I know you and others were mentioning Clowe.. but he sounds to be way more expensive than Stewart or Tootoo from what I hear... Pavelski provides secondary scoring and grit.. so who exactly goes for what???
- saskoil21

Clowe would also be a lot better than Stewart or Tootoo. Problem again is you are back to a guy that is a UFA after next year.

If I'm running the show in SJ Pavelski and Clowe don't get moved unless there is an overpayment. I try move the two constants in Marleau/Thornton or one of them anyways. I'd move Havlat too but good luck with that.

SJ has a pretty decent team overall and one big move might be all it takes.

Thornton to TO is gonna happen imo. I've been thinking that before the playoffs
- Morris

Thornton has always been lazy but Marleau has been at odds with some of the coaches. Tough call who moves.

You can't have the youth we have without a veteran player to teach them how to win and Smyth is that. He will have to realize what he is worth to the team but I think towards the end of July he will sign and for 2 mill a year he is worth it for what he brings in terms of leadership. He has played with the best in the league on many occasion. Has a gold medal and then some to prove it. There is no better person to lead the oilers youth. He will retire an oiler and move into an office position.

As for Staal, we have to forget about that. People say he has been playing 3rd line minutes but crosby was gone all year and he did nothing spectacular. He is a great second line center but he is in no one's shadow. He will get you 50 points a year. Horcoff can get that. He can. In fact Staal has never crossed 50 points and horcoff has on 2 occasions. Yeah, I said it. Staal is not as good as our third line center. Bigger name smaller game. Plus Horcoff knows how to win a faceoff.

I am glad I am not the only one that thinks Stewart is the way to go here. He is a gamble but no one else seems to agree that Hemsky is the guy going and we are taking halak back with him. Solves our problem of the extra winger (getting 6 mill) our need for a goalie that isn't habby. Plus both these players are expendable to the blues as they have a third goalie which is really good and doesn't cost them 3.5 mill a year. Plus they could use some of our extra d and maybe some of our 3rd - 4th line guys to fill out their roster with the gaps they have in terms of UFAs they probably won't be signing (Arnott, Porter, Langenbrunner, Nichol, coliacavo and huskins). Some of our depth players out performed these guys on a 29th place finish. We can take the two players they don't want that have high salaries, dump some of our extra players and Hemsky's high salary (it will take something to get stewart and halak and hemsky hasn't played a full season in 3 generations). One trade and we are ready for draft day and UFA signings. Then all we need are two dmen and we can over pay for them if we have to with hemsky's contract gone.

I would like to see us trade dubnyk for a box of hockey stick tape. I think that is fair value for him. Maybe two boxes if it is dollar store tape but I doubt we can get more than that. He needs to go though.

Thornton has always been lazy.
- bsteinley

I stopped here.

I stopped here.
- mochoson

smart move

You still making those gay vids?

Least your commited to something.
- robin_steele264

Haven't done it in a while. I have no time to get any games to talk over

stupid job! #firstworlproblems

Thornton to TO is gonna happen imo. I've been thinking that before the playoffs
- Morris

Thornton, Marleau, J. Staal, and Getzlaf are all guys who could end up in T.O. with varying degrees of trade value. Have to think Burke is targeting a player like that.

Haven't done it in a while. I have no time to get any games to talk over

stupid job! #firstworlproblems
- DTF69

Hahaha loosah

Hahaha loosah
- GuyLaDouche

Still have enough time to MANguard your poop into piss, (frank)er.

Thornton, Marleau, J. Staal, and Getzlaf are all guys who could end up in T.O. with varying degrees of trade value. Have to think Burke is targeting a player like that.
- Jack-artist

Getzlaf and Staal are going nowhere.

Thorton and Marleau on the other hand? Man on man, I cannot WAIT to see what happens in SJ. I'd be amazed if that team didn't trade one of those guys, or even Boyle or Niemi.

Getzlaf and Staal are going nowhere.

Thorton and Marleau on the other hand? Man on man, I cannot WAIT to see what happens in SJ. I'd be amazed if that team didn't trade one of those guys, or even Boyle or Niemi.
- mochoson

According to Pens fans, J.Staal will be traded to Edmonton for 1st overall + .

According to Pens fans, J.Staal will be traded to Edmonton for 1st overall + .
- GuyLaDouche

*performs The Arrival on you*

According to Pens fans, J.Staal will be traded to Edmonton for 1st overall + .
- GuyLaDouche

Then according to various tests created and adminstered by board certified physicians, Penguins fans qualify as mentally retarded.

*performs The Arrival on you*
- DTF69

*poops in ur mouth*

*poops in ur mouth*
- GuyLaDouche

Your neck is broken.

I think you are way, way, way off base here. Hemsky isn't a two-way forward. He doesn't play defense. His deal is to put up points. It's pretty worthless to have the skill he possesses and basically bomb. He isn't much of a point producer anymore. The 60-70 point seasons seem like a dream. If he is the player you are saying he is, there is NO EXCUSE for him to only put up 10 goals and 36 points in 69 games. In the last three years, he has only played 138 games. He is on the shelf alot.

