for Pete's sake

36W 37L 6OTL 3SOL = 81 points 8th in Atlantic 24th in league 4 20 goal scorers Suzy with 78 points

Amen!

Paul Byron and some draft capitol? They could use a W that can move up and down the lineup while they ease in Kyle Connor and they need somebody cheaper as they have a lot of raises due next year

I feel like it has a decent chance of happening. This regime seems very conscious of a 3-4 year window to win now, and if they don't get us a cup or at least a finals appearance once that's passed (or maybe even slightly before) I think its likely they get their walking papers. Usually there's a mandate for an incoming GM to reverse some of the predecessors tendencies and weaknesses. Like when Guathier was fired they wanted a GM that would be more media friendly. Enter mr. prankster, young and friendly Marc Bergevin. I guess what I'm saying is I think we can all agree Marc Bergevin's weakness has been the lack of player development under his watch. So I could see his successor being mandated to reverse it

I had the same feeling about this as raising his value, because the term kind of dismisses him from being a core piece you build around. I'd love if that wasn't the case, and we were simply giving the kid more time to grow into a role before going long term. I suppose at the very least it buys MB more time to find the right deal

I feel like the longer this goes the less likely they are to resign. If MB's offers were good enough wouldn't they have signed by now? It seems more likely they're doing their due diligence on a new destination at this point My hope is dwindling

I'd say if he played all 82 in 16/17 the groin is fine. As for the hand, I'm guessing it was more of a fracture since he played afterward anyway I get what your saying, that eventually all this usage is may render him a lesser player in the near future. The troublesome injuries haven't slowed down Pacioretty. Some guys are thoroughbreds and able to manage minor injuries. Alzner seems to be one of these Edit: Sorry Machine of Loving Grace, I didn't see your quoted info about Alzner and his hand....new to the forum. Hmmm hopefully he wasn't being literal in that was more of an anecdote

Didn't he break his hand?

Well Jesus this makes me feel better! Thank you for this I think the commonly used hockey statistics as of today (even the typical shot volume advanced ones) are still lacking compared to other sports like baseball where the different facets of the game can evaluated and compared quite easily today

TSN (Aaron Ward) reporting the Candiens signing of Alzner is a five year deal and said 4.5 AAV. Not terrible if true I guess compared to the 6yr 5 mil stuff we were hearing about yesterday

So the two year contract Markov is looking for has me wondering. Would we better off grabbing Del Zotto to fill Markov's minutes. He should come at a reasonable cost as he's awfully injury prone. Maybe if he can dial back the physical play he can stay in the lineup a little more as he logs a ton of hits for a guy that size. Very strange career arc for somebody who just turned 27, I feel like he could be a good buy if somebody can get him for say 3 years at around 3.5- 4.0 mil per

Most any trade of bottom 6ers where you gain the cap flexibility can be considered a win in my books

These Karl Alzner rumors keep persisting. Not sure how I feel about this one as I'm cringing as to the term and salary....somebody talk some sense into me, is this guy good enough to warrant a long term contract of 4.5/yr or more? The advanced statistics make him look pretty mediocre as he's usually at the middle or lower end for Washington's Corsi or Fenwich % but then he never gets hurt and doesn't give the puck away much compared to the ice time he recieves. I suppose he'll be better than Emelin, but my gut is he might just be another one of MB's overpays for middling talent. I suppose if his addition allows MB to not use Galchenyuk as a trade piece and his salary is just low enough for us to retain Markov and another forward it could be considered a good thing......... or not lol. What's the point where his cost is prohibitive to what we need to accomplish this summer?

I had that thought as well, but I think this year is a little different no? The expansion draft causes abnormal activity and player flipping In 2014 Jaroslav Halak was traded from the Blues to the Sabres on Feb.28th only to be traded from the Sabres to the Capitols 3 days later. That's in the middle of the season for players and picks in two seeminlgy complicated trades so not really a 3-way trade scenario. Then he was traded yet again before the draft from the Caps to the Islanders so this kind of thing is far from unprecedented Bergevin had a screaming need at LD so he took advantage of the availability of defensemen through Vegas at a bargain price. Schlemko hasn't played a game, maybe hasn't even met new teammates, nor had to find a house or be assimilated into the team; lets not pretend he's somehow meant to be a cornerstone addition to the team this offseason either. He's fair game to be flipped IMO

One situation where I think a potential top 4 D could be available cheaper is Columbus. You'd think Ryan Murray could be had for a 2nd round pick and one of our bottom pairing guys like Schlemko. I doubt they wanna subtract anybody from their roster but they could use more cost certainty and a guy like Schlemko or even Benn could net us that upgrade with a pick. What about that? That way we don't have to subtract Galchenyuk or any of our other forwards. I think he could play with Weber personally

Haven't seen any discussion on this yet, but I'm curious to know if anybody else thinks this was the right decision. Going with London over Western Michigan I had the pros as: - more games, more ice time (maybe groomed as a net presence on a stacked PP) - guaranteed big game experience hosting the memorial cup - primed with a hockey mad Canadian city - allowed to work on his "pugalistic" skills And the cons as: - more "practice time" (time in the gym to slowly add muscle) - would be tested immediatley in a scoring role (Murray gave that impression) I have the coaches as an even wash. While the Hunters are proven developers of major league talent, I see Andy Murray as no slouch and he reportedly has a great strength and conditioning coach in Tim Herrmann. Long time reader first time poster. Maybe I'm looking for positives in this mediocre start to the off-season, but I was happy to hear about this news