No, the Pens re-signed him to the same deal that Crosby got.

Jagr signs with a Russian club. Guess his NHL days are over. The Oilers were also pursuing him, but it's looking like they're having trouble shaking the notion of Edmonton as a crappy city of play in.

Also, Tampa trades Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich to San Jose in exchange for Matt Carle, Ty Wishart and draft picks. And Vancouver acquires Steve Bernier from Buffalo.

Finally, Lowe comes back at Burke: http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=242532&lid=sublink03&lpos=headlines_main

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/hock ... rticleFull

A good read if you think the Bruins won't be relevant in the near future.

And the one thing the article mentions that I completely forgot about is Manny Fernandez. I've kept harping on the fact that we were without Patrice Bergeron last year, but we were also down a decent goalie for the entire year. Auld made for a pretty damn good backup, but if Fernandez could show some signs of what he did for the Wild, the Bruins should have pretty solid goaltending next year.

I can't believe the Caps let Huet go. I guess he got a little cocky and started asking for too much. Anyhow, I'd hate to see the Caps miss the next playoffs.


If an NHL player decided to play in Russia rather than in Edmonton, things must be really bad over there.

Well, from what I heard it seemed like the Caps pretty much asked him what he wanted to stay in town, then matched it, and he still left. I'm not really sure what the problem was. I'm sure they lowballed him a bit at first, but that's negotiation. Seems like more than anything he didn't want to stay here. As a Caps fan, I just hope that Theodore can keep his late season form. I think he's already got the advantage being in Washington, which maybe next to other Southeast cities is the least strenuous hockey market to play in.

Bruins resign Dennis Wideman for 4 years at $15 million, and let Glen Murray go on waivers so they can clear up some cap room. Two solid moves. Wideman was great for us last year and he could actually put the puck in the net which was an added bonus. As for Murray, as much as I like him as a player it was time to cut the ties. He contributed very little last year and he's only getting older. This clears up some room to sign another goal scorer who's young. Now watch the Bruins go out and surprise everyone and sign Mats Sundin.

BRAD BOYES!!!! Then again we got Wideman...........BRAD BOYES!!!!!

The schedule came out recently too for all the NHL teams. I'm not sure why the Bruins/TD Banknorth Garden do this to themselves, but once again thanks to the circus they'll be opening up the season on the road. At least this time around it won't be another west coast trip. But of course we're the last team in the entire league to have their home opener which is on the 20th against the Penguins. The entire month of October should be interesting to say the least. There are a lot of beatable teams on that list.

I would be wary of Boyes, or most players who score a ton of goals in one year but not much assists. Assists is the measure of a consistent player... goals can come from playing with a playmaker they have great chemistry with or just being in the right place a lot. I.E. Jason Blake and Jordan Stall two years ago, look what happened last year

Well, Jordan Stall scored most of his goals short handed didn't he? I don't think that those can be blamed on playing with a good centerman...

He had 7 shorthanded goals and 29 overall. So no, he didn't score most shorthanded.

Ah, ok. For some reason I thought he had like 11...

Just to wet everyone's appetite for the new season. The preseason begins a week from yesterday and the season starts three weeks from yesterday.

Love seeing clips from last season, or any season for that matter, I'm primed for the guys to hit the ice and get going again.

Shack, fantasy pool?

Yeah, I'm in the process of creating it as I speak. I'll make a new thread when it's ready

My season predictions:

NORTHWEST
1. Minnesota - Wins it almost by default. This division is so close that it's hard to pick a favourite. They won it last year, so I'll go with them again.
2. Calgary - Maybe this year they'll actually get past the first round. But probably not. Bertuzzi will be one to watch.
3. Edmonton - Ready to return to the playoffs after a two year hiatus. Hopefully this year they won't be devastated by injuries.
4. Colorado - Not getting any younger, and lost Theodore in favour of Raycroft. Can't see them going back to the playoffs.
5. Vancouver - Sure, they have a killer goalie, and solid defence, but who will score for them?

CENTRAL
1. Detroit - Duh. Won the Cup and then landed the top free agent. They've got to be the favourites to win it again.
2. Chicago - Probably the most improved team this year. Added Campbell and Huet to a great group of youngsters. Should be able to make the leap to playoff team.
3. Nashville - Not really doing anything to help their team. Not good enough to contend, and not bad enough to get some good prospects. Just stuck in that middle ground.
4. Columbus - Will they make the playoffs for the first time in their history? Doubt it. Again, a team that's not really doing anything to help themselves.
5. St. Louis - In full-on rebuilding mode, they should be competitive in a few years. But not now.

