Official NHL 2005-2006 Season Thread

[sandman]

leclair is a stiff. recchi may have something left, but he'll disappear for 10-15 games at a time. that's a really weak 2nd line.

And how much do your views on LeClair and Recchi have to do with the fact the Flyers missed out on re-signing them?

Let's see LeClair's stats since getting into the NHL...

Regular Season Playoffs
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1991-92 Montreal Canadiens NHL 59 8 11 19 14 8 1 1 2 4
1992-93 Montreal Canadiens NHL 72 19 25 44 33 20 4 6 10 14
1993-94 Montreal Canadiens NHL 74 19 24 43 32 7 2 1 3 8
1994-95 Montreal Canadiens NHL 9 1 4 5 10 -- -- -- -- --
1994-95 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 37 25 24 49 20 15 5 7 12 4
1995-96 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 82 51 46 97 64 11 6 5 11 6
1996-97 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 82 50 47 97 58 19 9 12 21 10
1997-98 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 82 51 36 87 32 5 1 1 2 8
1998-99 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 76 43 47 90 30 6 3 0 3 12
1999-00 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 82 40 37 77 36 18 6 7 13 6
2000-01 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 16 7 5 12 0 6 1 2 3 2
2001-02 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 82 25 26 51 30 5 0 0 0 2
2002-03 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 35 18 10 28 16 13 2 3 5 10
2003-04 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 75 23 32 55 51 18 2 2 4 8
 NHL Totals? 873 382 379 761 428 154 42 47 89 94

So in the last eight seasons in which he has played 40 or more games, LeClair has had at least 50 points in each of them.? He was over 75 points for five seasons in a row at one point.? I'm not asking for that much, but I bet you'll see him EASILY hit the 50-point mark one more time.

Mark Recchi.? More than 50 points per season every season of his career with the exception of the strike-shortened 1994-95 season.?

Add in Evgeni Malkin, the #2 overall pick in 2004.? You have got to be kidding me if you think this is weak for a second line.? I'd question it a bit as a first line, but I'll take a second line like this any day.? I think you're just crying because your Flyers don't have them anymore.

missed out on signing them? leclair has been a liability to the flyers since lindros left. the flyers bought out leclair's contract. (and CHOSE to let recchi walk.) clarke tried to give leclair away to so many teams the last three years but couldn't.

i will admit that my opinion is based on the fact that he was making close to $10M a year. but even his biggest fans (including myself) realized he's no where near what he was.

trust me, if you are a penguins fan and watch alot of games, you will be cursing leclair by the end of the year. and in the playoffs he can't do shit. he is so easily taken out of a game. he has no strength....his back is done. and his whole game depends on that.

you keep throwing stats out there. when are you gonna learn that stats don't mean shit.

[sandman]

by the way, i like how you conveniently left out leclair and recchi's playoff stats from last year. 

i don't know what they are, but i remember all too well that they didn't do shit. they could not have come up any smaller. if we get anything out of either one of those guys against tampa, philly wins the cup.

[N.I.B]

Philly actually might win the cup, much to my disgust

Lol - the Leafs just signed Lindros.....

as long as nobody checks him, everything will be fine  . they are gonna have to trade someone soon, they are up to around $36mill with only 18 guys signed

Him and Palffey

Remember when the re-signed Gilmour? Music to my ears when i saw him leave the rink. Don't get me wrong i dont hate the man, but hes a leaf

[Mal Brossard]

Thanks for the LeClair input </sarcasm> but i'll take a huge regular season over nothing in the regular season causing the team not to even make the playoffs.  I don't care what you say about the regular season being "just the preseason," if you don't win there, you don't get to the playoffs.

And don't get so far ahead of yourself about the Flyers winning the cup if LeClair or Recchi shows up vs. the Lightning.  You'd still have to face a Calgary Flames team that should have won the cup, if not for the league's lame "optical illusion" excuse on Gelinas' Game 6 Cup-clincher.  And let's not forget about the 14 power play goals allowed (2nd highest in the playoffs, 3rd worst PK%).  They took 15.1 PIM per game, not exactly a good number for the playoffs.

Oh wait, that's right, the numbers don't matter to Flyers fans, how silly of me.

While we're on the topic of second lines, what exactly will the Flyers' second line be this year?

I'm going to go out on a limb here.  And feel free to quote me on this.  I'll stand by it until the season ends, just remember I called it right now:

The Philadelphia Flyers will NOT appear in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2006.

