Do you duck hunt like a man, with stones and weapons you have fashioned yourself? Or do you buy a high-powered gun and fire small bullets as a duck goes off to find a snack to feed itself?
- jmatchett383

I throw cinderblocks at the ducks while they are in flight.

My numbers may be a little off. I'm no mathematician.
- stowerkraut

For what it's worth, there are exactly 200 NHL defensemen who played more than 37 NHL games this season.

I would love to have a beer with JR and find out what triggered that fart of a move. I screamed with the Borts deal too, but now that I see Cole more, I'm fine with it. He had some tough circumstances coming in, but I'm still trying to figure out why he was handed the keys to this organization, for even a short term, after seeing some of his moves. Signing Alexander Semin to that control and trading away those assets for a guy you were going to get a year from now and you didn't have to give up any assets (Staal).
- Oneonta Penguin

I honestly believe the only factor in hiring HCMJ was also his history with Pouliot and wanting to move him forward. Accompanied with the fact that 10 other guys said no.

Granted his X and O game is worlds above HCDB's I can't think of any other reason. It was a desperation move. All the discipline issues and motivation issues he's totally un-prepared for. IMO of course

I throw cinderblocks at the ducks while they are in flight.
- eichiefs9

Now THAT'S hunting.

I don't know, something about lying in wait trying to trick a duck to fly into the air and then shooting a gun at it seems so unfulfilling. You wanna hunt, go fight a bear with your bare hands or, barring that, at least take a deer out with nothing but a sharp rock in your hand.

I throw cinderblocks at the ducks while they are in flight.
- eichiefs9

I would want my wife there for that

Hey, if he wanted to trade Despres for Andrew MacDonald, I wouldn't say no.
- jmatchett383

What did Macdonald cost you? A pick or player?

What did Macdonald cost you? A pick or player?
- willi

Lil bit of both.

For what it's worth, there are exactly 200 NHL defensemen who played more than 37 NHL games this season.
- jmatchett383

See I knew exactly what I was saying

See I knew exactly what I was saying
- stowerkraut

How many of those 200 do you think Despres could have landed, realistically? Maybe 80, optimistically?

How many of those 200 do you think Despres could have landed, realistically? Maybe 80, optimistically?
- jmatchett383

how many of those 80 are better than lovejoy?

I honestly believe the only factor in hiring HCMJ was also his history with Pouliot and wanting to move him forward. Accompanied with the fact that 10 other guys said no.

Granted his X and O game is worlds above HCDB's I can't think of any other reason. It was a desperation move. All the discipline issues and motivation issues he's totally un-prepared for. IMO of course
- stowerkraut

The connection with Pouliott certainly helped.

JR was in a rough position when he came though. The way the brass handled the Shero-Bylsma thing didn't help. When you can Shero, you can Bylsma. You don't go out and say we will wait for our next GM to decide DB's fate ... even though it was already determined prior to JR's hiring.

How many of those 200 do you think Despres could have landed, realistically? Maybe 80, optimistically?
- jmatchett383

Are we taking everything into consideration like cap hit and a teams willingness to more a veteran D or are we talking just player for player ?

how many of those 80 are better than lovejoy?
- stayinthefnnet

79 ... Andrew McDonald isn't. I couldn't resist.

The connection with Pouliott certainly helped.

JR was in a rough position when he came though. The way the brass handled the Shero-Bylsma thing didn't help. When you can Shero, you can Bylsma. You don't go out and say we will wait for our next GM to decide DB's fate ... even though it was already determined prior to JR's hiring.
- Oneonta Penguin

Yeah, ownership deserves criticism. Hard to find a coach that wants to come into a situation where an assistant coach (that played with the owner) is already hired and the contract is at a max 2 years with demands on making it to the SC finals every year.

Are we taking everything into consideration like cap hit and a teams willingness to more a veteran D or are we talking just player for player ?
- willi

I'm talking about a player that a team would have traded at the deadline for Despres, so yes, everything taken into account.

79 ... Andrew McDonald isn't. I couldn't resist.
- Oneonta Penguin

I'd trade him for...well, Lovejoy, for sure.

how many of those 80 are better than lovejoy?
- stayinthefnnet

More than -1.

Now THAT'S hunting.

I don't know, something about lying in wait trying to trick a duck to fly into the air and then shooting a gun at it seems so unfulfilling. You wanna hunt, go fight a bear with your bare hands or, barring that, at least take a deer out with nothing but a sharp rock in your hand.
- jmatchett383

So you're a big hunter/outdoorsman I see?

More than -1.
- jmatchett383

solid.

More than -1.
- jmatchett383

Ok I went and looked at just UFA's

Matt Bartkowski BOS $1,250,000 $1,250,000
Tim Gleason CAR $1,200,000 $1,200,000
David Schlemko ARI $1,188,000 $1,275,000
Alec Martinez LAK $1,100,000 $1,100,000
Anton Volchenkov NAS $1,000,000 $1,000,000
Matt Irwin SJS $1,000,000 $1,100,000
Scott Hannan SJS $1,000,000 $1,000,000

I left off Colaiacovo... and Macdonald

So you're a big hunter/outdoorsman I see?
- did109

Yeah. I like to burn ants with magnifying glasses and chase children off my lawn.

Ok I went and looked at just UFA's

Matt Bartkowski BOS $1,250,000 $1,250,000
Tim Gleason CAR $1,200,000 $1,200,000
David Schlemko ARI $1,188,000 $1,275,000
Alec Martinez LAK $1,100,000 $1,100,000
Anton Volchenkov NAS $1,000,000 $1,000,000
Matt Irwin SJS $1,000,000 $1,100,000
Scott Hannan SJS $1,000,000 $1,000,000

I left off Colaiacovo... and Macdonald
- stowerkraut

I doubt LA and Boston would want to make those moves as they were pushing for the playoffs. Volchenkov is awful. I don't think Hannan and/or Irwin are more than a lateral move. Gleason would have been nice, though.

I doubt LA and Boston would want to make those moves as they were pushing for the playoffs. Volchenkov is awful. I don't think Hannan and/or Irwin are more than a lateral move. Gleason would have been nice, though.
- jmatchett383

Gleason would have been a disaster in this system.

I personally dont believe that anyone, much less the PensBlog, knows what this offseason holds.

all they are doing is making a bet. It is a good bet to make that Rutherford wont be back next year for obvious reasons. However, I find it unlikely that they have any solid evidence to back that claim up.

if rutherford is gone, they can all run around and say how right they are. if they are wrong well... "then things changed"

it's a ploy everyone in the media does to an extent.

I doubt LA and Boston would want to make those moves as they were pushing for the playoffs. Volchenkov is awful. I don't think Hannan and/or Irwin are more than a lateral move. Gleason would have been nice, though.
- jmatchett383

Here is more realistic list IMO. Non-FA's included that I'd take over Lovejoy.

Michael Del Zotto Defenseman $1,300,000
Brendan Smith Defenseman $1,262,500
Nick Schultz Defenseman $1,250,000
Eric Gryba Defenseman $1,250,000
Justin Braun Defenseman $1,250,000
Matt Bartkowski Defenseman $1,250,000
James Wisniewski Defenseman $1,212,365
Michael Stone Defenseman $1,150,000
Alec Martinez Defenseman $1,100,000