PACIFIC
1. San Jose - Lost Campbell but added Boyle, they still need to be able to overcome their playoff problems to get anywhere.
2. Anaheim - Niedermayer and Selanne for full seasons will help, but they are also not getting any younger. And certainly not any cheaper. Hopefully they'll crash in a few years.
3. Dallas - Surprising in the playoffs last year, adding Avery could hurt them or harm them. I don't think they will be substantially different, though.
4. Phoenix - Almost there, not quite. Got a great group of youngsters; they'll be a playoff team in a few years.
5. Los Angeles - Also rebuilding. Can't see them climbing out of the basement.

NORTHEAST
1. Montreal - The surprising champs of the East last year (during the season, anyway), they'll surprise no one if they do it again. And they should.
2. Ottawa - Still haven't solved their main problem throughout their history (goaltending), but they've got a solid roster and tons of offensive weapons. Should stay in the hunt.
3. Boston - Bergeron for a full season will help, as will Ryder. Thomas needs to retain his form for them to stay competitive, though.
4. Buffalo - I'm not sure what they did this off-season, which is probably not a good thing. Suffice to say, I think they're destined to be mediocre for some time.
5. Toronto - Hahahahahahahahaha. They will be horrible. And rightfully so.

ATLANTIC
1. NY Rangers - Lost Jagr, but I'd argue he was holding the team back with his grossly overpaid salary. They got Naslund and Zherdev instead, which is def. an improvement. Should take the division.
2. Pittsburgh - Would be first if not for the devastating injuries on the blueline. Losing Whitney and Gonchar for several months is a huge blow.
3. Philadelphia - Improved a lot last year, but should stay about the same this year. Having Gagne back will help, but they didn't do a whole lot to help themselves.
4. New Jersey - Slowly but surely on the decline, once Brodeur retires they're really fucked. But until then, they'll stay in the mix.
5. NY Islanders - Not sure why they fired Nolan, but hey, shit happens. They'll be terrible as a result. Not that they weren't already

SOUTHEAST
1. Washington - Should take the worst division in hockey with relative ease. As long as Theodore plays well, they should be pretty good.
2. Florida - I'll be honest, I know little to nothing about this team. But they seem to be on the up-and-up, so here you go.
3. Carolina - Been pretty shitty ever since they stole they cup from us. That's right, I said stole. Those bastards.
4. Tampa Bay - Seemingly redid their whole roster, they'll be interesting to watch only for Stamkos. And maybe Lecavalier.
5. Atlanta - Kovalchuk and a whole lot of nothing else. They'll be terrible this year.


WESTERN CONFERENCE
1. Detroit
2. San Jose
3. Minnesota
4. Anaheim
5. Dallas
6. Calgary
7. Edmonton
8. Chicago
9. Colorado
10. Nashville
11. Vancouver
12. Phoenix
13. Columbus
14. St. Louis
15. Los Angeles

EASTERN CONFERENCE
1. Montreal
2. NY Rangers
3. Washington
4. Pittsburgh
5. Philadelphia
6. Ottawa
7. New Jersey
8. Boston
9. Buffalo
10. Florida
11. Carolina
12. Tampa Bay
13. Atlanta
14. NY Islanders
15. Toronto

PLAYOFFS

Detroit over Chicago in 5
San Jose over Edmonton in 7
Calgary over Minnesota in 6
Dallas over Anaheim in 6

Montreal over Boston in 6
NY Rangers over New Jersey in 5
Washington over Ottawa in 6
Pittsburgh over Philadelphia in 7

Detroit over Calgary in 6
San Jose over Dallas in 7

Montreal over Pittsburgh in 7
NY Rangers over Washington in 6

Detroit over San Jose in 6
Montreal over NY Rangers in 7

Detroit over Montreal in 6

Heh, I have Detroit/Montreal too!

My predictions. Only the East right now, this took longer than I thought so I'll do the other half later.

