superdave

I see you guys holding on to Vanek and Miller until the trade deadline. You have to meet that salary floor and if you move those guys now, then you have to spend money just to make it. You may be able to move one now, but not both. Realistically, their value will be more as the season goes and the food chain gets sorted out a bit and injuries start to play a factor.

Whew. Glad we got that lockout and lost half a season so the owners could get this spending under control and be saved from themselves. ###### Hey, I found a word that you can't use here. It is a technical term for the general area between the butt cheeks.

If you are asking if I'd make the trade, then yes. I have said all along that the way to fix the D was to move Skinner. Again, this isn't because I don't like him, but you have to give to get.

I don't know about JR, but it would have to be tempting. Getting Ehrhoff fixes the defense for a few years. Put him with the rest of the current Canes D, and you get a respectable squad. Losing Skinner is tough, but I really don't like his contract and JR needs some flexibility. No offense, but if Buffalo is rebuilding, that 2nd is going to be closer to a 1st than a 3rd. It would give Buffalo a young forward going forward. It may be a good hockey deal both ways, but each fanbase would bitch that both sides got robbed.

Maybe it's time for the good old USofA to choose another "winner" in the Middle East. We do such a good job of it.

Ya think? JR has made it known in the past that he doesn't like to draft defensemen with high picks because they take a long time to develop and by the time they do, they are ready to go to free agency. He would rather take forwards because they are a more immediate impact. That still leaves a need to find those defensemen somewhere. It is too costly to sign a good defenseman in free agency. That only leaves the trade route. What team wants to trade away a good defenseman unless he is on a bad contract? He did take Ryan Murphy high last year, but at his size, he isn't going to be a crease clearer or an attention getter from a physical point of view. He is another "puck mover" and the Canes need a "puck stopping" defenseman occasionally. Murphy will hopefully eventually be in the top 6, but he was in juniors still last year because he wasn't old enough for AHL duty. He came up to the big club for a few games on an emergency call up, and didn't look bad. JR also has a habit of trading 2nd round draft choices for other players who were drafted a few years earlier but who haven't exactly lit the world on fire, like Riley Nash (drafted 21st overall by the Oilers in 2007) and Bobby Sanguinetti (drafted 21st overall by the Rangers in 2006). Nash ended up with the Canes as an overslotted 3rd line center last year and Sangs can't make the squad with our pitiful defense. In my opinion, JR likes to find too many band aids and not a cure. Sekera is another nice pickup, and yet, another band aid in my opinion.

That's why I said "from the outside looking in". I didn't know your organization's depth at goalie. Canes have no depth at any position in the system, especially in goal. Justin Peters was supposed to be the guy, but he keeps crapping the bed every time he gets a chance. I guess you only need one goalie at any one time, but 12 forwards.

While I'm really not familiar with Compher, it is puzzling that the pick wouldn't have been the best goalie in the draft, who had slipped a few spots and was available. I really thought that was what the trade was for at the time. With the reports of Miller being shopped, it kind of makes sense, from the outside looking in. There was speculation among some Canes fans that Fucale would be scooped up if available at that pick, and nobody thought he'd still be on the board.

Refreshing to see that my alter ego is still alive and well. Just checking over here since there's been some traffic back and forth between the message boards.