Around the league (signings, RFAs injuries)

[Jovocop]

Good value on the trade for the Oilers. Paajarvi is extremely overrated by Oiler fans IMO and the second isn't much to give up for a good scorer in perron.

Problem is that this doesn't address any real needs for the Oilers. Scoring wingers is not something they lack. You have to wonder if this is setting up a move of Yakupov to address the giant holes at center, defense or goal.

But this was clearly a cap dump by the Blues to a team that could take on that cap dump. $3.8+ mil this season and the next three for Perron. The Blues are in cap hell and even bigger internal budget hell I'm guessing.

they can likely get Pietrangelo and perhaps Stewart under contract now (if they spend to the cap). I suspect we will see one more cap dump from them and it will be Berglund.

Agreed - not really sure what MacT is doing unless there's another shoe to drop. They didn't need any more scoring wingers with Hemsky, Hall, Eberle, Yakupov and now Perron there. Maybe they are looking to trade for Yakupov for a center? They really only have RNH and Gagner as centres so are very thin there, unless you count Boyd Gordon as more than a 3rd or 4th liner.

If Berglund were available he would be a nice pickup as a 3rd line center for Van.

Also looks like Rask just got $7 million a season. Sure is nice to play behind an ultra defensive team - as Bryzgalov found out as well.

Berglund would be nice. I am not sure what the Canucks can offer the Blues...

[ORCA]

Rask got paid!

"Tuukka Rask has signed an extension with bruins. 56 Million. 8years x 7 per."

Rask 26 years old - 138GP 66W 45L 16OT 16SO .927SV% 2.15GAA
Schneider 27 years old - 98GP 55W 26L 8OT 9SO .927SV% 2.20GAA

Is Rask really $3m better than Schneider?

Rask's contract is really just perfect timing for him.

[tantalum]

Berglund is making over $3 mil this season. RFA next. Still young but he has underperformed the last couple of years.

Not sure the canucks can fit him in, but certainly wouldn't be a bad addition if they could. A young, big center.

Blues have run into the problem that they didn't do enough when the guys they had were on sweetheart deals. now all that youthful, underpaid core is getting paid and when you couple it with the Bouwmeester cap hit it has caused them issues.

This trade makes them immune to a Pietrangelo offer sheet. Either they don't sign Stewart and trade his rights or they move Berglund. Just my opinion.

[Jovocop]

Berglund is making over $3 mil this season. RFA next. Still young but he has underperformed the last couple of years.

Not sure the canucks can fit him in, but certainly wouldn't be a bad addition if they could. A young, big center.

Blues have run into the problem that they didn't do enough when the guys they had were on sweetheart deals. now all that youthful, underpaid core is getting paid and when you couple it with the Bouwmeester cap hit it has caused them issues.

This trade makes them immune to a Pietrangelo offer sheet. Either they don't sign Stewart and trade his rights or they move Berglund. Just my opinion.

Would Schroeder + a second round pick be enough to get Berglund?

[ORCA]

Would Schroeder + a second round pick be enough to get Berglund?

I would say no. He's better than .5 ppg and still really young. He's also huge in comparison to JS.

[BurningBeard]

Agreed - not really sure what MacT is doing

Hopefully not driving.

[Jovocop]

Would Schroeder + a second round pick be enough to get Berglund?

I would say no. He's better than .5 ppg and still really young. He's also huge in comparison to JS.

As tantalum mentioned earlier, the Blues still need to sign Stewart and Pietrangelo. They still have a big lineup without Berglund. Schroeder is cheap and reliable. He should be able to provide some cap relief for the Blues as well as producing offense. MG could sweeten the pot a bit by throwing in a prospect.

[Diehard1]

Berglund is making over $3 mil this season. RFA next. Still young but he has underperformed the last couple of years.

Not sure the canucks can fit him in, but certainly wouldn't be a bad addition if they could. A young, big center.

Blues have run into the problem that they didn't do enough when the guys they had were on sweetheart deals. now all that youthful, underpaid core is getting paid and when you couple it with the Bouwmeester cap hit it has caused them issues.

This trade makes them immune to a Pietrangelo offer sheet. Either they don't sign Stewart and trade his rights or they move Berglund. Just my opinion.

As you said earlier, there's almost no way the Blues are a cap team either. My guess is their internal budget is south of $60 million so they'll have to do some thing to get to it.

Berglund is still young enough to improve, and you could sign him to a long-term extension for not too much dough right now. If Gillis is willing to move Tanev he can fit a guy like Berglund or another $3 million player in quite easily. As is, with Tanev signed, a $2 to $2.5 million player is easily accommodated.

I still don't think Gillis is done, there's nowhere near enough depth on the bottom 2 lines. He'll pick up a player or two before the season starts.