East

Atlantic

1. Philadelphia Flyers - Last year they were one of the East's best before that month long huge tailspin. By the playoffs they had regained their form as a top team in the conference. Adding to that, Gagne should be back and should benefit from Briere's passing. They're tough and will bring it on most nights.

2. New Jersey Devils - Well the devils last year had a horrible lineup + Brodeur and ended up top the 4th seed, how, I don't know. This year they got Rolston and Holik which should help them a bit. Will hang around 1st for a while and we'll be all wtf? as always, then slip down a bit near the end and lose in the first round of the playoffs. Fucking Devils.

3. Pittsburgh Penguins - They have Crosby, Malkin, and Fleury, but their wing depth is terrible and so is their blueline until Whitney and Gonchar come back. I think they'll miss Malone and what they gave up for Hossa, Christenson and Armstrong... those were exactly the type of grinders and role players you want on a team like this. With that being said, those first three players are good enough to keep them afloat until they make a push in the 2nd half of the aseason. Jordan Staal having a breakout offensive year would help a lot here.

4. NY Rangers - Same old NY, the place where the stars of five years ago who are now overpaid and overrated, go to die. Shanahan, Drury, Naslund, Redden, Straka. I also think losing Jagr and Avery will hurt. With that being said, their blue line is still pretty great with Marc Staal emerging as a star, and they have Gomez and Lundquist. 4th in this division is no shame.

5. NY Islanders - When your most recognizable forwards are Mike Comrie, Doug Weight, and Bill Guerin, you have a problem. Most irrelevant and boring team in the league.

Northeast

1. Boston Bruins - With Savard, a returning Bergeron, and a possibly breaking out Kessell, they should be solid offensively, but it's with their defense and toughness under Julien's system and through players like Lucic that I think they'll excel. Pushing Montreal last year should give them confidence, and don't forget the difference between 1st and 8th was 10 points last year. Maybe most importantly, they play in the city of "we win everything because we're assholes" aka Boston. My surprise conference winner.

2. Ottawa Senators - They were a mess last year, but have history on their side and are too talented to not be right at the top again.

3. Montreal Canadians - I don't expect Kovalev to have the same impact as last year and Koivu's on his last legs. Still a good team but not as great as their #1 seed last year indicated. The East was packed so much at the top last year, it's conceivable Montreal was more like a 6th seed level team but just had a hot goalie down the stretch.

4. Buffalo Sabres - Another pretty irrelevant team this year, should hang around 10th in the conference or so. They should've won the year Carolina did, it's a shame god spited their defensemen. Cheap owners screwed this franchise, those two years will be their best oppurtunity for a while.

5. Toronto Maple Leafs - WE SIGNED JEFF FINGER! WOOHOO! Frontrunners in the Tavares race, the more they lose this year the better.

Southeast

1. Tampa Bay Lightning - Spent like crazy this year and should reap the benefits. Lecavalier, St. Louis, Malone, Stamkos, with valuable veterens like Recchi and Roberts, should represent a pretty good group of forwards. Defense is questionable but Kolzig should represent more reliable goaltending than they've had recently. Should be near the top of their division again.

2. Washington Capitals - I wouldn't expect Ovechkin to put up 60+ again, but he'll still be one of the league's two best. With Backstrom, Semin, and Green, they have a very good supporting core, but they're not there yet. Goaltending will be a big question for them, I would've stayed away from Jose Theodore.

3. Carolina Hurricanes - Brind'Amour, Samsonov, Whitney are getting old. Staal and Williams are good, but for the most part I think this team stops at "decent".

4. Atlanta Thrashers - Free Ilya Kovalchuk!

5. Florida Panthers - Losing Jokinon should make them terrible, which is exactly the direction they need to go at this point.

Overall:

1. Boston
2. Philadelphia
3. Tampa Bay*
4. Ottawa
5. New Jersey
6. Pittsburgh
7. Washington
8. NY Rangers

9. Montreal
10. Buffalo
11. Atlanta
12. Carolina
13. NY Islanders
14. Florida
15. Toronto

...

The East is a really fucking good conference this year, I didn't think I'd be leaving Montreal off.

Wow for some reason I thought Brian Rolston was on the Lightning... err... edit...

I can't believe Toronto beat Detroit. Like, holy fuck.

Calgary got hammered tonight. Nice.

