apuszczalowski

Thats how the successful teams do it and thats how you get better without putting all your eggs in one basket and hope they can all learn on the job in the NHL and become nhl players. Acquiring quality players and making the younger guys earn their way onto the roster by beating out the guys on the roster that are above them makes the rebuild much less painful then saying that your gonna bring up your minor leaguers to learn on the job in the NHL and hope they all become good in a few years

I'm sure the islanders may be willing if it isn't going to cost them much to get him in a trade. But why would they want to give up much to obtain another vet goalie who is more expensive then teh guy they just signed and only guaranteed to stay there for as long as the other guy they just signed? I would be willing to bet money that the Islanders would probably give up more to get Enroth instead of Miller right now because he is someone who could play behind Nabokov this year and possibly emerge as someone who could become their next #1 goalie

Exactly, I can't think of many prospects (aside from the guys who get taken at the top of the draft) that have just been handed a roster spot without having to earn it and succeeded to deveolp on the job in the NHL. Teams don't get better by giving spots to guys without them earning spots. Usually thats how you end up with guys who get moved because they need a change in scenery and have never lived up to their hype.

Well he does have a connection to the area, played just down the QEW in St. Catharines for the Ice Dogs I have to laughat those who really think that Miller was ever going to end up a Flyer or Islander (or an Oiler). There are plenty of other options that don't require giving up more then cash right now for someone that will be a UFA at the end of this year. The Flyers can wait until next offseason and take the risk of him becoming a UFA to sign him then if they want him. They have Mason who if he can regain his form from his rookie year can become a starter, and Emery can give them a decent cheap backup if he doesn't win the starting job in camp. The Islanders are in teh same position, Nabokov comes cheaper and without giving up assetts. I also highly doubt either Edmonton or Brooklyn are places Miller is willing to relocate to (Brooklyn maybe if he wanted to commute to play for the Rangers or Devils)

But what team has been successful rebuilding by following this method of just gutting at team of veterans and filling it with their prospects who can now learn on the job? Right now, (if you remove Vanek and Miller), who besides the coaching staff is going to teach them? On Forward you have Ott and Stafford as the vets, on defence you have Ehrhoff, and in net you have nobody. Do you expect Enroth to develop by getting shelled every night because of the "developping" youth defencemen in front of him are still learning? Do the young defencemen learn anything by continuing to have to play in their own end because the young forwards "deveolpping" on the job can't keep the play going in the other end? Successful teams rebuild with a balanced mixture of youth and veterans, not throwing their young players to the wolves and saying "here, learn on the job witht he rest of them"

IIRC the period from July 1st, when players officially became FAs to today at noon, was a courting period where teams and FAs could meet and talk to the players to guage interest, but they could not discuss contract. They may have been able to ask what the player was looking for, but no negotiations were allowed to take place. This was to allow players and teams the chance to get an idea on who they would want to target before the frenzy begins today. There was a memo that went out the other day from Daly discussing this to the league to remind them after a team made a complaint about a player of theirs who had apparently already come to terms with a new team before today. Its really tough to police something like this cause you know most GMs were probably discussing what the were willing to offer them

And if they can come in and earn their way onto the roster, then thats fineBut you don't just put a guy onto a NHL roster for the sole reason that he has been real good in the AHL, or the rules in the AHL don't allow him to play there cause he is too young.

Atleast watching the fans reactions and complete meltdown of the board would be more entertaining the the product that will be put on the ice this year.............

I never said players can't/don't get betterThe NHL team is not where you put your players to develop, you develop them in the minors and bring them up when they EARN a roster spot. Well, thats atleast what the well run franchises do that are successful and win Hodgson is an NHL player, not saying he should go down to the AHLIf Grigs proves he can actually play in the NHL on a consistent basis then he should stay up, not just because he is too young to go down to the AHL As for Larsson, if he can prove he can handle and play in the NHL, and is the best option, then bring him up, if not, then all he has proven is that he is a good AHLer

Let them develop in Rochester or move them for an assett like winning franchises do. Thats what the minor leagues are for, player development

But I think Clarkson is old enough to shave, wouldn't he be taking up a roster spot from one of the high potential youngsters who will develop into a superstar in a few years when Buffalo owns the Cup?

I would expect the comment to mean he won't be going to Toronto, Montreal (or maybe even any Canadian team), along with NY, Chicago, etc. I wouldn't be surprised if he considered Buffalo since he is from the Niagara area (born in Welland and played some Hockey in Dunville and Thorold too IIRC). I would think though with his comment he may be looking south/warm, to somewhere like Tampa, Phoenix, or back to Florida. He spent a bunch of time there before going to Boston. Buffalo may be viewed as a "traditional hockey market" Was his wife from welland too?I know people here who know Girardi and his wife, The Paille, Clutterbuck and Ellis families also, but nothing about Horton.

Sportsnet here in Canada is saying Lecavalier is a Flyer

Yup, a one time drop to please the owners after the lockout, and then back to being a mess again with teams going back to overspending and throwing money and huge contracts around. Then everyones gonna cry poor when the next CBA has to be negotiated. These compliance buyouts were a bad idea, they basically were "get out of jail Free" cards for teams with the intent that they would smarten up and change their ways and learn something. Instead they just go back to their old habits. Just look at the Letang offer from Pittsburgh, the extension wouldn't effect their cap space this season, but would come into effect once the cap goes back up.

