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Re: Around the league (signings, RFAs injuries)

Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2013 1:57 pm
by JelloPuddingPop
tantalum wrote:
Zedlee wrote:Wow...Kovalchuk retires...what a shock. Guess with the money in the KHL now, other guys could follow.
Only the guys whose competitive nature are less than desired in a NHL player.
Or guys who want to play at home. I don't think Kovalchuk's competitive nature was less than desired, he was a PPG player... I think that takes a bit of a desire to accomplish no?

Loved to be on the ice apparently...

Re: Around the league (signings, RFAs injuries)

Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2013 2:10 pm
by donlever
JelloPuddingPop wrote:
tantalum wrote: Or guys who want to play at home.
Yeah I agree (although tants point is valid in many cases as well).

There are the Radulovs and Kostitsyns.

And then there are the Kovalchuks.

Dude wants to go home, (if that's the bottom line here...I have no idea obviously), then he wants to go home.

Fill your boots bro.

Re: Around the league (signings, RFAs injuries)

Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2013 2:21 pm
by Aaronp18
Hockey Widow wrote: Certainly better for us than his 5.3, better than a buyout for the owner, but the big difference is Kovie will play agin in the KHL. Luongo does not have those options, we he does I guess, if he wants to live in Russia.
Yeah, I understand. More just joking around. Though there is discussion amongst some of the media here of Luo simply sitting out the year - which makes no sense for Luongo.

I'm perfectly happy with Luo playing for the Canucks, barring of course he still wants to. His cap hit is great for the player he is and it will enable us to better the team in front of him, especially when the cap goes back up.

Being a team that spends or will spend close to the cap every year is great, unless of course the cap is artificially decreased. In this scenario we are just going to have to grin and bear it for the year.

The Devils are much worse without Kovie. Not sure how they can replace a player of his ilk.

Re: Around the league (signings, RFAs injuries)

Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2013 2:28 pm
by tantalum
JelloPuddingPop wrote:
tantalum wrote:
Zedlee wrote:Wow...Kovalchuk retires...what a shock. Guess with the money in the KHL now, other guys could follow.
Only the guys whose competitive nature are less than desired in a NHL player.
Or guys who want to play at home. I don't think Kovalchuk's competitive nature was less than desired, he was a PPG player... I think that takes a bit of a desire to accomplish no?

Loved to be on the ice apparently...
Meh. I think his effort was intermittent. Not unlike Mogilny.

yes he likely just wants to play at home. But it also means he doesn't want to achieve the pinnacle that there is to achieve in his chosen profession. That's fine. It's a choice he has made. No problem with that at all. We all make those choices. But Russian, Canadian or whatever, it also means it isn't the type of competitive nature you hope to have on your team. You want every guy to want to be part of the best team in the best league on the planet. Kovalchuk doesn't want to be that guy so he has made the decision he needed to make. While it sounded like I was slamming him with my quick comment that wasn't the intent. he has made the right decision for him and his teammates because he wasn't willing to go balls out for a NHL team.

Re: Around the league (signings, RFAs injuries)

Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2013 2:29 pm
by Eddy Punch Clock
So in light of this "retirement" ... and now that NJ has the cap space... and no first round picks coming anytime soon, would you trade Luongo and Horvat for Schneider? :shock:

All we really wanted to do was get Lou's contract off the books no?

I'm mostly kidding... but nothing would surprise me anymore when it comes to the goaltending drama in Vancouver.

Re: Around the league (signings, RFAs injuries)

Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2013 3:20 pm
by alexBF
This could turn out VERY well for Kovalchuk financially, especially if he can go on to do something like score the gold medal winning goal.

In Russia the story will be a player loving his country too much to just chase money in America. He'll be a Russian hero, no questioning his loyalty to his country. Then he can go on to dominate the KHL as the clearly best player in the league.

He'll get a good salary there, but he will get INSANE sponsorship money, companies all over will want the Kovalchuk brand stamped on their products.

Returning superstar, in the prime of his career at only 30 years old comes home to raise his family in a "better" country back home, leads his country's team to olympic gold on home soil for the first time ever.

This could go very well for him... if they don't win the gold and/or he's not the star it will still go well, but if it goes that way he'll come out much better financially than if he had stayed here.

Re: Around the league (signings, RFAs injuries)

Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2013 3:31 pm
by Strangelove
donlever wrote: Dude wants to go home, (if that's the bottom line here...I have no idea obviously), then he wants to go home.