West predictions

Central
1. Detroit Red Wings - The obvious pick. Best team in the league last year, now they have Hossa. Not winning the conference, barring injury, will be a shock. If Hossa really clicks and if Franzen continues his torrent pace of last year (he scored twice tonight), there's a possibility for this to be one of the best teams ever.
2. Chicago Blackhawks - Took them long enough to return to decency, but they're finally here. Toews, Kane, Sharp, Keith frontline a great young core, with Brian Campbell and Huet added, they're gonna be good right away, even if Havlat gets injured again.
3. Nashville Predators - Trotz last year proved he was the league's underrated coach by getting this team to the playoffs and then as well as anyone against Detroit, but I think the shoddy, soon to move franchise won't be able to keep up with the improved teams in the West this year.
4. Columbus Blue Jackets - Should be improved, but probably not enough. Umberger is bound to disappoint.
5. St. Louis Blues - Bound to be terrible. Kariya's getting older now and Boyes has one season wonder written all over him. This team had a great stretch of playoff consistency, now it's time to hit the gutter and rebuild. Losing Erik Johnson for the year sucks.

Northwest
1. Calgary Flames - Should be on par with last year. Iginla, Phaneuf, Kippur are all still great.
2. Minnesota Wild - Losing Rolston hurts and I wouldn't bet on Gaborik having two straight healthy years. Still though, with Lemaire's system you're bound to do at least decently.
3. Edmonton Oilers - On the rise, still a few years away from really making noise though.
4. Vancouver Canucks - Demitra's a nice addition, they'll probably end up in the last place they want to do, not good enough for the playoffs and not bad enough for a high lottery pick.
5. Colorado Avalanche - I have NO idea what they're doing. They seemed to have a nice youth movement going before deciding to stock up on shitty old veterans. On the brightside though Statsny looks like one of those guys that could jump to a 90 points+ pace this year.

Pacific
1. San Jose Sharks - Should be a great regular season team as always, and their d got a boost with Blake and Boyle coming on. Don't be surprised if Thornton takes the Hart over the consensus choices Ovechkin and Crosby.
2. Dallas Stars - Will continue the wave last year's conference finals run gave them. Probably the second most dangerous team in terms of the playoffs.
3. Phoenix Coyotes - They were on the way up before, now they have Jokinon. Gretzky's coaching seems to have improved lately, and Bryzgalov is good. Should be enough to contend for the playoffs.
4. Anaheim Ducks - They're just... old. I considered putting them last.
5. Los Angeles Kings - Won't be long until they're contending, but for now still in the basement.

Overall
1. Detroit Red Wings
2. San Jose Sharks
3. *Calgary Flames
4. Dallas Stars
5. Chicago Blackhawks
6. Minnesota Wild
7. Phoenix Coyotes
8. Edmonton Oilers

9. Anaheim Ducks
10. Vancouver Canucks
11. Nashville Predators
12. Colorado Avalanche
13. Columbus Blue Jackets
14. Los Angeles Kings
15. St. Louis Blues

Overall playoff predictions

West
1 Detroit Red Wings over 8 Edmonton Oilers in 5 games
2 San Jose Sharks over 7 Phoenix Coyotes in 6 games
3 Calgary Flames over 6 Minnesota Wild in 6 games
4 Dallas Stars over Chicago Blackhawks in 5 games

1 Detroit Red Wings over 4 Dallas Stars in 7 games
2 San Jose Sharks over 3 Calgary Flames in 5 games

1 Detroit Red Wings over 2 San Jose Sharks in 5 games

East
1 Boston Bruins over 8 NY Rangers in 7 games
7 Washington Capitals over 2 Philadelphia Flyers in 7 games
6 Pittsburgh Penguins over 3 Tampa Bay Lightning in 5 games
4 Ottawa Senators over 5 New Jersey Devils in 6 games

1 Boston Bruins over 7 Washington Capitals in 6 games
4 Ottawa Senators over 6 Pittsburgh Penguins in 6 games

4 Ottawa Senators over 1 Boston Bruins in 7 games

Finals
1 Detroit Red Wings over 4 Ottawa Senators in 6 games

If only I had the Versus network...

Here's a good streaming site:
http://www.myp2p.eu/index.php?part=sports

There's some other good ones around the net, too.

I like this Coyotes team. It'd be nice to see both them and Chicago finally make it back to decency this year.