If I was someone like Bryz, Richards, and even Luongo, I would be begging my team to buy me out. Your gonna get a huge chunk of cash just to get out of your deal and get to become a UFA where you can sign another deal and continue to play elsewhere (sure the deal won't be as much, but you were just given a huge buyout from your old deal. There will be teams looking to sign these guys, not for the same amounts, but they are gonna get paid well somewhere else too.

I believe Bettman has already said that the 'Yotes have to be sold before they announce the schedule or they go to plan 'B' which accepting ownership looking to relocate them.The NHL as a league/business is better off having a successful franchise in Phoenix, they need to be able to expand the game outside of what fans perceive as traditional hockey markets if you want the league to thrive and grow as a business. This means that there needs to be teams all over the US and Canada in order to move up the rankings of sports in the US and get TV deals better then broadcasting on what was originally the "Outdoor Life Network". The problem is previous ownership has screwed the franchise with poor deals with the area and the arena and thats making it very tough to get the franchise on stable ground to grow. If Glendale won't help out the franchise and agree to a new deal, they can enjoy trying to book 40+ more gigs in a vacant arena in the desert......

The come from a cold climate located in the northenr hemisphere just above The U.S.A.Known to live off of hockey, and in igloos located in a baron wasteland of white snow year round.

Baseball and football parents may be able to sit out in the fresh air, but many of those games can be played in the middle of summer, on fields where there are very few opportunities for shade and have to sit or stand in the direct sun. Parents at hockey rinks can sit in their coats sipping their coffees under the heat lamps over the seats in the arena. I dind't want to bring in the race card to this discussion, but we all know why hockey players are much more well behaved then other athletes. The sport is made up of mostly............ Canadian Kids

Couldn't that be considered tampering?Aging veterans (guys who are being bought out) are going to be looking for teams where they can be an additional piece to a championship roster, not THE GUY that has to carry a team. Do you really believe that the Sabres would be contenders next season (not 5 years ago) with a team built with guys like Iginla, Jagr, Lecavalier, and Richards? TP would be better off saving that money, marching out the Rochester team in NHL uniforms, and pay the fans to attend the games for the next few years cause the end results are probably not going to be much different

Growing up we also just used landmarks for nets when we played soccer.But thats not the point, thats just playing for fun as kids, I'm talking about playing in recreational leagues. How many proffessional athletes never played the sport in a recreational league as a kid, then onto school teams before playing in the pros? How many played only with friends at the park? I did mention your point that it is cheaper to rent a football field then a hockey rink I disagree, theres commitment if your serious about any sport. Hockey kids aren't the only ones who have practices, and have to travel to away games. If your a kid playing in a serious league of any sport your going to find the same commitment needed to play.

I don't think I have seen any lower/sub-middle class kids playing hockey (aside from Ball Hockey). Around here its the most expensive sport to play and get into. The equipment alone to play is a huge cost for most families, and thats before even considering the fees involved to sign up and play. I would consider myself as someone who grew up in the lower middle class (at best) as a child (one parent worked, then being raised by a single parent) so i never had a chance to play ice hockey, the only ones I knew who played as kids were all from the "better end of town". It wasn't until I was employed full time in a decent job that I was able to start affording used goalie equipment to play ball hockey. Now I play ice hockey in a co-ed fun rec league where it costs over $400 per adult for the winter season (sept til march) and another $300 to play over the summer (May to July). Thats just registration, theres still equipment costs. This league allows its goalies to play for free as long as they volunteer as timekeepers, and anyone willing to volunteer as a ref also plays for free. In comparison, it cost my wife and I less then $90 each to play softball from may til September in the summer time

Is it really cheaper to play football then Hockey? I was just thinking earlier today that they would probably be the 2 most expensive sports to play for a child because of the safety equipment thats involved just to play. The only difference is the facilities, an arena is more expensive then a football field. It does take more skill to play hockey because before you can do anything you have to know how to skate to play. Once you can skate, then you have to learn how to shoot/pass/stick handle. One of the reasons soccer is so popular world wide is because its so cheap to play. All you really need is one ball and something for nets. Basketball is the same except you need ateast one net to play. Baseball is the next step up bacause you need gloves and a bat to go with the ball and a field

Exactly, the buyouts are a one time thing though, unless they agree to it again in the next CBA When your on a crusade its tough to see the facts that can get in your way............

Except why would any of those veterans even allow their agents to take a call from Darcy and the Sabres? (for anything elss then the league maximum salary)Theres no way any of them would come to Buffalo without there being a chance that they could be a cup contender at their ages. Without keeping Miller and Vanek, the only veterans your going to be able to attract are ones desperate for another contract to keep their career going cause no one else will touch them, the Lepers of the NHL.

I beleive the Compliance Buyouts are only a one time thing that was agreed to because the cap was expected to drop this offseason, so they agreed to allow teams a chance to buyout 2 contracts to help them get under the lowered cap