trade report with a grain of salt. The supposed deals didn't happen for a reason. Now I know the column laid out some draft related reasons, but there's more to it than just that.

Each of these watch threads always want me to stop and check the time. But anyway, now that everyone thinks we love swedes, doesn't that give a slightly more optimistic look to Nylander?

Just because one GM says a deal was close, it doesn't mean that the other GM thought it was close. Now add an additional GM to that equation and it gets even more murky.

Elected, not inducted. Don't worry, people still get the chance to boo at the actual induction.

The other house next to us was on the market from January through to May and completely uninhabited until last month. It was getting really bad up until my new neighbor moved in. I felt bad for the guy who moved in, having to deal with that mess. He's all over it now though and it looks pretty good. The one I mentioned earlier has at least been cut regularly. It just hasn't been watered at all in probably a month (no rain in a while either). It's completely yellow at this point. We're getting rain all day today though, so I bet it'll perk up really quickly. We've got bermuda here and with the heat we've been getting, that stuff greens up super fast after some good rainfall.

It says AHL contract, so Wilcox will not be the 3rd goalie. He could very well wind up in the ECHL with that contract. The Sabres #3 is still very much up in the air. I could see them adding another goalie on top of whoever they grab to be the backup/platoon starter.

To me the whole thing sounds like it is written from the Montreal prospective. We would have done this and that... completely ignoring any thoughts from the other teams.

My nextdoor neighbor has completely neglected his lawn now that the house is under contract. It's a real shame. He used to water a ton and since his yard is slightly higher than mine, that side of my yard would be a little extra green. I want more free water! :D