Commandant

Pat Brisson and Marc Bergevin. Whats wrong with these guys? Brisson is one of the best agents in the business. This would be a hire very similar to the Pierre Lacroix hire by the Nordiques way back in the day and that worked out fantastic. It would also be similar to Mike Gillis in Vancouver who has done a hell of a job with that team. The guy is very well connected. He's an excellent judge of talent (just look at his client list), and he's well versed in the CBA. He's a great negotiator of contracts. He's highly thought of and highly respected among virtually every team in the league. He's maintained a very classy approach to his business not being a mong like Allan Walsh or other agents. What's not to like? As for Bergevin, very experienced. Has paid his dues coming up in the Blackhawks organization. Has learned under Scotty Bowman and Dale Tallon. Has a Stanley Cup Ring. Hire would be similar to the Peter Chiarelli hire in Boston, or the hiring of Shero by the Penguins. He's got more management experience and more success than Julien Brisebois who is one of the favorites of the media here. I don't get the criticism. 100% both these guys should be on the short list of people interviewed for the job. No question about that.

Schneider is a very good goalie, but he's not worth 1st overall. That has Kessel deal written all over it.

Alex Henry gets 200K per year to play in the AHL which is among the highest 2 way deals in the league. He's rewarded pretty well for what he does.

Avtsin should just go back to Russia next year.

They are both pushing for their buddies so they can be "insiders" and get first access for interviews, leaked info etc... Its selfish

I think the #1 overall would be worth more than that. A lot more.

Brock Nelson just signed with the Isles. All the UND fans on twitter think this means that Kristo is next. This would be great news for Mark MacMillan as well as he'll have a shot at being on the first line next year.

The first of many http://lastwordonsports.com/2012/04/03/nhl-draft-prospect-profile-1-nail-yakupov/

April 2012 Future Considerations. http://futureconsiderations.ca/top-rankings/

Alex Henry? The guy won't even catch Ryan Malone let alone fight him. He makes Hal Gill look like Pavel Bure.

Talk last year at this time was that RNH needed another season to bulk up and was too small to play in the NHL right away. Lets get to training camp before we make these determinations. That said, even if he needs another year in Junior, so be it. We aren't picking the guy who will be the best player in September, we need to pick the guy who will have the best career.

Famous McGuire Statements that he now doesn't acknowledge exist. = The pick of Carey Price was straight off the Reservation. - The Canadiens made a big mistake passing up on Alexei Cheraponov and Angelo Esposito to draft Ryan McDonagh. - Max Pacioretty will be a great third liner in the NHL, he reminds me of Mike McPhee. - Lars Eller will never be a goal scorer in the NHL. I'll be shocked if he ever scores 20 goals in his career. (16 as a 22 year old with very little PP time). - Jaroslav Halak is a better goalie than Carey Price. - If I was named GM of an NHL team, Mike Milbury would be in my top 3 coaching candidates. (said in the last 2 months) - If I was named GM of the Montreal Canadiens, I'd do everything possible to trade for Vincent Lecavalier. (said in the last 2 months) - The Chicago Blackhawks have 2 elite centres in Jonathan Toews and Dave Bolland. Montreal doesn't have anyone in their league. Tomas Plekanec doesn't stack up to Dave Bolland. - Dmitri Orlov will be the next Sergei Zubov, he's gonna be that good. - On Steven Valiquette: "A guy that can make big-time stops at the right time..." - Luke Schenn is the human eraser. He's the next Adam Foote. - Dion Phaneuf will win a lot of Norris Trophies in the NHL - Justin Pogge is the future of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He'll sure as hell remind you though every time he was ever right about something when he goes on the radio. Never acknowledging when he's been dead wrong. I file it under "Throw enough shit at the wall, some of it is bound to stick."

Any idea who the backup is for the Bulldogs tonight?

