simonus Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 I'd take Pitkanen first. truth. Forgot about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoZed Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 I'd take Pitkanen first. Beat me to it. Then Timonen... Niinimaa was a stud years ago but, like Forecaster says, sharp decline in recent years. But we needed the depth and Niinimaa is a better solution than lot of things out there. Thing is, though, he's a lefty like Bouillon, Souray and Markov... with Rivet, Komisarek and Dandeneault on the other side, and Streit in the mix, there'll be some traffic once Bouillon comes back from his injury. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonus Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 Thing is, though, he's a lefty like Bouillon, Souray and Markov... with Rivet, Komisarek and Dandeneault on the other side, and Streit in the mix, there'll be some traffic once Bouillon comes back from his injury. By my count, this gives Niinimaa till December to kick somebody out of the top-6. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMMR Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 Niinimma has been terrible recently and most likely would not have been top 6 in Dallas. He did have an ankle injury last season. Possibly koivu will inspire him to find his game that brought him 5 +10 and 30+ point seasons! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonus Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=3025 a little bit of analysis from a Stars partisan. In part: "The fact that the Stars moved a defenseman came as no big shock. They were going to move one sooner or later. Niinimaa, who struggled last season, was always considered a prime candidate. He played well this pre-season though." Not overwhelmingly gushing, but some hope i guess... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathieu30 Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 From my 'hockey card archive': Niinimaa's fleet-fooded ways have been a great fit in Edmonton. He frequently pushes the puck up ice, looking to spring a teammate who is cutting in from the wing. Niinimaa is a regular member of the Oilers' power-play unit, notching a pair of tallies in the past two campaigns. After scoring four times in each of his first three years, he buried eight in '99-00. He has proven to be a gamer for Edmonton. Niinimaa played in 81 games the last two seasons. .. 96-97 Flyers 77GP 4G 40A 44PTS +12 97-98 PHI/EDM 77 4G 39A 43PTS +13 98-99 Oilers 81 4G 24A 28PTS +7 99-00 Oilers 81 8G 25A 33PTS +14 source: 2000 TUDC I just found a tape from a Dallas Stars game from the 05-06 season. A more recent 'scouting report' coming up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ch_nl Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 Rivet bettet than Niinimaa? Come on! Read the old Niinimaa thread... I'd say that Niinimaa is better then Kimmi Timmonen. I'd alos say that Petteri Nummelin is better than Kimmo Timmonen. But that's just me... We'll see. The best deal since Kovalev. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stjrandy Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 I have liked Niinimaa since he was a junior player. He's had some physical difficulty the last few years but is far from washed up.He automatically becomes a top 4 on the habs. As for ANYTHING that TSN has to say about non-Leaf hockey well they are a total disgrace and shouldn't be taken seriously. I would say that even when it comes to Leaf hockey they are an uninformed disgrace as well but I'll keep it quiet. :-) Back from the Abyss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markierung Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 he's had a few rough years since leaving Edmonton He had limited ice time in Dallas I think this is a good fit for him. His game is much more suited for the Eastern Conference of today that the west. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smon Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 Forecaster Trade Analysis What does it give the Montreal Canadiens? The Canadiens continue to seek upgrades on defense, but in Niinimaa they have to settle for another depth defenseman. The 31-year-old Finn has struggled since leaving Edmonton in 2003, and was terrible with both the New York Islanders and Stars last season. He'll play a top-six role for as long as Francis Bouillon is out of the Habs lineup, but will eventually become an expensive ($2.5 million) seventh defenseman. What does it give the Dallas Stars? While Niinimaa's situation improves slightly in his new surroundings, Ribeiro is in much worse shape in Big D. While he was considered Montreal's second-line center, the 26-year-old Ribeiro may start out as the No. 5 center on the Stars--behind NHL vets Mike Modano, Eric Lindros, Jeff Halpern and Patrik Stefan. Or, Ribeiro's arrival could lead to another move. In the end, the Stars save $600,000 in salary-cap space, which was probably the most important aspect of this trade. He was a good player in the past, solid top four defender. Terrible last season. Pretty well compensated at over 2.5M, contract expires end of this year. Essentially this wasn't much at all for Ribiero, but still at least it was a defender and Ribs wasn't highly regarded by anybody. Let's hope he plays like he did in the past - maybe some motivation because of impending UFA status? He once was a real solid defenseman, easily the best on his team. If not then as the analysis says, he could be one heck of an expensive seventh defender. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoZed Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 I have liked Niinimaa since he was a junior player. He's had some physical difficulty the last few years but is far from washed up.He automatically becomes a top 4 on the habs. As for ANYTHING that TSN has to say about non-Leaf hockey well they are a total disgrace and shouldn't be taken seriously. I would say that even when it comes to Leaf hockey they are an uninformed disgrace as well but I'll keep it quiet. :-) Back from the Abyss I'll repeat myself for the umpteenth time here: THE PLAYER PROFILES ON TSN ARE NOT WRITTEN BY TSN. TSN IS FED CONTENT BY FORECASTER. http://www.forecaster.ca/demo/hockey/index.cgi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexstream Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 But Forecaster is AWFULLY wrong on Ribeiro... so I assume that they can be wrong on Niin too. Ribeiro will play the 2nd line between Morrow and Lindros in Dallas. My personal scouting report on Niin is the following: Fask skating, puck moving dman with size, doesn't shy away from traffic, but cannot be labelled as physical. Has had his share of injuries over the past 2-3 seasons, but a surgery this offseason should have settled his ankle problems for good. Niinimaa's offensive nose will refresh habs' powerplay, while he doesn't have Sheldon's cannon shot, he has more creativity than him and this should allow for more powerplay options, he will take some PP time off Sheldon's shoulders who will be able to refine his defensive game a bit. It definitly means the end of Rivet's presence on the PP, which was a total failure anyway. Niinimaa's great mobility makes him a somewhat reliable defenseman in the defensive zone. While