Which is what?...a goalie?
- celata29

marleau .....

*then ducks from the the flying bottle being hurdled at him for the mentioning marleau"

Think about it though, the salary cap means you can't have a team of superstars, there will be guys leaving. If you reduce the teams you need to up the cap by a lot otherwise the majority of 2nd line guys will bolt and the teams will look like

Superstar line
3rd line
3rd line
4th line
- AdamFrench

Yup, that's a problem with it all, but I'd think if something as drastic as disabanding 5 teams happened, something drastic would happen to the salary cap as well.

Al Strachan actually had an interesting theory.

The notion of a watered-down league is crap. The players are all better, stronger more skilled than ever before.

The problem with the league is there are no weak players anymore. So you can't take advantage of crap players. Everyone is so technically sound, and of course good defence can always trump good offence.

I can't say I disagree with this.

Take a look at film from the 1970s. The players are terrible. Some guys can't skate.

Yeah, equipment has made a difference. But still...
- Atomic Wedgie

That's actually a really interesting point

I guess we'd never know unless it happened.

Not even joking...show up to the booths and they don't give a poop.
- AdamFrench

Wow,

who cares about the sabres. really.

sorry mike lol
- big_dion

bettman

Can the leafs trade Kulemin after they agreed to the arbitrator's ruling?


I know the leafs can walk away from it if they don't like the ruling.
- dmnted

No where in the rules does it say you have to keep a player for the whole year after arbitration, so I believe he can be traded, an offer sheet signed and matched by the team means you cannot trade that player for the year.

Not even joking...show up to the booths and they don't give a poop.
- AdamFrench

Whether Putin won or lost, he was still in charge, and will be for his entire life, so the vote itself was rather immaterial to say the least.

Just look at the goaltending position. The progress made there is amazing compared to what it was only 20 years ago.
- Pecafan Fan

I always like asking this of Habs fans:

How many goals do you think Guy Lafleur would score today?

Racing down the boards, step over the blueline, rifle a shot. Classic Guy goal.

Today, goalie would easily direct it into the corner.

I loved Guy, so I'm not saying this to rip him. But the classic Guy goal wouldn't work too well today.

But yeah, the guy had talent. He would have found another way.

who cares about the sabres. really.

sorry mike lol
- big_dion

Fans in southern ontario that cant afford to see the leafs in TO, and fans in upstate NY that cant afford to go to NYC and watch the rangers. Pretty sure that is a huge population once added together.

Al Strachan actually had an interesting theory.

The notion of a watered-down league is crap. The players are all better, stronger more skilled than ever before.

The problem with the league is there are no weak players anymore. So you can't take advantage of crap players. Everyone is so technically sound, and of course good defence can always trump good offence.

I can't say I disagree with this.

Take a look at film from the 1970s. The players are terrible. Some guys can't skate.

Yeah, equipment has made a difference. But still...
- Atomic Wedgie

I don't buy it at all. The only position that has upgraded is goalie. Of course it is pretty well impossible to say players from a certain era could play now or blah blah. All I know is, I have the ESPN classic channel, and I love those hockey games.

Fans in southern ontario that cant afford to see the leafs in TO, and fans in upstate NY that cant afford to go to NYC and watch the rangers. Pretty sure that is a huge population once added together.
- Prolific_Scorer

Upstate NY is pretty far from MSG.

Just sayin'

I always like asking this of Habs fans:

How many goals do you think Guy Lafleur would score today?

Racing down the boards, step over the blueline, rifle a shot. Classic Guy goal.

Today, goalie would easily direct it into the corner.

I loved Guy, so I'm not saying this to rip him. But the classic Guy goal wouldn't work too well today.

But yeah, the guy had talent. He would have found another way.
- Atomic Wedgie

There were some (frank)ing great goalies in that era as well, Guy was kinda lucky that the best goalie of that era was on his own team.

Pavelec nailed for DUI lol here we go. some news!

Upstate NY is pretty far from MSG.

Just sayin'
- Atomic Wedgie

That was my point completely, just saying....

I don't buy it at all. The only position that has upgraded is goalie. Of course it is pretty well impossible to say players from a certain era could play now or blah blah. All I know is, I have the ESPN classic channel, and I love those hockey games.
- Leafland

You mind me asking how old you are?

Pavelec nailed for DUI lol here we go. some news!
- big_dion

The new Dominik Hasek?

No joke the KHL would be salivating for the NHL to drop teams. That would bring a new market for players and help them expand further in Europe, they already have begun taking over Latvian/Belerussian/Czech/Slovak and such leagues with plans to merge with the German and Finnish league if they can.
- AdamFrench

and yet most/many of the more skilled KHL guys want to play here still...so...

Pavelec nailed for DUI lol here we go. some news!
- big_dion

id be drinking too if i just realized i signed a contract that forces me to live in Winnipeg

and yet most/many of the more skilled KHL guys want to play here still...so...
- Colin Dambrauskas

I guess it's a scary possibility though, even how unlikely.

Pavelec nailed for DUI lol here we go. some news!
- big_dion

Damaged good. He will be a Leaf.

No where in the rules does it say you have to keep a player for the whole year after arbitration, so I believe he can be traded, an offer sheet signed and matched by the team means you cannot trade that player for the year.
- LeafMan

k. so he could be signed then traded in November ...

You mind me asking how old you are?
- Atomic Wedgie

23. That should tell you something.

I always like asking this of Habs fans:

How many goals do you think Guy Lafleur would score today?

Racing down the boards, step over the blueline, rifle a shot. Classic Guy goal.

Today, goalie would easily direct it into the corner.

I loved Guy, so I'm not saying this to rip him. But the classic Guy goal wouldn't work too well today.

But yeah, the guy had talent. He would have found another way.
- Atomic Wedgie

Well 2012 Guy would probably be in better shape too... the guy was the best player in the league while having a drinking problem and smoking ffs....

Edit: To answer your question: probably a little less because of the goaltenders but he still would have been an awesome player.

I always like asking this of Habs fans:

How many goals do you think Guy Lafleur would score today?

Racing down the boards, step over the blueline, rifle a shot. Classic Guy goal.

Today, goalie would easily direct it into the corner.

I loved Guy, so I'm not saying this to rip him. But the classic Guy goal wouldn't work too well today.

But yeah, the guy had talent. He would have found another way.
- Atomic Wedgie

all the players from back in the day would suck right now, who are we trying to kid.

speed? lol, Guy would be about as fast as Bozak. no chirp on bozie either, thats just the new NHL.

everyone is bigger, stronger, faster, better equipment, the ice is better, blades are sharper, training all year round...i mean poop, the guys in the day made 40k a year, we make 4+ mil a year now. those guys would have summer jobs to go to, we train, and prepare for the season.

gretzky and mario would still dangle, but they woudlnt be putting up 100+ point seasons every season il tell ya that.

I'm kind of confused by your reasoning. Yeah you raise the cap a bit because all of these teams can compete, because they are in successful markets. Then you have

Superstar line
First Line
Second
Third
- celata29

Supply and demand. Every team has their star players and big ticket names. If you eliminate about say 5 squads and have those players on the market you saturate it. Eventually with more and more outrageous contracts secondary talent will leave for more money. If people think Connolly and such got overpaid in free agency, just imagine a league where there are 25 teams bidding on 3 stars