This one could throw a wrench into things. According to Renaud Lavoie on Twitter, Evander Kane (RFA, July 1st) doesn't want to negiotate a new contract with the Jets, which probably means he's trying to force a trade from the Jets or he's planning on holding out. Probably not great news for Jets fans.   

Just a plug for a fellow Dobberite. If you haven't had a chance to checkout Dean's NHL Mock draft over at THW, give it a good read. Must read behind the Dobber Prospects Report. 

The Caps have a league-high 11 draft picks in the upcoming NHL entry draft. Caps GM George McPhee believes that the 2012 draft class is deeper than most. He did highlight that there’s more “top quality” defenseman than forwards which might hint that he might be after a blue-liner with picks 11 and/or 16. In the past two drafts, highly touted blue-liners, Cam Fowler and Ryan Murphy, have both dropped down to 12^th overall picks, so the Caps could be in great position to secure their blue-line for the next 15 years if they decide to snag a pair of defenseman with their first round picks.

A thought crossed my mind the other day and I thought I should delve into it a bit deeper.

Take a look at the following table and let me know what you think.

Career numbers:

Per game numbers:

Now that’s a fairly similar comparison isn’t it? Yet one player always cops a lot of flak for not “stepping up” or “lacks motivation”, while the other is anointed “one of the best players in the world” and would make a “great addition to any team”.

Player A = Rick Nash, Player B = Corey Perry. Interesting isn’t it?

There have been a lot of naysayers (mostly frustrated poolies), regarding the Nash situation. One of their main arguments is that they feel that he’s overpaid for what he brings to a team. I would counter that by saying, he is the team. The reason why Perry gets masked is that he’s had Ryan Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan, Scott Neidermayer and Teemu Selanne to cover his production, which meant that he wasn’t the only focal point of his team’s offense. Nash didn’t have that luxury in Columbus.

If he goes to a team with a much better supporting cast (like Carolina, Rangers, SJ, Toronto or Philly), the numbers will skyrocket.

Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch reports that there have been “significantly more discussions” with other GMs this week regarding Nash. As much as seven teams have contacted the Jackets about Nash in the last 10 days.

Great trade by Steve Yzerman in the acquisition of Anders Lindback! At first I thought it was a steep price with three solid picks, but after a bit of time for it to digest I thought that was great value since many of those picks were acquired from elsewhere anyways (they didn’t have to give up anything on their own part).

I do agree with some naysayers that Lindback’s a risk because of his lack of NHL experience, but from what I’ve seen during his “fill in” role back (of nine games) in December of 2010 when Pekka Rinne was out of the Preds lineup with a knee injury, has convinced me that he’s solid enough to be a number one in the league.

Another bright spot is the Mitch Korn (goalie coach of the Preds) factor. Nashville has just been a factory in terms of churning out quality number one goalies since 1998 and Lindback is the freshest product off the production line.

Take a look at the recent products off the Korn production line after leaving the factory.

And if all else fails, Mathieu Garon didn’t exactly have a terrible season with the Lightning. I mean he did finish with a winning record of 23-16-4. His peripheral stats (2.85 GAA and .901 SP) weren’t great, but it was enough to at least get the job done with their dynamic offense.

If Lindback can garner an even 50/50 timeshare with Garon and the Lightning get into the playoffs. It’s a win of this trade for Yzerman and co.

Magnus Hellberg and Jeremy Smith should battle for the backup gig behind Rinne this campaign. Smith did register a 31-19-2 record along with dazzling 2.17 GAA and a remarkable .922 SP in the AHL this season with the Admirals.

Chris Stewart re-signed a one-year $3 mil contract extension with the Blues. In the last couple of weeks, there’s been quite a bit of debate regarding contracts with the whole David Jones situation here on DobberHockey. This is probably the type of contract that I would have liked to have seen from Jones. One-year deal to “prove his worth”, then offer him an extension if it pans out. If he doesn’t, then you have an out clause. Where the Avs have shot themselves in the foot is offering a four-year contract at a relatively high market price. If Jones gets injured (again), or underperforms, that contract becomes an albatross contract while eating up a fair amount of cap space and there’s not a lot the Avs can do about it. On the flip side, he pots 35-40 goals and it’s a steal of a contract for the Avs.

Moving onto the Stewart front.