[sandman]

Thanks for the LeClair input </sarcasm> but i'll take a huge regular season over nothing in the regular season causing the team not to even make the playoffs.? I don't care what you say about the regular season being "just the preseason," if you don't win there, you don't get to the playoffs.

And don't get so far ahead of yourself about the Flyers winning the cup if LeClair or Recchi shows up vs. the Lightning.? You'd still have to face a Calgary Flames team that should have won the cup, if not for the league's lame "optical illusion" excuse on Gelinas' Game 6 Cup-clincher.? And let's not forget about the 14 power play goals allowed (2nd highest in the playoffs, 3rd worst PK%).? They took 15.1 PIM per game, not exactly a good number for the playoffs.

Oh wait, that's right, the numbers don't matter to Flyers fans, how silly of me.

While we're on the topic of second lines, what exactly will the Flyers' second line be this year?

I'm going to go out on a limb here.? And feel free to quote me on this.? I'll stand by it until the season ends, just remember I called it right now:

The Philadelphia Flyers will NOT appear in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2006.

i'd rather have young wingers with speed that will cause problems for oppopsing teams and not break down in the playoffs.

you're not going out on a limb by saying that at all. it's a long season and many injuries will be had. you also have a number of other great teams in the conference - devils, sens, tampa, leafs. are the flyers the favorite? absolutely. but nothing is guaranteed. the cup is the hardest championship to win in pro sports.

not sure what the flyers second line will be....h-cock has said that it is to be determined. i think it will definitely be preems (who was the best player in the league in the 2004 playoffs) and "what's happenin" kapanen. the other winger could be knuble, richards, or sharp.

and don't be shocked if JR is a flyer in march.

[Neemo]

Personally I'm with Duffman, I don't think Flyers have that good of a team, of course Forsberg has the ability to carry them quite a ways in the playoffs (if he is healthy of course)

I like the looks of Boston's team they have 2 solid lines in

Samsonov-Thorton-Murray
Isbister-Zhamnov-McEachern

as well as a couple decent defensmen (slegr? and leetch), if they sign raycroft and he keeps performing well then they will be a force.

Also, Ottawa's team is fantastic (If they sign Bondra and he gets back to his Washingotn form lookout) Hasek is the Goaltender they've been looking for and can win games by himself. With Haseks GAA and Ott's goal scoring ability, look out!!!!

If tampa fills the Khabibulin hole (Joseph maybe?) and comes to terms with St.Louis and Lacavalier then you can't rule out the (Fast, Young, Talented) defending champs.

Philly's team doesn't compare to Bos, Ott, TB.? IMHO

Also Pittsburgh's team looks surprisingly awesome. they should make the playoffs for sure this year

[N.I.B]

Also Pittsburgh's team looks surprisingly awesome. they should make the playoffs for sure this year

Crosbys going to do well there. After all, Lemiux is there

[Neemo]

Also Pittsburgh's team looks surprisingly awesome. they should make the playoffs for sure this year

Crosbys going to do well there. After all, Lemiux is there

I'm kinda worried for mr Crosby, there is soooo much hype surrounding him. Cuz lots of prospects have fizzled out after alot of Hype. (Alexander Daigle, Radek Bonk and Pat Falloon being primary examples, but even Lindros, Nolan and Hamrlik haven't developed as planned either) I dunno maybe It's just me but I don't think he's ready yet, he's only what 18? geez man the players in the NHL are alot faster, bigger, stronger and smarter than junior 'A' hockey players you know? and goaltenders are way above the junior 'A' caliber I would let him play another year junior then try him out in the big leagues, or even try him in the ahl and see how he does. It would be a shame to see his confidence blown at such a young age cause he can't do anything in the NHL. Of course I guess they have training camp and preseason to try before the regular season starts. and who know he may totally prove me wrong. but like I said it would be a terrible shame if he turned into another Daigle.

[Rob]

Yeah, Crosby could be great in a couple years, but I don't see him being an elite player right away.  If you're counting on him to be a major threat you're probably gonna be dissapointed.  And how much can you realistically expect out of Lemieux?  That being said Pittsburgh should be pretty good. 

[sandman]

Personally I'm with Duffman, I don't think Flyers have that good of a team, of course Forsberg has the ability to carry them quite a ways in the playoffs (if he is healthy of course)

I like the looks of Boston's team they have 2 solid lines in

Samsonov-Thorton-Murray
Isbister-Zhamnov-McEachern

as well as a couple decent defensmen (slegr? and leetch), if they sign raycroft and he keeps performing well then they will be a force.

