Flyers sign Forsberg... NHL changes

[hoyaboy1]

I would not be even a tiny bit surprised if Forsberg, Carter, Richards and Knuble (another addition) scored more goals this season than Roenick, Amonte, LeClair and Recchi did last season.

And I suspect the new 4 destroy the production of the old 4 this season.

[Triumph36]

The Penguins obviously are the most improved team. But they were terrible in 03-04, so that's not surprising.

The Flyers improved the most on paper. They still lack a solid puckmover on defense, and trading Roenick hurts, but they have put together a pretty decent squad.

The Mighty Ducks made by far the best move, getting Scott Niedermayer. Niedermayer when he wants to be is the best defenseman in the NHL, and it's not close. With the new NHL rules he could easily put up 15-50-65 in Anaheim.

As for Calgary, they signed two players who are on the decline. McCarty's always hurt and Amonte hasn't been a good player since he left Chicago. They have a good team, but those two hardly make them that much better.

There are 12-15 teams in serious contention for the Cup this season. With the trade deadline figuring to be far less active than in previous seasons, teams cannot load up on free agents to be in March. So it comes down to who has the best coaching and who stays relatively injury free.

[Wes ManTooth]

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I would not be even a tiny bit surprised if Forsberg, Carter, Richards and Knuble (another addition) scored more goals this season than Roenick, Amonte, LeClair and Recchi did last season.

And I suspect the new 4 destroy the production of the old 4 this season.

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This is funny. What, no faith in Simon Gagne and Keith Primaeu?

I suspect that Forsberg will play 30-50 games this season.

[Wes ManTooth]

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The Mighty Ducks made by far the best move, getting Scott Niedermayer. Niedermayer when he wants to be is the best defenseman in the NHL, and it's not close. With the new NHL rules he could easily put up 15-50-65 in Anaheim.


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He was the best overall defenseman in the league last year in large part because he played for the Devils. He was on an excellent well rounded defensive-minded team with the best goalie in the league. He definately will not be in the same situation with the Mighty Ducks. Granted with the rule changes he should be able to but up some good numbers but I doubt he will ever win the Norris Trophy again.

[Triumph36]

I've watched Niedermayer for 10 seasons as a Devils fan. Last season was the first where he actually showed up to play every game. His speed is absolutely incredible - he can make a mistake in the offensive zone and recover to make the defensive play like no one else in the league.

If he plays that way in Anaheim, look out. No defenseman playing now can dominate a game like Niedermayer can. I wouldn't be shocked if he doesn't win a Norris this year, but I'd be very surprised if he went the rest of his career without one. He's finally lived up to his full potential.

[Zurvan]

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Based on the rosters as they are today, I would say the favourites for the finals are Philly (ugh) and Calgary.

This depends on Forsberg staying healthy, and Kiprusoff playing close to what he did the last season. Calgary probably has the best top defense pair in the league in Regehr & Phaneuf, and if they land Niedermayer, they will have the best defense period. Add in Iginla, and it doesn't matter who else is on the team.



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I think you are so far off here.

In theory Philly loses 11 million in payroll and you think they get better? They simply can not replace the points lost from recchi, amonte, leclair, and roenick from the AHL and junior ranks. They may let in fewer goals though.

Calgary had one lucky run in the playoffs. They were ranked about 13/30 in the regular season. Kipprusoff will be very hard pressed to repeat what he did last year, when he was a mid season pickup who was a backup for another team.

I can not even believe you would put Regehr/Phaneuf as the best defensive pairing. Name the last rookie defenseman that made an impact. Defensemen take much longer than forwards to become proficient in the NHL. Bouwmeester is the only dman that comes to mind who played a full season straight out of juniour in a long time. Phaneuf will not make the all star team this year and is probably a 4 at best on the depth chart of almost any NHL defense corps. He will not score more than 30 points this year. He's a boy who has only played against boys, what do you expect him to do with a 245 pound Bertuzzi leaning on him.

The only explanation is that you are a flames fan and can not see through your bias. Just to make sure I am on pace here I asked someone who i respect their hockey knowledge greatly and he also says you are on crack.

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First of all, look at my location... not a Flames fan, couldn't care less. I agree that rookie defensemen do not often make a difference in the NHL. I think Phaneuf will be the exception that proves the rule. I could be wrong - wouldn't be the first time. Also, note that I said the Flames doing well depended on Kiprusoff doing well. I think your bias for the Canucks is coming through...

To be honest, I would like nothing more than for Philly to fall flat on their faces. If Forsberg can stay healthy, they can be a top team. They'll score lots of goals, and they have a good defense. The money they took off their payroll was dead weight. They were overpaying a lot of guys to skate around and be useless.

[imported_The Vibesman]

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I know the Bruins have made some good moves, but we still need a real second line center and probably another defenseman or two before we have the team in place.

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Dave Scatchard 4 years at 8.2 million is an absolute disaster that can be likened to the 5 million per year they signed Lapointe at a few years ago.

rJ

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I didn't know we were paying him that much. [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]
The Bruins don't release financial terms.

Still, can't be as bad as the Lapointe contract. It does sound pretty bad, though, I would like a guy with a higher assist total.

[hoyaboy1]

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I would not be even a tiny bit surprised if Forsberg, Carter, Richards and Knuble (another addition) scored more goals this season than Roenick, Amonte, LeClair and Recchi did last season.

And I suspect the new 4 destroy the production of the old 4 this season.

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This is funny. What, no faith in Simon Gagne and Keith Primaeu?


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Could you try this again, but make sense this time?

[shakingspear]

Yes, please.

I agree with you, hoyaboy. Amonte was less than impressive when here, and Leclair had turned into a mediocre player at best. Recchi is a pretty good player, and he had an outstanding 2003-4, but he's getting up there in age. Roenick was solid as usual. Overall their numbers were ok. I can easily see the new acquisitions putting up bigger numbers.

[IggyWH]

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Pittsburgh - They are going to score some goals, but are going to let a lot in. Tarnstrom will lose a lot of his value because he will lose his ice time to Gonchar. Lemieux will undoubtedly not play a lot. Sydney is going to be good, but can he make that much impact now. Remember this was a disgustingly bad team before. Recchi, Gonchar, Malkin, and Crosby can't fix things as easy as many may think. It also takes time and having big names doesnt always equal wins. Look at the Rangers for the last 6 years.

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Nicely done...

I am very happy about the Ziggy signing. They really needed a speedy winger to play along Lemieux and Crosby.

I'm hearing around here they'll sign Sean Burke... nothing special but they definitely needed a vet goalie to come in and take the load of Fleury.

Andre Roy was just a retarded signing.

They still look like they got around 6-7 million to spend. Hopefully they can pull off a couple other signing and if not, bring back Morozov.