Berglund – McDonald – Steen

Backes – Oshie* – Perron*

D’Agostini – Tarasenko* – Stewart

Crombeen –Sobotka - Reaves

Schwartz*

Last summer I had a lengthy debate with a fellow forumer regarding two Blues’ players, Berglund and Stewart. One of their main arguments was regarding player skill set, however what they didn’t account for in their argument was playing opportunity. Heading into this season, I would once again temper my expectations for Stewart as I don’t think he has a solidified a top-six scoring role in St. Louis. There’s only so much production you can ask of a player who averages just 15:26 and 1:33 on the PP per contest. I’d look for somewhere around the 35-40 point mark for Stewart, so don’t overpay in one-year leagues on draft day. Berglund, if he can carry his post-season momentum into next campaign, should be the player who will have a nice spike in his offensive production next season.

A solution to solve the Coyote financial woes; make the Stanley Cup Final! The Devils raked in more than $30 mil during their 2012 Stanley Cup run. Of course it’ll be easier said than done.

Will he/won’t he… There’s been a lot of misinformation from the Ryan Suter front about him having a list of teams he would like to negotiate with prior to July 1^st, but his agent has refuted those reports according to Micheal Russo.

“Also, if you're another team, how do you give up any assets for Suter's rights unless you're given permission to have a conversation with the guy first to see if he's even interested in signing prior to July 1? I say that because my theory remains the same: If Suter's waited this long, why wouldn't he just wait until July 1 to sign with a team? So trading actual assets for a short window to negotiate with Suter/Parise could wind up being fruitless and thus a risk.”

I agree with him fully, giving up a seventh round pick might not mean much, but then again the Preds did end up snagging Lindback with a seventh round pick and parlayed that to two seconds and a third a few years later…

SensExtra reports that contract negotiations between the Sens and Erik Karlsson have gone “well” and there aren’t any apparent issues of a holdout. It can’t really be that hard. Murray: “How much money do you want?.” Karlsson: “Seven million a year.” Murray: “You’re one of the most dynamic blue-liners in the league, done!” 

Want to stalk the cup? Follow Phil Pritchard on Twitter as he’s the “keeper of the cup”. Follow him around as the Cup makes his way around the Kings organization.

Missed the SCF? Here’s Puck Daddy’s illustrated guide of what happened.

It appears that there’s still some interest in Alex Radulov as a “couple” of teams have called to inquire about trading for his negotiating rights.

In the same column, it seems that Jordin Tootoo and Dave Poille aren’t close to a new deal. Tootoo had a cap-hit of $1.25 mil last campaign, but was injured near the end of the season and didn’t get much chance to suit up during the playoffs. He heads into UFA status on July 1^st. He did register 30 points and 151 hits last campaign, which ranked amongst the top-50, but I don’t think there will be very many teams willing to offer him anything more than $2 mil a season.

George Johnson of the Calgary Herald thinks that the Flames’ Jay Bouwmeester is the most likely vet to be dealt at the entry draft and that the rest of the “core” will stay. I don’t really see it happening. JBo is a rock on defense and a huge minute’s chewer, which is exactly what the Flames need. Calgary management have been adamant about not doing a full scale rebuild, so moving away one piece won’t solve any of their problems. Plus it’s not like they’re in massive cap trouble as they have about $20 mil available for next season. If he is on the move, I know a city about three hours north of Calgary who could use a big minute’s chewer like JBo to solidify their blue-line.

I wrote a little bit about Jon Cooper’s success in last week’s ramblings. It appears that he and Mike Havelid have been narrowed down as the final candidates for Washington’s vacant head coaching position.

Quite a ballsy move by Sheldon Souray to reject a one-year $3 mil deal with the Stars, but also keep in mind that he’s still going to get additional pay of $1.5 mil by the Oilers from his buyout from a few years ago. He finished 2011-12 with 21 points, +11 rating, 73 PIM along with 179 SOG all while averaging 20:27 in 64 contests for the Stars. I’m guessing it’s the contract length was the kicker.