Also, Ottawa's team is fantastic (If they sign Bondra and he gets back to his Washingotn form lookout) Hasek is the Goaltender they've been looking for and can win games by himself. With Haseks GAA and Ott's goal scoring ability, look out!!!!

If tampa fills the Khabibulin hole (Joseph maybe?) and comes to terms with St.Louis and Lacavalier then you can't rule out the (Fast, Young, Talented) defending champs.

Philly's team doesn't compare to Bos, Ott, TB.? IMHO

Also Pittsburgh's team looks surprisingly awesome. they should make the playoffs for sure this year

the flyers don't compare?? that's a bold statement.

sure there are several good teams in the east. but the flyers are certainly one of them. they were a top team last season, they dominated the devils, won a thriller of a series against the leafs, and took TB to game 7. and they have improved their team significantly. and i like esche alot, but i think niittymaki has the potential to win the starting job. i hope he gets the chance.

[Mal Brossard]

Can JR be a Flyer in March?  He would have to take a huge paycut, or the Flyers would have to free up a lot of cap room somehow.  And as far as I know the rules to work this year regarding buyouts, the Kings can't buy him out or cut down his contract and have the Flyers sign him again.

I wouldn't go so far as to say the Flyers dont compare at all to the B's, Lightning, Pens, and Devils.  I'm sure the Flyers, B's, Lightning, and Devils will be playoff teams (with the Pens also looking like a likely team to get in), and as much as it pains me to say it, they're contenders, along with some of those aforementioned teams.

I don't think you'll see Niittymaki get the starting job this season, but I can guarantee he'll take over whenever Esche's contract runs out.  As for Crosby, the Pens have been pretty good when bringing elite young prospects along kinda quickly-- Lemieux, and Jagr are prime examples.  Of course, there are just as many picks they've had in the top 5 who have crashed and burned-- Darrin Shannon, Chris Joseph, Craig Simpson, and Zarley Zalapski to name a few.  I think the fact he'll also have some younger players alongside him plus some star vets will help him out.  It will give him a good balance to work with.

Also, I'm glad to see the B's brought back Slegr again.  He's one of the few European players I really like, and I can't wait to see him working with Leetch, or whomever they put him with.

[sandman]

Can JR be a Flyer in March?? He would have to take a huge paycut, or the Flyers would have to free up a lot of cap room somehow.? And as far as I know the rules to work this year regarding buyouts, the Kings can't buy him out or cut down his contract and have the Flyers sign him again.

I wouldn't go so far as to say the Flyers dont compare at all to the B's, Lightning, Pens, and Devils.? I'm sure the Flyers, B's, Lightning, and Devils will be playoff teams (with the Pens also looking like a likely team to get in), and as much as it pains me to say it, they're contenders, along with some of those aforementioned teams.

I don't think you'll see Niittymaki get the starting job this season, but I can guarantee he'll take over whenever Esche's contract runs out.? As for Crosby, the Pens have been pretty good when bringing elite young prospects along kinda quickly-- Lemieux, and Jagr are prime examples.? Of course, there are just as many picks they've had in the top 5 who have crashed and burned-- Darrin Shannon, Chris Joseph, Craig Simpson, and Zarley Zalapski to name a few.? I think the fact he'll also have some younger players alongside him plus some star vets will help him out.? It will give him a good balance to work with.

Also, I'm glad to see the B's brought back Slegr again.? He's one of the few European players I really like, and I can't wait to see him working with Leetch, or whomever they put him with.

in march, JR's remaining salary for this season will only have about 20% left to pay.....approximately $1.5 to $2 million left. i believe the flyers are about $2-$3 million under the cap. and knowing clarke, he's saving that to make a big trade at the deadline.

so if the kings are out of playoff contention, it's a possibility. they will be looking to dump salary, and JR is aging so it's not like they can build around him. and they owe the flyers future considerations....which likely will be a draft pick. if JR cannot get them into the playoffs, i'm sure they'd rather give him up as the future considerations and hold on to the pick.

i do admit that this is all just an ideal dream on my part. but i don't think it's impossible.

i haven't seen crosby play so i can't guess if he'll have a major impact this year. nothing is a sure thing, but he's in a great situation. lemieux is an ideal mentor for him to have. and he's still a great playmaker on the ice and makes those around him better.

[Neemo]

the flyers don't compare?? that's a bold statement.

