Dear Bryan Murray: RE-SIGN CULLEN!!!

N4L wrote:

SDH89 wrote:I'd love to have him back too guys, but where are we getting the 3 mil from?

Cheechoo, A Train, Kuba, a lot of guys can be moved.

We also have to fit in Sutton's 2.5-3 mil as well, is that still plausible?

I think so...

Next year I think the D will look like this and Ive said it a few times

Gryba/Phillips
Karlsson/Sutton
Carkner/Campoli
Lee

N4L wrote:I think so...

Next year I think the D will look like this and Ive said it a few times

Gryba/Phillips
Karlsson/Sutton
Carkner/Campoli
Lee

Delicious.

N4L wrote:I think so...

Next year I think the D will look like this and Ive said it a few times

Gryba/Phillips
Karlsson/Sutton
Carkner/Campoli
Lee

Would be nice to see Gryba snag a spot. I recall Murray on the Team saying he thinks he'll be right up there competing for one. Love the size we'd have back there, a monster on each pairing ....

I feel like I tied one on last night (I did kinda), but...

Michalek (4.3) - Spezza (7) - Alfredsson (5.6 including buyout)
Cullen (3) - Fisher (4.2) - Regin (1)
Foligno (1.5) - Winchester (0.8) - Z.Smith (0.6)
Ruutu (1.3) - Kelly (2.1) - Neil (2)
Shannon (0.6)

Cheechoo remains in Bingo hopfully, so we don't absorb the buyout cost. Donovan is gone.

Phillips (3.5) - Karlsson (1.3)
Campoli (1.2) - Sutton (2.8)
Carkner (0.7) - Lee (0.8)

no extra forward carried

Elliott (0.8)
Leclaire (3.8)

SpezDispenser wrote:I feel like I tied one on last night (I did kinda), but...

Michalek (4.3) - Spezza (7) - Alfredsson (5.6 including buyout)
Cullen (3) - Fisher (4.2) - Regin (1)
Foligno (1.5) - Winchester (0.8) - Z.Smith (0.6)
Ruutu (1.3) - Kelly (2.1) - Neil (2)
Shannon (0.6)

Cheechoo remains in Bingo hopfully, so we don't absorb the buyout cost. Donovan is gone.

Phillips (3.5) - Karlsson (1.3)
Campoli (1.2) - Sutton (2.8)
Carkner (0.7) - Lee (0.8)

no extra forward carried

Elliott (0.8)
Leclaire (3.8)

How did you get Kovalev to play for free ?

RobbyJ wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:I feel like I tied one on last night (I did kinda), but...

Michalek (4.3) - Spezza (7) - Alfredsson (5.6 including buyout)
Cullen (3) - Fisher (4.2) - Regin (1)
Foligno (1.5) - Winchester (0.8) - Z.Smith (0.6)
Ruutu (1.3) - Kelly (2.1) - Neil (2)
Shannon (0.6)

Cheechoo remains in Bingo hopfully, so we don't absorb the buyout cost. Donovan is gone.

Phillips (3.5) - Karlsson (1.3)
Campoli (1.2) - Sutton (2.8)
Carkner (0.7) - Lee (0.8)

no extra forward carried

Elliott (0.8)
Leclaire (3.8)

How did you get Kovalev to play for free ?

Oh yeah, I knew I would forget someone, I forgot Kuba too.

So, 49 million + 5 for Kovalev + 3.7 - so...57.7 + 0.7 for Emery's buyout = 58.4. We'll have to shed a little bit of salary, but this is what it would look like:

Michalek - Spezza - Alfredsson
Cullen - Fisher - Kovalev
Foligno - Regin - Winchester
Ruutu - Kelly - Neil
spares: Z.Smith and Shannon

Phillips - Karlsson
Kuba - Sutton
Campoli - Carkner

Elliott
Leclaire

That's pretty sturdy, the D won't rock anyone's world, but that's a nice team with young guys getting some good experience right now.

RobbyJ wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:I feel like I tied one on last night (I did kinda), but...

Michalek (4.3) - Spezza (7) - Alfredsson (5.6 including buyout)
Cullen (3) - Fisher (4.2) - Regin (1)
Foligno (1.5) - Winchester (0.8) - Z.Smith (0.6)
Ruutu (1.3) - Kelly (2.1) - Neil (2)
Shannon (0.6)

Cheechoo remains in Bingo hopfully, so we don't absorb the buyout cost. Donovan is gone.

Phillips (3.5) - Karlsson (1.3)
Campoli (1.2) - Sutton (2.8)
Carkner (0.7) - Lee (0.8)

no extra forward carried

Elliott (0.8)
Leclaire (3.8)

How did you get Kovalev to play for free ?

Just goes to show how tough it will be to fit guys in.

Karlsson will either be playing with Sutton or Kuba next year, that will be the pairing. Phillips will be playing with one of 3 people. 1, Brian Lee, 2, Eric Gryba, or 3, a UFA that they probably dont have the money to resign based on a few things.

