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504Heater wrote:

MurderOnIce wrote:HOLY FRICKEN' CRAP I am one guys who is tired of logging in everytime to see that most posters want to trade (or even more stupidly) want to force retirement or not resign all of character players.

Neil, who needs what he brings
Smith, who cares that he blocks shots and is tough to play against
Trade Fisher

WTF? SERIOUSLY...

Hey lets pretend it is 1998 and we have a bunch of softies that get pounded around nightly and vamoosed quickly in the playoffs. Do we remember these days? I for one hope we keep Fisher, Smith is healthy and we come to reasonable terms with Neil.

I appreciate that we are not the Red Wings but in today's NHL any team that makes the playoffs and gets credible goaltending has a chance... look at Carolina (top to bottom they are not much better than Ottawa other than goaltending), look at Edmonton a couple of years ago, look at us a couple of years ago...

I think it's high time Fisher took the wing, but trading him at this point is not an option - and the way he played with Shannon and Foligno towards the end of the year is exactly what we want.

Not sure about Jason Smith, I want him to play this year - and I love what he brings, but if he's indeed injured, that's cap $$ that we can use to be perfectly honest.

Neil, I agree with. We need the character that he brings.

I agree with your point about Fisher, he has proven that he can play the wing and we need a physical presence at wing. Perhaps it will help simplify the game for him as well and finishing will be less of a problem.

As far as Smith goes, I have read nothing that would suggest his injury is career ended. If he is unable to play, by all means he should go on LTIR, but I have only heard inuendo from posters that suggest this, nothing official. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Neil, wow, I am sure hoping they work something out. His demands considering his output are too high. I could see him getting $1.5M but having only put up 3 goals he hasn't had a good year. I think they could even work out a 1 year deal with incentives and a player option for 1 or 2 more. At the end of the day however, if we lose him, we will be in trouble when it comes to team toughness...

Hahaha. The monkey is gold.

504Heater wrote:

Cap'n Clutch wrote:This is what I'd like to see us run with and take the growing pains with it.

Alfie - Spezza - Heatley

Foligno - Fisher - Shannon

Ruutu - Winchester - Kelly

Z. Smith - Bass - Donovan

Kuba - E. Karlsson

Phillips - Volchie

Picard - Campoli

Bell

That means no more Neil, Schubert, Comrie

Bell as your 7th D, J. Smith hopefully traded, retired or LTIR

Lee sent to Bingo for callups

I'll admit to that not being too shabby. The only issue is your D. Left handed, right handed, left, left, left, left.

Growing pains my friend. Give it a couple more years and Weircioch is in there as well.

Neil, wow, I am sure hoping they work something out. His demands considering his output are too high. I could see him getting $1.5M but having only put up 3 goals he hasn't had a good year. I think they could even work out a 1 year deal with incentives and a player option for 1 or 2 more. At the end of the day however, if we lose him, we will be in trouble when it comes to team toughness...[/quote]

shortened this down so people wouldn't have to read so much, but that is the operative statement in your analysis, unless we expect Alfie to drop the gloves too, which he better not, we need Neil here because yeah, I like Cody Bass, but he is not a Chris Neil.

MurderOnIce wrote:
I agree with your point about Fisher, he has proven that he can play the wing and we need a physical presence at wing. Perhaps it will help simplify the game for him as well and finishing will be less of a problem.

As far as Smith goes, I have read nothing that would suggest his injury is career ended. If he is unable to play, by all means he should go on LTIR, but I have only heard inuendo from posters that suggest this, nothing official. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Neil, wow, I am sure hoping they work something out. His demands considering his output are too high. I could see him getting $1.5M but having only put up 3 goals he hasn't had a good year. I think they could even work out a 1 year deal with incentives and a player option for 1 or 2 more. At the end of the day however, if we lose him, we will be in trouble when it comes to team toughness...

The Neil point is one of extreme interest. I think we can still be tough, but this guy plays a punishing brand of hockey that not just anyone can do. It's almost as simple as that.

Let's see what Murray does, I doubt any of these three are going anywhere.

We still need a Left handed Monkey so they can pee from both sides

Cap'n Clutch wrote:
Growing pains my friend. Give it a couple more years and Weircioch is in there as well.

Also left handed.

504Heater wrote:

Cap'n Clutch wrote:
Growing pains my friend. Give it a couple more years and Weircioch is in there as well.

Also left handed.

okay where did you find that avatar Heater? That is the best lol.

SensFan71 wrote:
okay where did you find that avatar Heater? That is the best lol.

:^^^^: I was searching for new smileys and found it.

504Heater wrote:

Cap'n Clutch wrote:
Growing pains my friend. Give it a couple more years and Weircioch is in there as well.

