Seb

Him and Zednik for me. Did a few backflips when Zednik got clotheslined in the playoffs that year against Boston.

9 & 10. Big Bird?

Fair enough. I'd say he was "best defenseman on the team at the time based on his second half play and likely to be the best defenseman on the team as long as his attitude doesn't interfere" level of good. IMO, a bridge deal for that kind of player is a prudent move, I think. Not to mention he was the best player on the third worst team. But I've always been high on PK and am really happy to see him succeed. I have no problem with him signing a deal with a ~7.5 AAV any time now. haha $7.6 would be cool, just to be like Crosby and his $8.7.

And both of us making great points!? It must be.

I agree about the importance of setting a precedence with respect to the handling of RFA contracts differently than UFA contracts. As Brian mentioned earlier, having that bridge contract system makes a ton of sense when considering the cyclic structure of player contracts over the course of their 15+ year careers. Maybe it isn't extremely intuitive on a year by year basis, as illustrated by the potential savings the team could have secured had they signed PK for 5 or 6 mil annually for a slightly longer term, but overall the bridge contract concept is an important one in managing a sustainable contract structure over the long term. Now, maybe making PK an exception would have been worth it as you say, because there would have been significant cap savings over the next (hypothetical) 8 years, but I think there's a point to be made in the other direction. If Subban's play remains at an elevated level, which we hope is the case, and he's regularly in the Norris discussion, Bergevin can point to PK as a precedent in each subsequent RFA negotiation without being laughed at for suggesting a bridge contract. Had PK had even a mediocre season after his holdout, the next hot shot RFA coming off his entry level deal could have brushed that consideration aside. Considering that PK was not a can't-miss elite defenseman at the time of his negotation, I agree completely with the way Bergevin handled it. Hindsight is a bitch in this case, but there was also the possibility of PK being the next Rusty Olesz.

Sorry, that was lazy of me. Here we go: http://habsprospects.com/nystrom.html

He's put up reasonable stats in Sweden, especially for a 6th rounder, hasn't he?

i love insta-draft reactions.

No, I meant Grigorenko. Granted, I haven't seen either of them play, but let's not forget Galchenyuk missed an entire year, and going off the season before the draft year can be dangerous. Remember Esposito? McFarland? It just worries the crap out of me. With that being said, I would LOVE Galchenyuk, and I hope to goodness he reaches his vast potential, and would be extremely happy. I just think that Grigorenko's fall from consensus #2 to outside the top 10 is a bit crazy, considering it happened only as he entered the playoffs. Remember the WJC? The guy is an animal, and a rare combination of talent and skill. I think he could make people look really dumb in 5 years, and I wouldn't be shocked if some of the rumours about him are being helped along by teams in the 4-8 range who would love to grab him.

At this point, to me, it's Yakupov, Grigorenko then Galchenyuk. How can you pass up a 6'3" 200 lbs centerman with unreal skills? Galchenyuk's too darn risky, I'd take Grigorenko over Galchenyuk.

What do we think of Bouwmeester? Send Gomez/weber and something else (3rd maybe?). He completely lost it in Calgary and seeing if he can return to his Floridian form with a change of scenery could be worth it at the right price. His cap hit is 6.8 mil for the next two seasons, which is a savings on Gomez's deal. I can see Calgary as a possible landing spot for Gomez because they're always looking for a playmaking forward to feed Iginla, and despite Gomez's recent uselessness, they could be reminded of his reputation. Also, I read somewhere that Cgy is going to be operating under an internal salary cap, and next season is when Gomez's salary decreases to 5mil, so they would see him as a 5 mil player, not 7+. It wouldn't get rid of Gomez's cap hit, but it would transform It into something potentially useful, and wouldn't add any length to the deal. I'd give Bouwmeester the Komi treatment: play him with Markov and watch him become an all-star.

http://rotoworld.com/articles/nhl/40573/218/nhl-mock-draft-102 Check it: This guy's got EDM taking Murray first and Forsberg going to CBS. That leaves Montreal with Yakupov. It's awesome that it's actually plausible that the Habs get Yakupov. I'd be pumped. Gotta think it's 1. Yakupov 2. Galchenyuk 3. Grigorenko/Forsberg?

The Grabs trade is still TBD. We'll get an idea of how Pateryn does in pro hockey soon.

This is about Grigorenko, from Corey Pronman at Hockey Prospectus This is about another top 3 pick in the last decade. Can you guess who? I've been leaning more and more toward Grigorenko over Galchenyuk. To be a star, you gotta have the talent. Grigorenko seems to have loads of it.

Tinoridi is an offensive juggernaught!!!!!

Dude, EPIC display picture. Just awesome.

A player who plays 1 second of junior hockey in Canada is ineligible to play in the AHL until he graduates from junior (turns 19 or 20 or whatever the threshold is.) Players can leave NCAA or Europe to play at 18 or 19 in the AHL though (Pacioretty did, Avtsin, I think A Kostitsyn too?). This prohibits NHL teams from taking players out of Canadian junior hockey and diluting the league.

I feel so dirty.

(If the Leafs show up.) *Facepalm*

He never should have been off our radar. Every team, regardless of roster or situation should always pick BPA. Always. It's simply bad practice not to. That being said, no one can really predict (past the consensus: Yak being #1 this year) who each team believes is the best. If I were a scouting department exec, I'd heavily scout all the players who could go around my pick (+-5 at least) and make my own decision independently of the "central" scouting department. So it literally depends on each team's scouting department as to who is BPA according to them, and it's impossible for us to predict it. But incredibly fun to speculate. BPA always, for everyone. D or F, doesn't matter. Habs are thinking this way too, guaranteed. However, if they value two different players equally, then the positional needs could play a part. All we can do is wait and see.

So are we saying that he needs to be signed or needs to be qualified? It would strike as being pretty weird if a graduating senior can just decline a qualifying offer and become a UFA.

lol if the Habs were 8th, every one would be complaining how they blew it and are tanking. The Habs are in last in the east, and get a point, and now they're blowing the tank. This is awesome. And man, that Markov pinch with 30 ticks left. Seriously. I have Desharnais in a hockey pool with a $600 purse. I'll take the 1 point. Either way, a top 5 pick is most likely (barring like .650 hockey) and that's just dandy. They'll get an excellent player, they'll just have less choice in terms of positions. 2 Cs, 2 LWs and 3 D in top 7. See what happens and enjoy it.

Markov's definitely rusty, but that's okay. Let him finish the year and show he can still play. His agility will be back with some ice time under his belt. He's awesome either way, I'm glad he's back. And hey, everyone's got to acknowledge Saku Koivu playing his 1000th game tonight. I know I have my Koivu jersey on tonight. Helluva guy.

TEAM TANK!! TEAM TANK!! TEAM TANK!!

Grab a veteran #6 D, purely defensive with size, mean, tough, dirty and who can stay below 150 PIMs. With Hal Gill-type offensive skills, should be able to find something along those lines for around 2 mil. Just a warrior. That's what the D corps in their present configuration would need, I think. That would let the pretty boys dance. That'd also mean Weber and Diaz as #s 7 and 8, and they're so alike, trade scenarios should be explored with those two.