The bottom pairing will be Campoli and Carkner again, that much you can count on. You can also count on a rookie making it on the blueline next year whether it is Cowen, Weircoich, or the most likely candidate IMO, Eric Gryba.

SeawaySensFan wrote:

RobbyJ wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:I feel like I tied one on last night (I did kinda), but...

Michalek (4.3) - Spezza (7) - Alfredsson (5.6 including buyout)
Cullen (3) - Fisher (4.2) - Regin (1)
Foligno (1.5) - Winchester (0.8) - Z.Smith (0.6)
Ruutu (1.3) - Kelly (2.1) - Neil (2)
Shannon (0.6)

Cheechoo remains in Bingo hopfully, so we don't absorb the buyout cost. Donovan is gone.

Phillips (3.5) - Karlsson (1.3)
Campoli (1.2) - Sutton (2.8)
Carkner (0.7) - Lee (0.8)

no extra forward carried

Elliott (0.8)
Leclaire (3.8)

How did you get Kovalev to play for free ?

Just goes to show how tough it will be to fit guys in.

i like what foligno did last night in the game but i'd trade foligno with our 1 pick to move up in the draft.

N4L wrote:Karlsson will either be playing with Sutton or Kuba next year, that will be the pairing. Phillips will be playing with one of 3 people. 1, Brian Lee, 2, Eric Gryba, or 3, a UFA that they probably dont have the money to resign based on a few things.

The bottom pairing will be Campoli and Carkner again, that much you can count on. You can also count on a rookie making it on the blueline next year whether it is Cowen, Weircoich, or the most likely candidate IMO, Eric Gryba.

Maybe we could sign Hamhuis to play with Phillips? Should cost considerably less than Volchenkov I'd imagine.

PKC wrote:

N4L wrote:Karlsson will either be playing with Sutton or Kuba next year, that will be the pairing. Phillips will be playing with one of 3 people. 1, Brian Lee, 2, Eric Gryba, or 3, a UFA that they probably dont have the money to resign based on a few things.

The bottom pairing will be Campoli and Carkner again, that much you can count on. You can also count on a rookie making it on the blueline next year whether it is Cowen, Weircoich, or the most likely candidate IMO, Eric Gryba.

Maybe we could sign Hamhuis to play with Phillips? Should cost considerably less than Volchenkov I'd imagine.

If he's into it, I would offer him a 4 X 6. I love his style, born for the playoffs.

The bottom pairing will be Campoli and Carkner again, that much you can count on. You can also count on a rookie making it on the blueline next year whether it is Cowen, Weircoich, or the most likely candidate IMO, Eric Gryba.

What's the deal with Gryba? I haven't had a chance to watch him play so I have no idea where he stands/what type of defensman he is.

And yes, I'm all about re-signing Cullen. He has playoffs written all over him.

beerandsens wrote:

The bottom pairing will be Campoli and Carkner again, that much you can count on. You can also count on a rookie making it on the blueline next year whether it is Cowen, Weircoich, or the most likely candidate IMO, Eric Gryba.

What's the deal with Gryba? I haven't had a chance to watch him play so I have no idea where he stands/what type of defensman he is.

Gryba, big, physical RH shot. He played out his college tenure at Boston and has been allowed to develope and learn the game at the proper pace and at a good school.

He's a man, we are not talking about a CHL kid that just finished his 4 years and could be ready for a jump but might be too small or not developed enough. Gryba is a beast, he plays a game that will eventually be similar to A Train, the only difference is he is bigger and in all honesty MIGHT be a better fit beside Phillips because he wont get turned around by playing is off side like A Train does.

Gryba was by all account dominate in Bingo the time he was there and Murray made referance to him pushing hard for a spot next year. Wiercoich and Cowen will get a look by they are by no means more ready then Gryba, he is the closet of everyone and could be right there. He wont be a top pairing guy or someone outside of the smart hockey markets hear of, but he will be that Zanon type, that Komiserek and A Train type. A guy that will be tough to play against, will lay guys out, and with the right direction could be a force going forward with Cowen, Wiercoich, and of course Karlsson.

People like to talk about the big 3 D prospects in Ottawa, IMO, it's the big 4. You have the skill in Karlsson, you have the all around game in Wiercoich, you have the size and speed of Cowen, and now, you have the mean streak and viciousness of Gryba.

Thanks. I'll have to take a look but my first impression is that between Gryba's size and style of game, and Sutton's shot blocking we wouldn't even miss Volchenkov. It might actually be the great timing for him to walk.

It's perfect timing for A Train to walk. Sutton would be a good guy to help Gryba along as well being a former NCAA player and who will be asked to play a very similar style as Sutton as well.

There will be the rookie mistakes and all that like any other D man, but if you are talking about who is higher on the depth chart right now, Lee or Gryba... it's Gryba and I think by a large margin.

HOw exactly does Regin re-sign for 1 MIllion?
If there's an opportunity to get this guy for 2.5/3 M for 6 years, it's right Diddling now.