Also left handed.

Pick up one or two more righty's over the next 2 or 3 seasons then.

PKC wrote:Here's a tough one for you guys:

Mike Fisher for Tomas Kaberle?

Done.

Cap'n Clutch wrote:This is what I'd like to see us run with and take the growing pains with it.

Alfie - Spezza - Heatley

Foligno - Fisher - Shannon

Ruutu - Winchester - Kelly

Z. Smith - Bass - Donovan

Kuba - E. Karlsson

Phillips - Volchie

Picard - Campoli

Bell

That means no more Neil, Schubert, Comrie

Bell as your 7th D, J. Smith hopefully traded, retired or LTIR

Lee sent to Bingo for callups

I agree with most of the roster, except I'm a little confused over one thing.

You have Erik Karlsson, a 19 year old weighing 170lbs, who has played only minimally in North America, and has not played NHL-length seasons, who will be experiencing both the culture shock of switching continents and will be adjusting to the highest level of hockey in the world, and who is still working on many aspects of his game, playing on your top pairing.

But Peter Regin, the 23 year old who will be upwards of 190 lbs, who has played a season of AHL hockey, already played and scored in the NHL, received adulation at the World Hockey Championships and whose polish in all aspects of the game is almost reminiscient of Alfredsson, is not on the roster.

What gives?

:^^^^: How the heck did I miss that?

504Heater wrote::^^^^: How the heck did I miss that?

just to keep us on our toes, play along with it, you planned it to see how would catch it, and ASQ caught it, he wins lol.

SensFan71 wrote:
just to keep us on our toes, play along with it, you planned it to see how would catch it, and ASQ caught it, he wins lol.

Yes, that was it.

I looked at the roster and didn't 100% agree with Z.Smith being on there, so I guess I must have substituted Smith for Regin, then fixed the lines so Regin is 3rd line center and Winchester moves down.

asq2 wrote:

Cap'n Clutch wrote:This is what I'd like to see us run with and take the growing pains with it.

Alfie - Spezza - Heatley

Foligno - Fisher - Shannon

Ruutu - Winchester - Kelly

Z. Smith - Bass - Donovan

Kuba - E. Karlsson

Phillips - Volchie

Picard - Campoli

Bell

That means no more Neil, Schubert, Comrie

Bell as your 7th D, J. Smith hopefully traded, retired or LTIR

Lee sent to Bingo for callups

I agree with most of the roster, except I'm a little confused over one thing.

You have Erik Karlsson, a 19 year old weighing 170lbs, who has played only minimally in North America, and has not played NHL-length seasons, who will be experiencing both the culture shock of switching continents and will be adjusting to the highest level of hockey in the world, and who is still working on many aspects of his game, playing on your top pairing.

But Peter Regin, the 23 year old who will be upwards of 190 lbs, who has played a season of AHL hockey, already played and scored in the NHL, received adulation at the World Hockey Championships and whose polish in all aspects of the game is almost reminiscient of Alfredsson, is not on the roster.

What gives?

Sheesh. Can't please everyone I guess. OK take out Z. Smith and insert Peter Regin.

As for E. Karlsson we grow with him and I'm thinking he's paired with Kuba when he's out there kind of like what they did when they paired Lee with Phillips. It was more of a Phillips with Lee sometimes and also Phillips with Volchie. You know what I mean?

Well, can't do anything about that. We just lack right handed defencemen.

Cap'n Clutch wrote:Sheesh. Can't please everyone I guess. OK take out Z. Smith and insert Peter Regin.

As for E. Karlsson we grow with him and I'm thinking he's paired with Kuba when he's out there kind of like what they did when they paired Lee with Phillips. It was more of a Phillips with Lee sometimes and also Phillips with Volchie. You know what I mean?

:^^^^: Hey, I said I agreed with most of the roster.

Substituting Regin for Smith is a bit difficult because Regin's not really a winger. Also, to put him on the fourth line would be a waste, and beneficial to neither party.

In regards to Karlsson, I don't think it's the same as Lee. Lee was two years older than Karlsson when he was first given a full-time spot, was bigger to start with, had already played extensively in North America, and had endured the rigours of an NHL-length season in Binghamton.

Karlsson has had none of those. I think when you look at the fact that he's undersized, that he's still got some pretty important things to work on, and is almost completely unaccustomed to NA, you'll agree that starting him out on the top pairing of a club is putting way, way too much pressure on him. Heck, when Erik Johnson, a first over-all pick, entered the NHL (at 6-4 and about 200lbs) at 19, they made a conscious effort to shelter him.

I don't see how Brian Lee isn't a better option at this point. I think it's in the best interest for both parties that Karlsson plays in Sweden or Binghamton.