The Sharks would be a great fit for him. He’d get a top-four role and garner some pretty big minutes on a pretty offensive team. With Dan Boyle and M.A. Vlasic as the top pairing, Brent Burns and Souray on the second pairing, that then allows Douglas Murray and Jason Demers form the bottom pairing. It puts less pressure on Boyle and Burns in PK situations and allows your defensive types like Murray, Vlasic and Souray to do their job, while easing the pedal off of Boyle and Burns. San Jose had a solid one (Boyle 25:34), two (Burns 22:32) and three (Vlasic 23:09) but were overplayed, and where they got owned was their four (Demers -8), five (Braun -2) and six (Murray +3/White -5). Adding Souray for say $3.5 mil over two years could be a sensible option to ease the pressure and provide some relief of pressure in their top-four. 

I’m not sure if Angus or Dobber covered it, but the Caps have extended qualifying offers to Mike Green ($5 mil), John Carlson ($826k), Jay Beagle (($577k) and Mathieu Perreault ($577k). Green is a great “buy-low” candidate after a couple of poor injury-riddled seasons. I’d look for a bounce back season from him.   

Mark Spector of Sportsnet opines that the Oilers won’t trade their first overall pick, and they probably won’t know who they’re taking until Thursday night or Friday morning.

First Dominek Hasek and now Alex Kovalev wants to get back into the NHL. Screw those two! I want Wayne Gretzky back in an Oilers uniform. That’ll get the young kids listening and respecting the game of hockey.

On the opposite end of the scale referee Stephane Auger has announced his retirement after 13-years and 739 of NHL contests reffed. At least one Canuck will be jumping for joy.

Adam Proteau of THN penned a great piece on the cloak and shadows of the NHL negotiations. I was on the side of the owners, but now I’m torn about which side to side with. A bit of a long read, but pretty eye-opening if you have the time.    

Pretty slow news day, if you have any fantasy questions that you want answered post them here and I’ll get to as many as I can.

Should you be so inclined, follow me on Twitter if you think that my article/tweets are useful.

One happy Canuck...

Exactly what I would do if I had a day with the cup.

Comments (29)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

itzjules said:

	... Souray is not a "defensive type", he is an offensive type!
	report abuse vote down vote up

June 18, 2012
Votes: +0

Ryan Ma said:

Green But there are a lot of Primadonnas in the league anyway. The thing is if they produce on the scoresheet and their team is winning nobody cares, or they'll turn the blind eye. As you said in your comment, if he goes to Detroit you'd easily change you mind of him... So I mean when you complain that you don't like him because he's a Primadonna then 2 sentences later say oh but if he went to Detroit... kinda really defeats your argument doesn't it?

report abuse vote down vote up

June 18, 2012
Votes: +0

Ryan Ma said:

Lidstrom It is a small sample size, but if what happened during those 11 games foreshadowed what could possibly happen this year, then the Red Wings are in trouble... To me it just seems like you're brushing aside the offensive aspect as "it'll just take care of itself". Last time I checked offense is still a pretty vital part of the game. If you don't score you don't win. You can play solid defense and get away with scoring 1 goal to win the game, but I don't think Detroit is built to win 1-goal games and suddenly change philosophy like the Caps did to primarily focus on defense. So yes Suter would replace Lidstrom's defensive aspect, but I don't think he'll replace the offensive aspect, which is the part that you need in order to win games... That's what I'm arguing. For me defense can be masked by a team defensive game plan as shown by Tippet, Hitchcock and DeBoer. However offense needs to be generated by the player themselves, and some players just don't have it in them to be able to generate it.

report abuse vote down vote up

June 18, 2012
Votes: +0

Ryan Ma said:

Stuart/Souray But there's nothing wrong with arguing from a stats point of view as long as it makes sense. Stats aren't the be all and end all of everything, but it does show a pretty clear picture most of the time... So you can't just say bah screw stats and never use them at all or else we'd all just believe all of the player hype on the boards. At the end of the day you need to have some sort of concrete evidence to prove your point or else you might as well "MT319" your way through every argument... and justify it with "because I said so..." Who's to say that it won't be effective if you put 2 offensive guys together? Plus things aren't definitive in that manner. You can't just say this guy is purely an offensive player, and so and so is a purely defensive player. In reality many defenseman are a mixture of both, some maybe more offensive than others and some maybe more defensive than others, but you can't go around saying player X is purely offense and player Y is purely defense and they don't cross over... You don't just add X to Y that's the most effective defensive combination available. There are a lot of "viable" combinations. If I stuck a combo of Burns and Souray together do you think that both will play an offensive role 100% of the time? No they won't. Souray might shoot more from the point while Burns covers more defensively... Or Burns might pinch and Souray covers defensively... They may complement each other or they might not, but there's no certainty that placing two offensive guys together will never work. What's worked in Detroit with Stuart pairing up with Kronwall as the number 4 worked for Detroit. He goes to a new environment and it isn't cemented that he's a number 4 there. What if they land Suter? Does Stuart still cement himself as a number 4 then? So when you argue he was a number 4 in Detroit, therefore he's a number 4 in SJ it holds no water... SJ's coaching staff might not utilize him as a 4, so how can you say he's a 4 definitively end of story?