Fill your boots bro.
True, except only a filthy godless commie would wanna go home to "The Motherland" amirite? :mex:

Re: Around the league (signings, RFAs injuries)

Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2013 3:53 pm
by BurningBeard
alexBF wrote:This could go very well for him...
If the plane stays in the air.

Re: Around the league (signings, RFAs injuries)

Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2013 3:58 pm
by Jovocop
BurningBeard wrote:
alexBF wrote:This could go very well for him...
If the plane stays in the air.
That is not nice.

Re: Around the league (signings, RFAs injuries)

Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2013 4:03 pm
by rats19
BurningBeard wrote:
alexBF wrote:This could go very well for him...
If the plane stays in the air.
My brother went to Russia last year to assemble a log house shell...I told him to take a bus once in Russia..

Re: Around the league (signings, RFAs injuries)

Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2013 4:10 pm
by Jovocop
rats19 wrote:
BurningBeard wrote:
alexBF wrote:This could go very well for him...
If the plane stays in the air.
My brother went to Russia last year to assemble a log house shell...I told him to take a bus once in Russia..
They might maintain their buses like their planes... :look:

Re: Around the league (signings, RFAs injuries)

Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2013 4:14 pm
by Strangelove
Poor Jersey, I guess this lends some credence to the old "ginger keepers are a jinx" saying. :drink:

Quick, someone tell Boothie hunting licenses are not required in Russia!

Re: Around the league (signings, RFAs injuries)

Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2013 5:05 pm
by Arachnid
tantalum wrote:
JelloPuddingPop wrote:
tantalum wrote: Only the guys whose competitive nature are less than desired in a NHL player.
Or guys who want to play at home. I don't think Kovalchuk's competitive nature was less than desired, he was a PPG player... I think that takes a bit of a desire to accomplish no?

Loved to be on the ice apparently...
Meh. I think his effort was intermittent. Not unlike Mogilny.

yes he likely just wants to play at home. But it also means he doesn't want to achieve the pinnacle that there is to achieve in his chosen profession. That's fine. It's a choice he has made. No problem with that at all. We all make those choices. But Russian, Canadian or whatever, it also means it isn't the type of competitive nature you hope to have on your team. You want every guy to want to be part of the best team in the best league on the planet. Kovalchuk doesn't want to be that guy so he has made the decision he needed to make. While it sounded like I was slamming him with my quick comment that wasn't the intent. he has made the right decision for him and his teammates because he wasn't willing to go balls out for a NHL team.
Congratulations upon reaching the pinnacle of mediocrity in your posting career.

8-)

Re: Around the league (signings, RFAs injuries)

Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2013 6:14 pm
by tantalum
Thanks!

I'd given up long ago on being the best poster. I've decided I'm very happy in putting minimal effort into my posts. I've certainly stopped caring about such things as spelling and grammar. Etc etc etc. Hell I recently turned down a pretty big promotion simply because we didn't want to uproot our family. I understand completely the putting family ahead of career. I'm happy in my decreased career trajectory because it allows me to spend far more time with the family (others have opposite motivations). Then again, because I am happy with that means you likely don't want me running the company because I'm simply not motivated to be the best of the best (doesn't mean I'm not motivated to do my job the best I can). Same as this case...you'd much rather have the guy who wants to be a part of that pinnacle than one content with a lesser professional prize (but higher personal prize).

Re: Around the league (signings, RFAs injuries)

Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2013 7:19 pm
by Chef Boi RD
tantalum wrote:Thanks!

I'd given up long ago on being the best poster. I've decided I'm very happy in putting minimal effort into my posts. I've certainly stopped caring about such things as spelling and grammar. Etc etc etc. Hell I recently turned down a pretty big promotion simply because we didn't want to uproot our family. I understand completely the putting family ahead of career. I'm happy in my decreased career trajectory because it allows me to spend far more time with the family (others have opposite motivations). Then again, because I am happy with that means you likely don't want me running the company because I'm simply not motivated to be the best of the best (doesn't mean I'm not motivated to do my job the best I can). Same as this case...you'd much rather have the guy who wants to be a part of that pinnacle than one content with a lesser professional prize (but higher personal prize).
You're putting in way too much effort explaining to someone who does things like bringing his own personal Pom poms to Joe Louis arena