[Cornuck]

I still don't think Gillis is done, there's nowhere near enough depth on the bottom 2 lines. He'll pick up a player or two before the season starts.

That seems to be his M.O. - see who's waiting for a spot a week before training camp and low ball them. Kinda like scouting a bar at last call.

[Island Nucklehead]

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=427429

Rask signs an 8 year deal worth $56M.

The Bruins said the annual salary cap charge on Rask's contract is $7 million.

[Reefer2]

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=427429

Rask signs an 8 year deal worth $56M.

The Bruins said the annual salary cap charge on Rask's contract is $7 million.

Which still makes me wonder why no one liked Luongo's contract? His cap hit is really good for what he can provide to a team. I guess it is just the length?

[The Brown Wizard]

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=427429

Rask signs an 8 year deal worth $56M.

The Bruins said the annual salary cap charge on Rask's contract is $7 million.

Which still makes me wonder why no one liked Luongo's contract? His cap hit is really good for what he can provide to a team. I guess it is just the length?

His playoff record maybe?

If he was a top level goaltender it wouldn't be an issue but his reputation as a playoff dud obviously isn't being overlooked by the rest of the league.

[Jovocop]

Which still makes me wonder why no one liked Luongo's contract? His cap hit is really good for what he can provide to a team. I guess it is just the length?

His playoff record maybe?

If he was a top level goaltender it wouldn't be an issue but his reputation as a playoff dud obviously isn't being overlooked by the rest of the league.

Plus the fat boy, his cousin and the Toronto media kept saying how the contract is untradeable.

[ORCA]

His playoff record maybe?

If he was a top level goaltender it wouldn't be an issue but his reputation as a playoff dud obviously isn't being overlooked by the rest of the league.

We are risking turning every thread into a Luongo thread.

The "concern" with Luongo's contract has always been with its length. I do not buy into GM's submarining Luongo because he has let in a couple softies and the team collapses (Luongo has never let in 8 bad goals in a game. Vancouver quits under AV and everyone knows it). They are smarter than most of the fishbowl fans here, we just get the advantage of having nothing at stake in our predictions, perfect hindsight, and hiding behind our internet warrior computer screen shields.

How can people firmly believe in playoffs as a definitive and substantial contract "measuring stick" with people like Bouwmeester, Kovalchuk, Stamkos, Nash, and Gaborik signing monsterous contracts and almost never seeing a playoff game is their careers?

In 2 years when the salary cap is astronomically high Luongo will be a total bargain once again, even if he's a completely average goaltender in every respect (which he will not be). Everyone will be so happy they signed him 'back then' when the Devan Dubnyk's of the league will be signing for 6.5+.

[tantalum]

You know it's funny but going into the Stanley Cup Final Thomas and Luongo literally had identical stats (same GAA, SV% that differed by 0.003 or something). Luongo had a partially terrible cup final though he also had 3 excellent games. It was similar to Thomas' eastern final. He was and Boston was terrible for 3 or 4 games in that series yet he grabbed a couple of shutouts. The refs put away the whistles in game 7 of the eastern final and neutered the bolts. Had they not done so perhaps we're talking about how terrible a playoff goaltender Thomas is. This year Rask and Crawford went in with identical stats....crawford maintained his numbers through the final and Rask's took a nosedive.

Because Luongo didn't win the cup we hear about how terrible he is in the playoffs anytime he loses or a bad goal goes in. And the lack of winning it all is certainly relevant. However, all goaltenders have terrible playoff years or series. Even the best of the best. Brodeur has been a started for 16 playoff years...in 5 of those years he had a SV% 0.902 or lower. His other years he is 0.917 or higher. He has won the cup though so we gloss over the fact that at times he really has been bad during the playoffs. You can look and see that for a handful of year Roy also struggled.

Again I understand the perception but in the end, Luongo has the highest regular season SV% of any goaltender not named Hasek who has played 700 or more games in the history of the league (and Hasek is ahead by a mere 0.003). When he retires he will likely be top 5 all time in regular season wins. He will also likely be top 10 in playoff wins and playoff shutouts...despite spending the first half of his career thus far in Islander and Panther purgatory. He has an excellent international resume.

He's a good goaltender. He has some quirks to be sure. There are concerns. I to had hoped that it would be Schneider suiting up for the canucks in the next 5 or 6 years. But how can people not be concerned about Schneider who has a grand total of 1 playoff win and has actually yet to see a truly high pressure game since playing in the world juniors? Schneider is a great talent but he is far from proven (I know some will argue about that but starting 30 games for a couple of seasons doesn't prove much of anything when it comes to goaltending. Heck, Jim Carey showed the world that a Vezina doesn't prove anything either!)