report abuse vote down vote up

June 18, 2012
Votes: +0

buck0198 said:

	Green Greens defensive liability isnt my issue with him. I think he is a primadonna. I dont think he has the work ethic...a switch to a team like Detroit could really change my thoughts about him though. If he can stay healthy then I could see him return to his 70 pt ways...especially in the D. Detroit wouldnt cater to his attitude...
	report abuse vote down vote up

June 17, 2012
Votes: +0

buck0198 said:

	Kane What a trashy thing by Kane...I am not a Jets fan but would like to see them build a successful franchise. Where do you think he wants to go? I am sick of these pro athletes that would rather go to an immediate contender then stay with a franchise and help them become relevant... I respect guys like Doan and Weiss...those guys are what pro sports/hockey are all about.
	report abuse vote down vote up

June 17, 2012
Votes: +0

Nate said:

	KANE Don't know how much truth there is to that rumor... and trust me, i'd probably have heard it first, but if it is true, could be a reason for Edmonton to trade that 1st overall pick no? Kane, Enstrom, 1st for Yakupov, Paajarvi, 1st
	report abuse vote down vote up

June 17, 2012
Votes: +1

sentium said:

... Re: Stuart/Souray. You are, yet again, only arguing from a stats standpoint. You don't make an effective defensive pairing by putting two offensive guys together. You pair one offensive guy with a defensive guy so they balance each other. Stuart has been Kronwall's defensive anchor on the second pairing for years now, which makes him a #4, regardless of how you try to squeeze a #X into numbers where defenseman Y HAS to play the PP and whatnot. Stuart is a #4, end of story. Re: Lidstrom. Yes, Lidstrom's injury is a waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaay too small sample size for you to go bananas with numbers as you usually do. I'm just assuming that I watch the Wings a truckload more than you do, as they're my favorite team, and I'm telling you that it's the defense that will be missed the most and that will be irreplaceable for the Wings. The offense can be replaced by committee and if the team can prepare for it (unlike what they're able to do when Lidstrom is suddenly injured) then they will be just fine. Also, Suter is pretty much the closest you get to a Lidstrom type player today. He's a two-way guy who can run the power play and he makes lots of smart, low-risk plays to start the rush and neutralize opponents.

report abuse vote down vote up

June 17, 2012
Votes: +0

Ryan Ma said:

Green Green honestly isn't as bad defensively as many people make him out to be. I mean it's not like he coughs up the puck every single game which leads to a goal the other end. I mean if he did he wouldn't be in the NHL would he? Yes he makes mistakes, but on a high powered offense first the Caps were, you expect him to make mistakes and take risks. Defensively he's good enough offensively to cover for a lack of great defensive skills.

report abuse vote down vote up

June 17, 2012
Votes: +0

Ryan Ma said:

Green/Lidstrom/Suter See I would argue differently... The Red Wings are going to miss Lidstrom dearly. He provided so many dimensions for the Wings. I know it's a small sample size, but when Lidstrom was out of the line up due to injury between Feb 25 and Mar 24, the Wings went 3-6-2 without Lidstrom in the line up. The reason is because their offense dried up as they averaged just 2.55 goals per game. With Lidstrom in the line up they averaged 3.37 goals per game. I agree with you that the defensive aspect is probably where they're going to miss the most. It's hard to replace a +21 rating for someone who chews up 24 mins every single game on the blue-line for a team. But the secondary effect which is the offense is going to hurt as well. That's the point that I'm arguing. Sure you can cover for the loss of Lidstrom defensively with a Suter, but how are you going to cover the offensive loss? So far Suter has not convinced me that he's a number one puck moving defenseman. He's a great number two two-way type of D that can play both ends of the ice, but until I see him actually run an offense on his own without Weber, I'm not convinced. In terms of offense Green is a better option over Suter, which is what I feel Detroit needs to replace for missing Lidstrom and not so much the defensive aspects. They have Kronwall, Quincey, Ericsson to cover that defensive stuff, so they don't need another defense first type. They need someone to get the puck to Dats and Zets. Without a puck mover it makes Dats and Zets game less effective... That's where I'm arguing that Green is a better fit in Detroit than Suter. No way in hell I would argue that Green is better defensively than Suter.

