***2024 NHL Regular Season Thread***

Originally posted by jrg:

Originally posted by crabman82:
canucks in full re-build mode now, shipping kesler in division to a team already with getzlaf? yikes. kesler gonna be a monster 2nd line C on that team.

Yeah. Ducks are loaded.

Not sure how I feel about this......

BREAKING NEWS: The Blues have acquired defenseman Carl Gunnarsson and Toronto's fourth-round pick (No. 94) in exchange for Roman Polak. #stlblues

More updates (some you guys already posted):

• Canucks trade for F Linden Fey, give Kings a 2nd rounder
• Flames acquire F Brandon Bollig, Blackhawks get a 3rd rounder
• Toronto acquires D Roman Polak, Blues get D Carl Gunnerson and 4th round pick
• Ducks acquire F Nate Thompson, Lightning get 4th and 7th round picks
• Oilers acquire F Teddy Purcell, Lightning get F Sam Gagner
• Lightning acquire D Jason Garrison, a prospect and a 7th round pick, Canucks get a 2nd round pick
• Coyotes acquire F Sam Gagner and F B.J. Crombeen, Lightning get a 6th round pick (okay Coyotes didn't game changes, but this trade is lopsided as hell! A 6th rounder for a 40pt player (Gagner) and an enforcer that can chip in 10pts? 6th rounders rarely play a game in the NHL
• Sabres buy outs are F Vielle Lieno and D Ehrhoff
• Blackhawks buy out D Steve Montador and F Olesz
• Coyotes buy out F Mike Ribiero

Top Free Agents (age in brackets and rough guess of their cost per year):
Left Wing - Thomas Vanek (30yrs) ($8 million), Jussi Jokinen (31yrs) ($4 million), Mike Cammalleri (32) ($4 million), Mason Raymond (28yrs) ($3.75 million), Matt Moulson (30yrs) ($3.5 million), Milan Michalek (29yrs) ($3.5 million), Benoit Pouliot (27yrs) ($2 million), Dustin Penner (31) ($2million)

Center - Paul Stastny (28yrs) ($7 million), Brad Richards (34) ($4.5 million), Mike Ribiero (34) ($3.75 million), David Legwand (33) ($3.5 million), Dave Bolland (28) ($3.25 million), Oli Jokinen (35) ($3 million), Mikhail Grabovski (30)($3 million), Mike Santorelli (28) ($2.75 million), Derek Roy (31) ($2.5 million)

Right Wing - Jarome Iginla (36) ($6.5 million), Daniel Alfredsson (41) ($3.5 million), Radim Vrbata (33) ($3 million), Ales Hemsky (30) ($2.5 million), Brian Gionta (35)($2.5 million), Lee Stempniak (31) ($2.5 million)

Defense - Matt Niskanen (27) ($4.5 million), Dan Boyle (37) ($4.5 million), Christian Erhroff (31) ($3.5 million)

Goalies - Ryan Miller (33) ($7.5 million), Martin Brodeur ($3.5 million), Jonas Hilller (32) ($3 million), Tim Thomas (40) ($2 million), Devan Dubnyk (28) ($2 million) (I expect Nabakv and Bryzgalov to go to the KHL)


Edit: Overall I'd say this is a very down year for FA. Outside of Miller, Niskanen, Iginla, Stastny, and Vanek, its real slim pickings.

Avs just traded Parenteau & a 5th for Danny Briere from Montreal.

Originally posted by Overkill:
Avs just traded Parenteau & a 5th for Danny Briere from Montreal.

Got their C. Statsny to STL now?

Originally posted by jrg:
Got their C. Statsny to STL now?

I hope not. Can they afford to sign him?

The west is in arms race right now with everyone scrambling to get two top centers. Dallas just traded for Spezza.

Originally posted by Overkill:

Originally posted by jrg:
Got their C. Statsny to STL now?

I hope not. Can they afford to sign him?

The west is in arms race right now with everyone scrambling to get two top centers. Dallas just traded for Spezza.

Done deal.

Paul Stastny signs with Blues


The St. Louis Blues have signed longtime Colorado Avalanche center Paul Stastny, the top free agent on the market at his position, to a four-year deal worth $28 million.

Stastny, 28, grew up in the St. Louis area and is the son of Hall of Famer Peter Stastny. A two-time Olympian with the United States, Paul Stastny had 25 goals and 60 points for the Avalanche last season and five goals and 10 points in seven playoff games.