You realize Kaberle waived his NTC right? So yeah when push came to shove he did leave to go try and win a cup. Also you are comparing Kaberle who when he invoked the NTC in 2008 was in his early 30s to Bourque who was 38 when traded. Big difference. Kaberle felt he had enough years left that he could help the rebuild on the ice and would still be a player when it finished. Bourque was in a now or never situation. Funny how we are criticizing a player for being loyal to his team.

Every time I hear McGuire on the radio, the only thing he proves is that he loves trying to convince people how much smarter he is than anyone else in the NHL. He's got the same flaws today that are highlighted in the old Hartford article. I'm sure if he's the GM it will be an unmitigated disaster and we'll be the laughingstock of the league for a long time. He'll be more of a blowhard than Burke.

But remember somehow Boston won in spite of him even though he had the most PP points on the team and the most points by a defenceman on the team.

Forsberg is not a center

True... but logical to me means the guy you are gonna call up should be the backup for Hamilton on Tuesday. Oklahoma to Montreal is a long flight and there will be some Jet Lag. Then he has to fly to Carolina after the Montreal game. If you want him to start in Carolina, you shouldn't start him in Oklahoma City.

They'll start Mayer Tuesday and then call him up after the game just to give him one more start to mess with you.

I agree the quality of opposition is a big jump. I just don't think you can blame Forsberg and say, he should be playing in the Elite League. Leksands isn't a farm team where their big club can call him up like the AHL or Russian MHL is for the KHL, so I was clarifying that. I also agree he's gonna take time and he's one of the youngest prospects in this draft as he's an August 1994. A few more months and he would have been in the 2013 draft. Besides all that I like Galchenyuk, and I think its unlikely (not impossible, but unlikely) he's in the NHL next year. But who will be ready fastest is never what I would base my pick on.

Shut him down til September. Don't ###### around with a concussion. Its a lost season for the Habs, and the WC don't mean that much to me. Hockey Canada understands if he has a concussion, he's been a loyal hockey canada guy (U18s and WJC)

Radio Canada seems to think Price has a concussion. http://www.radio-canada.ca/sports/hockey/2012/04/02/007-habs-entrainement-price.shtml

Paarjvi and Rundblad could both be good NHLers. I agree there. Fact is though they aren't getting it done yet, when other players drafted around them are. I shouldn't have called them busts, but my point was that just because Landeskog, Hedman, and Larsson look good, doesn't mean the next Swede will be awesome too. Forsberg might be, but he might not be. I'd like to see him in games so I can judge him for his individual talents, rather than where he was born. As for being in the Allvensken instead of the Swedish Elite League. That isn't something you can blame on Forsberg or his play. You have to remember that the Euro leagues run their leagues like soccer. His team got demoted to the 2nd division (like in Soccer) the year before he joined, and are trying to qualify for the Elitserran again. Its not like he was sent down to play in the Swedish version of the AHL, and he didn't sign with this team knowing they'd be in a lower league, he was coming up through their development program when they were an Elite League Club. That said, his playing time is not great, but his numbers for a 17 year old are actually very good. They are about 4x what Patrick Berglund had in the same league at the same age. (3g 1a 4pts in 21 games, drafted 25th overall... vs 8 goals 17pts in 41 games. Tough league to score in for a 17 year old.

Oh I think Troupp and Carrington should make the team, but there spots are not secure and with 17 dline guys under contract the fights for backup jobs will be intense. As for the draft, the more I think about it the more I feel they almost have to go LT on draft day, but I just think Buddy Nix is very committed to Best Player Available, see CJ spiller who was not a need with jackson and lynch on the club.

First rounders 2005-2009 out of Sweden who look like shit. How do you feel about Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson (#10 overall pick)... 2 goals in 41 games for the Oilers this year... only 5 goals in 28 AHL games? What about David Rundblad who got sent back to the AHL? Where is 2008 NHL 1st rounder Anton Gustaffson? Was Mattias Tedenby worth a 2008 first round pick? Mikael Backlund sucks in Calgary. Dennis Persson 2006 first round pick for Buffalo Nicklas Bergfors Sweden has its share of disappointing guys and busts too. You can't base a scouting decision on where a kid was born.