Another very smart day for Garth Snow, another foolish day around the NHL.
Nothing out there was done today that could improve the New York Islanders, which was just another brutal day for the NHL market.
What's happening in basketball will be happening in the NHL here by next summer, the agents for our soon to be RFA/UFA will be lining up for the same deals as they should.
That's the real bad news.
Garth Snow has three left wings more productive than Simone Gagne. Michal Handzus had less goals than Marty Reasoner last year, he played in all eighty two games.
Twenty eight other clubs want to trade for Keith Yandle, he's going to want his forty million when he reaches UFA. It's not worth the talent it would take in return to trade for him.
Phoenix needs to make what could be their last stand by winning now.
Jack Hillen scored the same four goals Kaberle did for two teams, is this the player you want to give Calvin deHaan or one of these kids spot to? Not me.
Outside of Tomas Vokoun, who signed a one-year contract with Washington for 1.5m, a ton of poor contracts again on Saturday.
Vokoun's agent played this as poorly as Nabokov's last summer. Wonder how Ed Snider feels about blowing up his roster now for Ilya Bryzgalov, even Tampa giving Roloson three million dollars?
All those backups who got the same or more than Vokoun?
Washington robbing Colorado for a first round pick/signing Vokoun were the biggest winners of UFA this summer by a mile.
What was Dale Tallon thinking with all that money to reach the floor with a true top flight goaltender? He then overspends on mediocrity/retreads, then let his one star get away?
Where is Bill Torrey to explain this to him?
Sadly, there is media defending the spending so out of touch, who don't follow the Panthers.
Someone needs to explain how Tampa's defense is improved with MA Bergeron, Bruno Gervais & Matt Gilroy?
So Toronto gave Tim Connolly almost five millions dollars for a thirteen goal player/minus ten player on a playoff team? That's less goals than Josh Bailey scored two years ago.
What can be said about the Cablevision Rangers that was not written already? I only wish Richards robbed them for even more at that age/price but that's about as foolish as any team can be. Unless the money is absurd or front-loaded no one signs to play for Cablevision.
If it keeps Cablevision from making a run at Tavares or the true star center's upcoming entering their prime, it's worth every penny to our franchise.
Go look at the Dallas Stars scoring last year, Richards had an excellent core group of scoring players. It's a poor gamble at that age, a bad contract, it would be just as bad here. Cue Newsday/Dolan's paid spin-doctors, who's jobs are at stake.
Anyone who claims he signed for any other reason than the money are kidding themselves, he took no discount, as no one ever does to play at Cablevision.
That's 20m pre-lockout up-font to read off the Dolan/Trautwig cue-cards Ted Drury's brother left behind on Ranger tradition.
The good news for him is like everyone else, the spotlight will not be on him in baseball city USA. He had far more attention in Tampa and Dallas.
I could not have hand-picked someone out of UFA to be a worse signing for that franchise. Not jealously, same thinking when Sather was hired/no real plan, but who clearly takes his marching orders from Dolan.
They have a coach who two weeks before he was hired said, Avery does not belong in the NHL, a gm who said if he had Cablevision's payroll they would never lose a game.
Dolan is the dumbest owner in professional sports by a mile. I guess eventually you buyout/front load/hide enough brutal contracts, one pays off.
Richards will not be that player, but he can start talking about Sean Avery again
here who he's reunited with from Dallas.
Twenty million dollars upfront in lockout protection helps to clarify uncertainty.
It will not make for success.
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