not as good as Rivet, and while we won't see him often on the PK, he's not a liability such as Brisebois and might not make the "highlightreel of the week'" like sheldon does... being handed a good cup of Coffee... If you wanna put him somewhere on the depth chart, depending on how his recent years injuries have affected him, he could be as good as #2 and as bad as #4. His mobility and his offensive game will put him ahead of Dandy and Komo for now, for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullsmith Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 This is a GREAT trade for the habs. First and most importantly, we're a better team without Ribiero, period. Although I'm going to hate spelling his name, Nini-ma is exactlyt he kind of d-man we needed. We've reallky lacked a guy who can fill the void, short-term, if Markov is out. Last year we saw that only Streit had a the skating and puckhandling to potentially carry that role. Boullion just doesn't have the offensive nose and the others don't carry the puck all that well. I think the Fin connection can only help, and the Euro character of our team is really not a problem. Compare Koivu's heart and grit to Ribiero's. We got a name for Ribiero. Even if he's in decline, Gainey's a genius. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The-Habby2919 Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Does anybody else know that Janne had 2 goals in 4 games this preseason? :hlogo: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoZed Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Looks like Ribs will play with... Carbo's son-in-law (Morrow) and Montreal's favorite... Lindros! I wish Ribs a good season, just to stick it to the biased fans who were never fair with him and wanted him gone at all costs. I just wish Niinimaa an even better season so we win the deal. Perhaps Niin will do better in a system based on speed than he did in Dallas or NY. But Forecaster is AWFULLY wrong on Ribeiro... so I assume that they can be wrong on Niin too.. That's because the descriptions are more than a year old. I check Forecaster regularly, they haven't updated their scouting profiles in quite a long time. I dont think they're wrong with Niin though, he's been on the decline ever since he left Edmonton. He was one of my fave defensemen back then, but since he ended up in NYI he started sucking. This trade is all about players who aren'tt playing up to their potential, those are always gambles. At worst, we got depth and a pick upgrade by letting a Comrie-type of 2nd-line C go. At best we get the top 2 D Niinimaa of old for an underachieving C who gets outplayed by his successor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(zore) Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Janne wore #4 in Dallas and #44 for the Finns. What do you think he goes for here? He wore #24 with the Islanders. I say #24. I hope he can remain healthy, cause he can be a great pick up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dark_faerie87 Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Eeeee!!!!!!!!! Words alone can't describe how elated I am about this trade! As for trading Ribs, I do feel sorry for the guy, as I felt he would have had a decent enough season. However, he frees up a top-six spot, which is good news for the team and the young guys. As for picking up Niinimaa, it's great news in three ways! 1) We add a Finn to the team! :king: 2) I now have a Habs player on my HWL roster! :king: 3) He's a mobile, creative defenseman who has the potential to light it up this year! :king: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C-Love Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 My question now is who is going to fill Ribs spot at center? We were short in that catagory to begin with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Koivu, Higgins, Plekanec, Bonk, Murray, Johnson and Begin all play center. I don't think that's a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Iron Lung Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Good riddance to bad rubbish! Welcome Janne Niinimaa! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redondo Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Well, like many posted already, this is not the Niinimaa of old, but the one thing that he has which makes me believe that he can do well in the new NHL and this team in particular is his speed. If he doesn't do well though, I can see him getting KILLED by the fans, because he's been prone to some Breeser-like mistakes in the recent years AND has been traded for the favorite local boy. It's all going to depend on how successful his surgery was, he's definitely still relatively young enough to bounce back. As for Ribs, he needed a fresh start, and I personally hope he does well. He's not such a bad kid, and as much as he drove us mad at times, he's worked on his weaknesses (speed, body mass) over the past two offseasons enough to make me believe he can fulfill some of that potential. Good luck Ribs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shu Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Janne Niinimaa looks aswome, he looks like one of those Norsemen, if he grew a huge beard Like when montreal are in the playoffs this year , if we still have him he will look like a viking with a huge beard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
habs_in_the_blood Posted October 2, 2006 Author Share Posted October 2, 2006 I can see him getting KILLED by the fans, because he's been prone to some Breeser-like mistakes in the recent years AND has been traded for the favorite local boy. true habs fans favorite local boy would have to be begin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revvvrob Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 (edited) addition through subtraction. buh-bye Ribs welcome Mini-ma Edited October 2, 2006 by revvvrob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCeh Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 (edited) Q: Who Is Janne Niinimaa? A: Niinimaa's Mathieu Dandenault's new defensive partner. http://www.lapresse.com/article/20061002/C...5128/CPSPORTS01 «I don't really know him, but I've played against him often. He's a talented player who enjoys joining the rush, like me. So it'll be important for us to know where the other's at on the ice, and to reach an understanding re: in which situations will he or I be the more mobile [rushing?] defenseman,» Dandenault considered. ---------------------- http://www.lapresse.com/article/20061002/C...5128/CPSPORTS01 The ex-habs Stéphane Robidas, who played alongside Niinimaa, regarding the Finn's ankle injury: Robidas saw a different defenseman in September [as compared to last season]. "He had a great camp. We looked more sure-footed than he did last season -- he scored 2 nice goals in 4 pre-season games and his plus/minus rating was a good +1." The article goes on to read the Stars were willing part with Niinimaa, having acquired Jaroslav Modry (who played for coach Tippett in LA) and Stanley Cup winning Darryl Sydor. Except for the 05-06 campaign when Niinimaa played slightly under 20 minutes per game, he's played an average of 23-26 minutes a game throughout his career. Edited October 2, 2006 by MCeh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.