report abuse vote down vote up

June 17, 2012
Votes: +0

Ryan Ma said:

Souray/Stuart It depends what you're looking for. You're comparing apples to oranges if you're comparing skill sets between the two. Souray is an offensive type who isn't shy of putting the puck at the net and can play on the PP with no hassles. Stuart isn't an offensive type, doesn't shoot the puck a lot, doesn't play PP, but is a solid PKer and very strong defensively... So it depends on what the Sharks are looking for in their D3 position. Stuart is a great D5/6 to fill a defensive role, but you wouldn't want him as a D4 if you're expecting the D4 to play PP and garner 20 mins a game... If I'm the GM of the Sharks I'm looking for Souray as an offensive D3 sliding Vlasic down to D4 to have him Murray and Braun as my D5/D6, but I would limit Braun to 16-17 mins a game... If you sign Stuart and shift Braun up to D3, I see the same thing happening as this year. But that's just me

report abuse vote down vote up

June 17, 2012
Votes: +0

Ryan Ma said:

Braun 3rd/4th best in their given situation, but it's not good enough considering they played like crap last year... Murray was out for 20 some games too, which push Braun and the rest of the D into positions they're not meant for as well. My argument is that their top 2 guys are solid, Boyle and Burns are a good 1/2 punch. Vlasic is a good complement to Boyle. So you can say 1,2 and 3 are covered. The way I look at well structured teams (and depending on the team structure), for a D4 you kinda need Quincey, Stralman, Coburn, Salo type and I don't know if Braun fits the bill. He is still young and developing, but for a D4 you want a guy that can play defense for the PK, is physical, but can also tally 30-35 points as well but I don't know if Braun fits the bill as that type of player?

report abuse vote down vote up

June 17, 2012
Votes: +0

Ryan Ma said:

	Nash Definitely agree with you that he is overpaid. But you wouldn't expect him to maintain his current 60 point production if he goes to a SJ, Philly, Rangers, Car, Col... If he gets into one of those teams surely you would think he gets back up to 80s with some sort of supporting cast even if he's part of the supporting cast.
	report abuse vote down vote up

June 17, 2012
Votes: +0

angus said:

	... Burns was actually quite solid defensively in 2011-12 (although the Sharks did give him the fourth hardest minutes and the most offensive zone starts). http://www.behindthenet.ca/nhl_statistics.php?ds=30&s=29&f1=2011_s&f2=5v5&f4=D&f5=S.J&f7=40-&c=0+1+3+5+4+6+7+8+13+14+29+30+32+33+34+45+46+63+67# Funny thing with Green - he was actually more of a defensive/two-way guy in junior.
	report abuse vote down vote up

June 17, 2012
Votes: -1

sentium said:

... "If the Wings miss out on Suter, Green could be a great if not better replacement for Lidstrom." And now I'm just shaking my head. Seriously? Ryan, it's not the offense that the Wings are going to miss from Lidstrom. At least not the main thing. No, it's his defensive prowess. If you are seriously arguing that Green is better at defense compared to Suter, then I just don't know what to say. Wow.

report abuse vote down vote up

June 17, 2012
Votes: -1

sentium said:

	... There is no way that Souray is a better dman than Brad Stuart. Stuart is the perfect steady stay at home guy to cover for Burns, who is at best an adventure defensively.
	report abuse vote down vote up

June 17, 2012
Votes: +0

angus said:

	... The Sharks will find a way to get Braun in the lineup - he was their 3rd or 4th best d-man last year. Demers and Murray could be on the outside (Murray trade bait as Stuart makes him a bit redundant).
	report abuse vote down vote up

June 17, 2012
Votes: +0

hawkdog said:

	... I disagree about Nash's numbers skyrocketing going to a new team, unless that team is a run and gun offense team and they are far and few between it seems. Definitely wouldn't include the Rangers. He is overpaid.
	report abuse vote down vote up

June 17, 2012
Votes: +0

Ryan Ma said:

	... Yeah Stuart seems to make a great bottom pairing D, but I dunno if he'd be a good D4... But you're right. If you have a D corps of Boyle - Vlasic Burns - Souray Murray - Stuart It'd be one of the best in the league... I just don't know if they went Boyle - Vlasic Burns - Demers/Braun Murray - Stuart If they're any better off?
	report abuse vote down vote up

June 17, 2012
Votes: +0

tgraveline said:

Sharks and Souray I think Souray could make a fine defensemen, but remember that the Sharks did just trade for Brad Stuart's rights. They'll be signing him as he wants to be there and they clearly want him. So if anything, Demers or Braun gets shipped and they become the 7th d-man if the Sharks go after Souray, but my guess is that the don't and Murray still ends up on the 3rd pairing, which is perfect as that makes their d-core pretty legitimate.

report abuse vote down vote up

June 17, 2012 | url
Votes: +0

Ryan Ma said:

... Don't get me wrong, for $7.8 mil he's overpaid, I'd much rather take Perry's $5.325 mil over Nash's anyday. Cause you're essentially getting the same production but at $2.5 mil cheaper... What I'm arguing is that Perry has had the supporting cast to help become a "better" player than Nash. I've seen a fair share of Perry "taking games" off too. You can't tell me that Perry with 29 points the first 37 games of this season, when the Ducks were 10-21-6, was giving it his "all"... Perry's also had ample opportunity to play in the playoffs cause the team around him is good. Nash hasn't had anyone remotely close to Getzlaf, Ryan, Selanne, Neidermayer, Hiller calibre to play alongside... What I'm arguing is, if Nash was in Perry's position in Anaheim and Perry was in Nash's position in Columbus, would the stats look any different? Would Nash have performed much better in Anaheim than he would have in Columbus? I would argue he probably would have. Yes Columbus has had high draft picks and did Nash help them? I don't know the answer to that, but could you definitively tell me that Perry made Getz and Ryan better cause he was a better leader in Ana than Nash? Did Perry step up when the Ducks were struggling at the start of the season like the way that you would have expected Nash to step up in Columbus? That's what I'm arguing... if he goes a to team with a better supporting cast, his numbers should pick up, and my feeling is that all of the current naysayers about how he lacks "heart", "motivation", not a "leader" and "overpaid", will all disappear...

report abuse vote down vote up

June 17, 2012
Votes: +0

Gotlaid said:

Braun See I don't know about him. I had a lot of Sharks on my teams this season, so I had a chance to watch a lot of Shark games. Demers and Braun I think are cut from the same cloth... To me they're identical players and they only have room for just 1, cause having two of them play say D5 and D6 is redundant... They're tweener players. I don't think they're good enough to be a 2nd pairing as they're still fairly young (you can't have Braun and Demers as your D3 and D4), but I don't think they're built to be a shut down pairing either. So that's where the Sharks were hurt this season. They played Boyle and Burns in PK roles and made them less effective on the PP and ES cause they were burnt out... Demers and Braun were burnt too many times as a D3 and D4. When Murray went down, the Sharks were physically outmatched against many of the other teams. Where I think the Sharks will benefit, is having Boyle, Burns, Vlasic and D4 (Souray) get into that 20-22 min range. Then have Murray (1 and Demers/Braun get 16 mins. That way you've got your "star" players playing their roles, and have your defensive guys playing their defensive roles and minimizing wrong players in wrong roles... but that's just my opinion.

report abuse vote down vote up

June 17, 2012
Votes: +0

Chuk said:

Nash/Perry Sorry Ryan, I just do not buy it with Nash. No "woe is me" when you sign for 7.8 million. He signed a deal, knowing the team and his role. I think he is a good player but not a great player. Not many players have the drive of Crosby, but you are talking about elite greatness. Perry is not at that level, but the guy competes, has a nasty streak, plus we know he preforms in the playoffs. If you eliminate the first three years of both players stats, considering those are growth years and they should hit their potential by year 4, Perry's numbers take a drastic jump up. Plus Perry's 2010-11 season indicates that the possibility of greatness, even when he was the focus of the other team and when he was carrying the load (Getz was injured for 15 games). Besides their first 3 years Perry's numbers were climbing until they fell off this season. Nash's always jump between 57-79, with 40 goals being the peak. Even when Nash played for Hitchcock, you know his numbers would not be great, but you can still play great and lead your team. Clb did have "potential" talent, with many high draft picks, so how did Nash help them? I like Nash and I hope he does well if he gets traded, but until I see him break that 80 point barrier, show some heart and at the bare minimum look to earn that 7.8 million, I am fine with all tags and will take Perry (and many others) over him every time.

report abuse vote down vote up

June 17, 2012
Votes: +0

Ryan Ma said:

	Green If I'm a team with a desperate need for a number one puck moving blue-liner (Edmonton, TB, Islanders, Columbus, Minnesota, Detroit) and a bit of cap space to spend... I'd be more than happy to give up a 1st, 2nd and 3rd pick in next year's draft to grab Green off of the Caps... If the Wings miss out on Suter, Green could be a great if not better replacement for Lidstrom.
	report abuse vote down vote up

June 17, 2012
Votes: +0

kluu said:

	The Hidden Gem on the Sharks Blue Line Hey! you didnt mention Justin Braun at all! You better start keeping an eye on him! In my book, Braun has leap-frogged Demers on the depth chart
	report abuse vote down vote up

June 17, 2012
Votes: +0

Ryan Ma said:

Mike Green Remember it's just a qualifying offer and not an actual signing... By extending him a qualifying offer they maintain his rights. If they didn't he goes UFA and the Caps lose him for absolutely nothing... So at least they maintain his rights and if a team wants to offer him a "better" contract the Caps get compensation. At $5 mil, the Caps at least secured themselves a 1st, 2nd and 3rd round pick if another team offer sheets him. It's hard to argue Green's status, because of the injuries and what the team itself has done by changing to a "defense" first system. Also if you look at the numbers being bandied about for UFA blue-liners, $7+ for Suter, $5 mil for Green is a good contract... Plus there is a lack of a replacement for the services of Green. I understand his injury risk, but who's available as a replacement for Green if you let him walk? Wideman, Kubina, Spacek, Kuba, Carle, Corvo, Salo, Souray? $5 mil is a steep price to pay if he gets injured, but given the situation and protecting their assets, it's not a bad deal at all...

report abuse vote down vote up

June 17, 2012
Votes: +0

Ryan Ma said:

Nash/Perry This is exactly my point though... Nash always cops it, but if you look at it in terms of help that he's had, he hasn't had any. He's expected to carry the team season after season, and the Jackets haven't done anything to help him out at all and expected him to carry the team and do it all by himself. There's only so much you can expect from a player. If you put Perry in Nash's situation and you put Nash in Perry's position, we'd be arguing the same thing about Perry... You can call out Nash for his laziness or lack of passion, but if you're stuck in a situation where you feel underused and unappreciated, and forced to carry the load season after season you'd probably half ass things too... It's hard to be passionate when there's nothing around you to be passionate for. Truth of the matter is rarely can everyone have the passion of Parise or Crosby, if Perry had the passion of Parise or Crosby, he'd be a consistent 50-goal scorer and 95 pointer season after season, yet we've seen it only once in his 7-year NHL career. Imagine what he'd be capable of if he had Parise or Crosby passion... Yet we'd tag Nash with the "lazy", "unpassionate", "unmotivated", "overpaid" tag no questions asked, but Perry is doing just fine...

report abuse vote down vote up

June 16, 2012
Votes: -1

buck0198 said:

	Mike Green I disagree on Green. Too much of a risk and if the Capitals do not go back to a offense first system... I dont think he has the work ethic.
	report abuse vote down vote up

June 16, 2012
Votes: +0

lesouder said:

Nash/Perry The thing is Perry consistently is playing at or slightly above - see 2010-11 season - his ceiling as a player where as Nash consistently disappoints. He has a ton of skill but he is lazy and you can't fake passion. Unfortunately for Nash, the measuring stick for what makes a good player a great player is just that, passion. If Nash had the character of a Parise or Crosby, imagine what he'd be capable of?

report abuse vote down vote up

June 16, 2012
Votes: +0