It's bad business to give a player that hasn't shown he is capable of not only remaining healthy, but not producing when healthy and is on the ice the raise he got. Despite its length, you don't think players from around the league will look at that price tag for Hemsky and say if he is worth that, I'm worth this? I can tell you Jordan Staal's agent will use that price tag of Hemsky's as a starting point. If Hemsky is worth 5 million, the bar starts at 6 million for Staal.
- Oneonta Penguin

Really?

The same Staal who is proving injuries are a problem for him as well. The same Staal whose best year doesn't even come close to Hemsky.

I doubt Staal gets an offer from the Penguins that equals much less exceeds Hemsky's.

Really?

The same Staal who is proving injuries are a problem for him as well. The same Staal whose best year doesn't even come close to Hemsky.

I doubt Staal gets an offer from the Penguins that equals much less exceeds Hemsky's.
- Sabata

im totally fine saying that you guys should not move the first pick for staal, but jesus, there arent many teams in the league who wouldnt take staal for 5 million, especially over hemsky at the same price

Good blog. Why is it I tune into your blogs and they always have like a million posts? Most bloggers can only get your kind of hits by including words like "Toronto" or "Luongo" in their title.
I agree 100% about Nail not being part of the "Russian non-factor" (makes me want to gag... has everyone forgotten the CCCP or something? Russians are awesome hockey players... if the League has only chosen to import D-bags over the past few years that's the League's fault, not Russia's)

Let me help you both:

Yakupov will turn into a better NHL player than Jordan Staal is. He'll be a 40goal guy and will be a game changer. Staal would be a good #2 center for most teams in the league. 50-60 point guy who also plays sound defensively. In other words, nothing spectacular.
- Maxbone

I can't quite get behind this... certainly, we will all notice what Yaks does that Staal doesn't (ie score more goals then Staal gets points). But there are lots of things Staal does really well that don't show up on the scoresheet.
For example if I believed Staal was just a 50-60 point guy who also plays sound defensively, then he's worth Gagner+, say, a 3rd rounder (at most), because the only difference between the two is that one is more defensively sound. I think we can all agree that Staal is worth significantly more than Gags+a 3rd.
lol I can omit my normal essay with a quick sentance... Yakupov will be, by far, the better regular season player than Staal. In the playoffs....? Staal could be more valuable than Yaks.

Getzlaf and Staal are going nowhere.

Thorton and Marleau on the other hand? Man on man, I cannot WAIT to see what happens in SJ. I'd be amazed if that team didn't trade one of those guys, or even Boyle or Niemi.
- mochoson

Yeah, you gotta think it's time to blow things up in San Jose.

Then according to various tests created and adminstered by board certified physicians, Penguins fans qualify as mentally retarded.
- mochoson

ROFLMAO

Really?

The same Staal who is proving injuries are a problem for him as well. The same Staal whose best year doesn't even come close to Hemsky.

I doubt Staal gets an offer from the Penguins that equals much less exceeds Hemsky's.
- Sabata

...guys... there's more to being a good hockey player than goals and assists.

Yeah, you gotta think it's time to blow things up in San Jose.
- thefullnelson

This is said every summer and they keep things together because the grass isn't always greener.

So, we are now going back six or seven years to compare prospect rankings as ammo? One is proven in the NHL, while the other isn't. I'm not one for going with the guy people who says has the potential to be a superstar (one that hasn't played a single game in the NHL or KHL) over a 23-year old who has proven to be one of the best two-way forwards in the game today. Hell, he was two years into his professional career.

No, Pittsburgh shouldn't have to have Edmonton to add a prospect - same with Edmonton fans clamering that Pittsburgh needs to add something - especially seeing the names of Despres, Morrow, Harrington or Bennett. That isn't fair value either.

Ryan Leaf was a far more highly regarded prospect than Cam Newton. How did that turn out?

We can go on with this song and dance forever. Its pointless because there isn't a
match.
- Oneonta Penguin

I can't really believe you just claimed Leaf was a better prospect than Newton. Leaf had obvious maturity problems and weighed in at the combine at 269 pounds. For those that were around and followed his college career that's 40 pounds over his playing weight.

As for him busting it was obvious from the onset the Chargers paid a huge price to move up thinking the Colts would take Leaf. They saw the warning signs and took Manning. The chargers were then committed to Leaf.

Leaf was thrown into Gilbrides of fence which is much to complicated for a rookie. If you want proof look at the Giants. When Gilbride went there Warner flopped and Eli's rookie season he got destroyed.

In Leafs second season he tore his Labrum which if you follow baseball and football in those days it ended almost all careers where a player depended on a throwing motion.

You really over value Staal. He has had two seasons where he was hampered by injury and has never scored over 50 points. Hemsky has had more success in the league.

...guys... there's more to being a good hockey player than goals and assists.
- thefullnelson

Certainly there is but this is a poster who referenced Hemsky's 70 point seasons being behind him as well as his injuries.

Last I checked the same comments apply to Staal especially when he is being valued above a first over all pick.

im totally fine saying that you guys should not move the first pick for staal, but jesus, there arent many teams in the league who wouldnt take staal for 5 million, especially over hemsky at the same price
- stayinthefnnet

Hemsky probably wouldn't have gotten that contract on the open market.