NHL Off-season Thread

[Imran Siddiqui]

Start an off topic thread on it. Get back on topic (ie, if you've forgotten, the NHL).

To start back again:

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=212106&hubname=

Jim Balsillie's bid to purchase the Nashville Predators and relocate them to Southern Ontario appears unlikely now that current Predators owner Craig Leipold has found a new buyer.

According to the National Post, Leipold informed Balsillie earlier this week that he would not accept his $238-million US offer for the NHL club. Instead, Leipold is preparing to sell the franchise to California businessman William DelBiaggio, who is expected to move the team to Kansas City instead.

Though this deal can only go through if the Preds average less than 14,000 per game this upcoming season... which means more sell offs of players.

So the Kansas City Predators will come into existence. Let's see if they fare better than the old KC Scouts.

[notyoueither]

We could be on topic is we were discussing who the larger villain is, Ming or Bettman.

[Ninot]

Really, I don't know why they think this is so much better than a team in Hamilton.

[notyoueither]

They feel that growing alfalpha on the moon would be more profitable than wheat in Saskatchewan.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Ninot
Really, I don't know why they think this is so much better than a team in Hamilton.

Not sure they think it is, it's just that Balsillie pissed them off by selling season tickets in Hamilton already while the Preds still have a lease with Nashville.

[Kontiki]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui


Not sure they think it is, it's just that Balsillie pissed them off by selling season tickets in Hamilton already while the Preds still have a lease with Nashville.

No, the league (read: Bettman) does think it's better. He's still convinced it's better to test the waters in a yet untapped US market than to put the team in an established hockey area. It's not entirely stupid, since if you put another team in Southern Ontario, you're not really growing the fan base - everyone there is already a hockey fan. However, it's mostly stupid because it's putting building the base (and there's no guarantee that will actually work) over securing healthy franchises.

[Kontiki]

So the salary cap has jumped to $50.3 million. How much longer until the whole cap thing is totally irrelevant?

Here's some fun facts from the Globe:

The new salary cap will have a floor of $34.3-million and a midpoint of $42.3 million.

Conservatively, if the 30 teams combined to spend an average of $46-million per team on salaries, that would be a total of $1.38-billion.

The combined money spent by the 30 teams at the conclusion of the 2003-04 season, five months before the lockout commenced, was a $1.34-billion.

[cinch]

According to sportnet.ca (Hockey Hearsay), word is that Bettman pseudo-promised a franchise to the KC consortium last year, to keep them from buying and moving the Penguins out of Pittsburg.

Now that Nashville's as good as gone, the KC people (who are actually all from California--Boots del Biaggio and the Anschutz Group) are getting preferential treatment... even though they're offering Leipold $50m less than Balsillie was/is.

At least, that's the rumour, anyway...

[Ninot]

re: the cap at 50 mil

It's still less than what Detroit, NY and Toronto used to be paying players. It still sucks for cities like Phoenix or Miami (who don't really deserve teams, but I digress), but I think you'd need better revenue sharing to help that situation.

[notyoueither]

JFJ and some other GMs are looking better. Lucky Caunck buck for them.

[notyoueither]

Does everyone have their popcorn ready for tomorrow morning?

[Lord Avalon]

D'oh! Ducks signed Schneider. I didn't think the Wings would be able to re-sign him, but I wish he hadn't gone to the Ducks.

Schneider signs two-year deal with Ducks

For the third straight offseason, the Anaheim Ducks have locked up a big defenseman.

The defending Stanley Cup champions signed unrestricted free agent Mathieu Schneider to a two-year deal worth $11.25 million.

Schneider, 38, spent the past four seasons with the Detroit Red Wings and had 11 goals and 41 assists and averaged 23:35 in ice time over 68 goals in 2006-07.

Schneider's signing was a contingency plan in the event Conn Smythe Trophy winner Scott Niedermayer decides to retire.

"Scott Niedermayer has informed me that he is leaning toward retirement," Ducks GM Brian Burke said in a statement released Sunday afternoon. "Typical of his character and leadership, he made the call this morning in order to allow us to make alternative plans in the event he does not return. Although he has not retired and would be welcomed back, we felt adding another top NHL defenseman was critical to defending our championship. Mathieu Schneider fits into that category and will be a great addition to our team."

Schneider's move out west marks the third straight offseason Anaheim has locked up a top blueliner. The Ducks signed Niedermayer following the end of the lockout in August 2005 and they traded for Chris Pronger before the start of the 2006-07 season.

Schneider continues to be productive. He's scored 50 or more points in four of his past six seasons, including 52 (11 goals, 41 assists) last year to finish second among Detroit blue-liners.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2922547

[notyoueither]

I think the Wings recovered very well with Rafalski.

[Lord Avalon]

Dang, 5yrs, $30M!! I certainly hope he's worth it.

Hometown guy, from Dearborn, MI (just west of Detroit). Younger than Schneider, he's only 34.

[cinch]

Where are all the posts???

Oilers trade F Joffrey Lupul and D Jason Smith to Philly for D Joni Pitkanen, F Geoff Sanderson, and a 3rd rounder.

Uhm... Well, I do like Pitkanen a lot... And Lupul was kindof a bust... I like the trade okay, but we certainly didn't get away with a 'steal' or anything. Sanderson was clearly just a salary dump, but at least he should be an active face in his hometown. Getting rid of gator will hurt in the short term, though... Best case scenario: Pitkanen and Smid develop into a good 1-2 combo in a couple years. It could happen!

We definitely need more UFAs though, Lowe!

Scott Hannan's still out there... And Tom Preissing...