Do some folks understand the CBA and that rookie contracts have a max with bonus money? Or that you can only pay eight or nine forwards to be on your top three lines?
The notion this team struggling is about Charles Wang not spending more money during the summer to add an UFA forward class that was sub-par with a lot of names like Zherdev, Frolov or Torres is ridiculous. I suppose he could have done what Pittsubrgh did with Comrie or Fedotenko vs Patenteau but how does that solve anything?
You want to argue Snow should have forced Chicago or Philadelphia to trade them players they had to unload? That's not so easy, and involved top picks that here added Niederreiter and Brock Nelson. Snow got Wisniewski sort of that way, but the Flyers were not likely to trade Gagne in division, he has also struggled and been injured.
Garth Snow tried to use Wang's money on defense, which Paul Martin's agent confirmed. It would have been easy to promote deHaan or Hamonic and not signed Mottau but they spent another million plus.
Once again the CBA rookie contracts have a max with bonus money. Or that you can only pay eight or nine forwards to be on your top three lines. If Wang/Snow cannot sign them when they become RFA because of low offers then we can start talking about Mr Wang.
Tavares, Bailey, Okposo are all on their entry level contracts, making the max that Mr Wang is allowed to pay them, three spots gone.
* Frans Nielsen was drafted in 2003, he signed a four year contract, we can argue whether he should stay or not but you cannot simply get rid of someone you put that kind of commitment in, four spots gone.
* Trent Hunter is on a five year contract, you can debate a trade but other general managers see the same things we are. You cannot demote him or cut him, five spots.
* Matt Moulson was resigned and is a pending UFA, six spots.
* Blake Comeau was drafted in 2004, did it make sense to not sign him again or release him based upon his strong finish a year ago because of how much he made?
Seven spots.
* After the stretch Rob Schremp had did it make sense at his age to not qualify him because he made less money? Eight spots.
That's eight forwards, not counting Niederreiter, who would have been another max contract or Grabner on waivers coming off his rookie contract.
You want to tell me they should not have signed Weight or added Parenteau and instead added a five million dollar scoring forward, give me a name beyond Kovalchuk from last summer's UFA class? Not like the NHL is boycotting Bill Guerin or Satan these days either.
I know things look terrible right now, I felt the pp was due to dry up so now they are not scoring at all, and the five on five play scoring is reaching a point where something has to give.
They seem to be out of options beyond throwing in Joensuu, Figren or another player in Bridgeport. I hate to write it but this team played two solid games in a row and could not score, they are due again for a clunker or two especially with Thornton returning for San Jose and them desperate for a win.
Rick DiPietro also is due to play on a team with seemingly no margin for error at five on five.
Just a little reality check for those complaining about Wang and how he should spend more. The roster spots were mostly taken and he's paying some of these players the max allowed. Also spending more so far has not worked in New Jersey.
Did you want Snow to move Nielsen, Comeau or Schremp this summer simply to add more payroll, or walk away from Moulson, or buyout Hunter?
The prospects are making the max, almost all the other spots were taken. You want to blame Snow for not moving Hunter or bringing back Weight, that's fair enough, but you cannot place Bailey, Tavares or Okposo on your fourth line.
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