2008/09 NHL Thread

Like every season but one, the Thrashers are going to be terrible in 2008-09. If you're the Thrashers, and you're already not selling out and don't have much hope for the future, do you offer Kovalchuk to the highest bidder (young players and picks)?

 

All I'm gonna say is I'd be shocked if the Wings didn't repeat. Too much talent in that orginization...clearly a notch above any other team.

 

Not if you're Don Waddell and you want to prevent being run out of town on a stick. If the Thrashers are as bad as the doomsayers are predicting, it's going to be Kari Lehtonen on the trade block first, not Kovalchuk. The Thrashers at least have a guy in the minors (Ondrej Pavelec) who can replace Lehtonen, and who is in some estimations, better. They have ZERO replacements for Kovy in the pipeline.

 

Hush. It's a long season and everyone is a bonafide contender. Just take one game at a time and see what happens. [/fanboytryingtoappeasethehockeygods]

 

Brind'Amour is supposed to be ready in time for the opener.

 

The parade will take the usual route.

 

To the bottom half of the Eastern Conference?

 

The Leafs will make the playoffs this year on the last weekend of the season.

You heard it here first.

 

KHL: Sure we'll go to arbitration over Radulov ... in Mother Russia.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=3594034

 

I honestly think the KHL is a viable threat to the NHL maybe not in overall quality, but will proveto be this era's WHA. It will get ugly over the next few years and eventually the NHL will swallow up the KHL as it's European conference. I actually admire their moxie and willingness to go toe to toe with the NHL. They certainly have the dollars to compete with the NHL, especially with the NA economy falling apart.

 

As per JR's request, I took my horrible photography skills to Lightning practice today.



The shot ended up just wide.

As for the scrimmage, Team White won 2-0, Smith and Ramo combined on the shutout of a squad that included St. Louis and Prospal. Gary Roberts had a nice redirect for the second goal off a great blue-line slap shot by Andrej Meszaros.

Thing I liked: Good energy, obviously there are guys that are trying to stick out on the ice, but there was a good tempo to the game. Smith looked solid in his half-hour in net, and things started to get a little edgy as it went on. Couple of fights, one early, one later on.

Thing I didn't like: Way too many neutral zone and defensive zone giveaways, which could end up as goals if they happen in a regular game. Defensively, everyone seemed committed, or as committed as some can make themselves (Mark Recchi), but the passing is going to have to get a lot better.

Lecavalier and Ranger both sat out, they want to give both more time to get their shoulders strong enough for full contact, especially Ranger. Neither is expected to play in any of the four preseason games on U.S. soil, and there's a nagging doubt as to whether Lecavalier in particular will be ready for the opening game.

As I suspected Jokinen is on the block, as is Michel Ouellet, they want to clear some salary off and get an older head for the blue line, and with the number of forwards they brought into camp, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who would be out the door.