Stastny helps the Blues keep pace with the other Western Conference powers after the Ducks acquired center Ryan Kesler in a draft-day trade with the Vancouver Canucks and the Stars added center Jason Spezza in a deal with the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday.

Following their first-round loss to the Blackhawks, one in which they surrendered a 2-0 series lead, the Blues opted to let goalie Ryan Miller walk in free agency and focused on addressing their scoring problems. Adding a center was the No. 1 priority.

Stastny is a gifted-playmaker who had 458 points in 538 career games for the Avalanche, who tried to retain him right until the start of free agency. More importantly, he's registered 18 points in 22 playoffs games, production the Blues need in the postseason.



link

a line of

Vladimir Tarasenko
Paul Stastny
Jaden Schwartz

spezza to stars

SD cream his pants?

Spezza + Seguin

Ryan Miller to the Canucks
Mike Cammalleri to the Devils
Matt Moulson to Sabres
Brad Stuart traded to Avalanche
Jarome Iginla to Avalanche

Originally posted by ads_2006:
spezza to stars

SD cream his pants?

Spezza + Seguin

Pretty excited .

We will have a TON of cap space next year to give a Spezza a big deal and add some more top 6 forward talent. We are still about 3 good players away from being able to call ourselves a contender. For now, we will be a bottom 8 playoff team hoping to get an upset win in round 1 of playoffs.

Right now Benn - Seguin, and Spezza - Nichuskin looks pretty damn good! I hope they keep the Roussel - Eakin - Garbutt line as our 3rd line, which is an AWESOME 3rd line IMO. Probably sign another big FA next offseason to round out our forwards.

We still need to improve our D, but its so hard to see how. Seems like good defenseman don't make it to FA (hence why we drafted defenseman with every pick but 1 in the draft).

The problem is we are in the west though .

Originally posted by SunDevilNiner79:

Originally posted by ads_2006:
spezza to stars

SD cream his pants?

Spezza + Seguin

Pretty excited .

We will have a TON of cap space next year to give a Spezza a big deal and add some more top 6 forward talent. We are still about 3 good players away from being able to call ourselves a contender. For now, we will be a bottom 8 playoff team hoping to get an upset win in round 1 of playoffs.

Right now Benn - Seguin, and Spezza - Nichuskin looks pretty damn good! I hope they keep the Roussel - Eakin - Garbutt line as our 3rd line, which is an AWESOME 3rd line IMO. Probably sign another big FA next offseason to round out our forwards.

We still need to improve our D, but its so hard to see how. Seems like good defenseman don't make it to FA (hence why we drafted defenseman with every pick but 1 in the draft).

The problem is we are in the west though .

We finally landed our #2C that we so desperatley needed last season, I was wanting Stastny but very excited to get Spezza. Also adding Hemsky who played very well with Spezza will really round out our Top 6 and will be tough to stop.

So this is what a good GM can do for a franchise..

Originally posted by eamjr10:


We finally landed our #2C that we so desperatley needed last season, I was wanting Stastny but very excited to get Spezza. Also adding Hemsky who played very well with Spezza will really round out our Top 6 and will be tough to stop.

So this is what a good GM can do for a franchise..

GM Joe did a good job IMO, he couldn't do much because his hands were tied by ownership problems.

Really the only mistake I can think he made as a decision maker was not trading Brad Richards at the deadline. But at the time he was in the playoff race and probably knew he'd be fired if he didn't show he could make playoffs.

Oh he did trade Neal/Niskanen for Goligoski. I actually think Goligoski is better than Niskanen, and Neal was given up because Joe couldn't re-sign him. IMO that deal never happens if Joe had an owner with money to re-sign Neal.

Taking Campbell over Fowler is a mistake as of now, but who knows, Campbell could be an NHL stud.

Joe drafted pretty well, he also got us Lehtonen, Eakin, Garbutt, Roussel, Goligoski, Jordie Benn, Brenden Dillon, Patrick Nemeth. Prospects coming up still in the system that Joe got are Campbell, Brett Ritchie, Curtis McKenzie, Devin Shore, Scott Glennie, Jamie Oleksiak, and John Klingberg (does he get credit for him since he drafted him? haha).

Having said that,GM Nill has been a bad ass. We could be a real contender in 1-2 years which is amazing since we have missed playoffs for so long.

Jrg- Tell me about Adam Cracknell. I like his size, and remember him in our matchups in the post season, but i dont follow the Blues enough to know much about him.