NHL Off Season

[notyoueither]

I read somewhere that he was offered ~$5 per for four by Florida.

I think he made a large mistake from an income POV. His birthday had him two days away from being an over 35 contract. He is going to have a very large problem getting teams to offer term next summer when he is an over 35.

[Supr49er]

Sharks trade Heatley to the Wild for Havlat. Hmmm.

[Fake Boris]

Erik Cole.

$18m/4y

What do you guys think about that?

[Asher]

I vote no.

[Fake Boris]

Shun me surprised.

[notyoueither]

Likely way too much, if it's production he is being paid for.

[Flubber]

Sharks trade Heatley to the Wild for Havlat. Hmmm.

Two players with the ability to star but I have never really liked either of them that much. The sharks continue to try to remake themselves but IMHO they need to address their goalie issue most....... Niemi was a big negative in their elimination while the rest of the team was mostly pretty good..... I just don't see havlat as the game changer

[Flubber]

The flames have done less to change the team than I expected or hoped but hopefully clearing some cap room allows some moves and without regehr maybe some of the younger d get a better chance to play. I'm just not seeing much that would lead to believe the flames are suddenly a contender again

[Asher]

More on the LA/Edm trade fiasco.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/capitals/la-kings-gm-dean-lombardi-still-angry-with-edmonton-oilers-about-ryan-smyth-trade/2011/07/14/gIQADA5BFI_story.html

LA Kings GM Dean Lombardi still angry with Edmonton Oilers about Ryan Smyth trade

Los Angeles Kings general manager Dean Lombardi is still steamed at the Oilers after he traded Ryan Smyth to Edmonton for a player who can’t play.

Lombardi blasted the Oilers again Thursday about the clubs’ dispute over the fitness of forward Colin Fraser. The disagreement is likely to be resolved by the NHL in the next few days, with Lombardi planning to air his grievances to league general counsel David Zimmerman.

Lombardi isn’t trying to void the trade, and the Kings are likely to waive Fraser anyway — but they can’t do it until he’s healthy, and Lombardi believes the Oilers misled him.

Lombardi thinks Edmonton general manager Steve Tambellini is attempting to distract everybody from that misrepresentation by arguing about the severity of Fraser’s injury — and it’s not even the first time the Oilers have tried to trade an injured player to Los Angeles.

“This is twice. There comes a point where you say, ‘This is wrong,’” said Lombardi, who recently said he “would have rather invested my money in Bernie Madoff than invest in Edmonton’s word.”

After Smyth demanded a trade back to the Oilers last month, the Kings agreed to deal the veteran center to Edmonton for forward Gilbert Brule — until they learned Brule hadn’t been cleared to return from a concussion. Los Angeles instead acquired Fraser on June 26.

But Fraser broke his foot last season, and the Kings believe the injury will require surgery and four months of rehabilitation.

The Oilers insist Fraser is almost ready to play, saying the injury could improve with two weeks of rest. That’s not the problem, Lombardi says.

“There is no question that this player is not fit to play now, and obviously was not fit to play when (Tambellini) said he would be fit to play, which was the Wednesday after the trade,” Lombardi said. “So this is called the red herring method. What you do is say, ‘OK, the doctors disagree,’ but they don’t disagree on the fundamental premise, that this guy is not fit to play.

“When you want to get the jury off-track, throw out an ancillary issue and turn it into a major issue, and they forget about the real issue. You learn that in the first year of law school. Nice try.”

[Asher]

More on the LA/Edm trade fiasco.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/capitals/la-kings-gm-dean-lombardi-still-angry-with-edmonton-oilers-about-ryan-smyth-trade/2011/07/14/gIQADA5BFI_story.html

LA Kings GM Dean Lombardi still angry with Edmonton Oilers about Ryan Smyth trade

Los Angeles Kings general manager Dean Lombardi is still steamed at the Oilers after he traded Ryan Smyth to Edmonton for a player who can’t play.

Lombardi blasted the Oilers again Thursday about the clubs’ dispute over the fitness of forward Colin Fraser. The disagreement is likely to be resolved by the NHL in the next few days, with Lombardi planning to air his grievances to league general counsel David Zimmerman.

Lombardi isn’t trying to void the trade, and the Kings are likely to waive Fraser anyway — but they can’t do it until he’s healthy, and Lombardi believes the Oilers misled him.

Lombardi thinks Edmonton general manager Steve Tambellini is attempting to distract everybody from that misrepresentation by arguing about the severity of Fraser’s injury — and it’s not even the first time the Oilers have tried to trade an injured player to Los Angeles.

“This is twice. There comes a point where you say, ‘This is wrong,’” said Lombardi, who recently said he “would have rather invested my money in Bernie Madoff than invest in Edmonton’s word.”

After Smyth demanded a trade back to the Oilers last month, the Kings agreed to deal the veteran center to Edmonton for forward Gilbert Brule — until they learned Brule hadn’t been cleared to return from a concussion. Los Angeles instead acquired Fraser on June 26.

But Fraser broke his foot last season, and the Kings believe the injury will require surgery and four months of rehabilitation.

The Oilers insist Fraser is almost ready to play, saying the injury could improve with two weeks of rest. That’s not the problem, Lombardi says.

“There is no question that this player is not fit to play now, and obviously was not fit to play when (Tambellini) said he would be fit to play, which was the Wednesday after the trade,” Lombardi said. “So this is called the red herring method. What you do is say, ‘OK, the doctors disagree,’ but they don’t disagree on the fundamental premise, that this guy is not fit to play.

“When you want to get the jury off-track, throw out an ancillary issue and turn it into a major issue, and they forget about the real issue. You learn that in the first year of law school. Nice try.”

[notyoueither]

An NHLPA doctor has agreed with the Oilers doctors.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-kings-gagne-20110715,0,5470364.story

Smyth trade update

The dispute between the Kings and Edmonton Oilers over the fitness of Colin Fraser, who was sent to Los Angeles in the Ryan Smyth trade last month, might be resolved Friday by David Zimmerman, general counsel for the NHL.

The Kings contend that the Oilers misrepresented the extent of Fraser's injuries and that he is unfit to play, leaving them unable to waive him or buy him out. Bob Stauffer of the Oilers radio network reported that a source told him the findings of a doctor retained by the NHL Players Assn. were consistent with the Oilers' findings.

Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi said Fraser's status remains in a gray area.

Lombardi if full of ****, and is using this story to keep the Kings in the LA press and questions away from the fact that Doughty is hanging in the wind and not under contract.

[Ben Kenobi]

The flames have done less to change the team than I expected or hoped but hopefully clearing some cap room allows some moves and without regehr maybe some of the younger d get a better chance to play. I'm just not seeing much that would lead to believe the flames are suddenly a contender again

They need to trade Iggy and Kippersoft while they can still get something for them.

[Asher]

Listening to you, Iggy and Kiprusoff have no value.

[Ben Kenobi]

Listening to you, Iggy and Kiprusoff have no value

Saying they should be traded so that the flames can rebuild? Yeah, I think they still have value. That would apparently be logic at work there.

[Asher]

I'm clearly referencing your never ending derogatory comments towards them, including the nickname "Kippersoft".