Ok, ok, you are right i kinda got carried away there. philly does have a good team, but i think the other teams i mentioned "look better on paper" who knows how the players will play together right?

And if Esche"hole" stands on his head again, they'll do good for sure.

And now that looks like Cujo is off to Phoenix that means one less #1 goalie for TB, i think all that is left is Irbe (who's old) & Cechmanek (who stinks)
then there are Potvin, Schwab and Storr. yikes! ? unless of course they plan on using Sean Burke as thier starter ?

My team, Detroit needs to get back their 2 young stars, Datsyuk and Zetterberg, What are they waiting for? But i hear they are interested in Wade Reddon too ? that would be cool ?

I think sandman's right, that if they only pay $1,000,000 of his salary they will be ok. by that turn i wouldn't be surprised if det tries to get back McCarty, I'm gonna miss him, he always seems to come up with some big clutch goals.

Lemieux will be lucky to play 40-50 games, what will crosby do for the rest of the season? They do have a good supporting cast in pittsburgh but if teams constantly dbl-team him to shut him down he won't have much of a chance.

Sidney acomplishements: Two-time QMJHL and CHL Player of the Year and 2004 Rookie of the Year, led Rimouski to the 2005 Memorial Cup Final...Canadian Hockey League's leading scorer in 2003-2004 and 2004-2005...helped guide Canada to a silver medal in 2004 and gold medal in 2005 at the World Junior Hockey Championship.

Last year he had 168 pts in 62 games in Canadian Junior 'a' hockey, everyone was on him in the world juniors though, he didn't put up a ton of points, he was 4th on Canada's scoring list

[Rob]

The Rangers got Steve Rucchin...its about friggin' time they got somebody.  They still have only one goaltender on the roster listed on the website...and its Kevin Weekes.  Its gonna be a long season, but at least its gonna be a season!

[sandman]

here's current odds to win the Stanley Cup....

2006 Stanley Cup
(Updated August 30, 2005)
 
Philadelphia Flyers  4/1
Ottowa Senators  6/1
Detroit Red Wings  6/1
Colorado Avalanche  7/1
Tampa Bay Lightning  8/1
Boston Bruins  10/1
Calgary Flames  10/1
New Jersey Devils 10/1
Vancouver Canucks  15/1
Dallas Stars  12/1
Toronto Maple Leafs  15/1
San Jose Sharks  17/1
Los Angeles Kings  15/1
Pittsburgh Penguins  15/1
Edmonton Oilers  22/1
Montreal Canadiens  22/1
New York Islanders  20/1
St. Louis Blues  25/1
Nashville Predators  30/1
Chicago Blackhawks 40/1
Anaheim Mighty Ducks 30/1
Atlanta Thrashers  45/1
Florida Panthers 50/1
New York Rangers  40/1
Minnesota Wild  50/1
Phoenix Coyotes  50/1
Columbus Bluejackets 60/1
Buffalo Sabres  60/1
Carolina Hurricanes 70/1
Washington Capitals  100/1

[sandman]

Scott Stevens has retired. Big loss not only for the Devils, but for the NHL. he will be missed.



EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- New Jersey Devils defenseman Scott Stevens announced his retirement after more than two decades in the NHL on Tuesday, saying a year off showed him that he could live without hockey.

"I think the game is more mental than physical. You have to be in tremendous shape, but you have to want to do it in your head," the 41-year-old Stevens said. "At this point in my career I didn't think I could put the mental parts there every day, and that's a big part of playing this game."

General manager Lou Lamoriello said Stevens, a 13-time All-Star who has played more NHL games than any other defenseman during his 22 seasons, has "been an integral part of all the success we've had."

"He's been a leader on and off the ice as a hockey player and a person. He feels he's accomplished a lot of things and now wants to devote a lot of time to his family," Lamoriello said.

He added that Stevens will stay with the organization in some capacity.

"I've said all along that the door has been open for Scott to make the decision that's right for him," Lamoriello said. "We would have welcomed him back and wouldn't have thought twice about it. He didn't want it to be a distraction during training camp."

Stevens, an unrestricted free agent, missed the final 44 games of the most recent NHL season, 2003-04, after sustaining a head injury against Pittsburgh on Jan. 7, 2004.

Always known for his rugged playing style, the Devils' captain said during last season's lockout that he expected to return when the labor dispute was settled.

The Devils have won three Stanley Cups with Stevens as their defensive anchor. His sabbatical, and the departure of Scott Niedermayer to Anaheim as a free agent, creates a huge void in the team's defensive corps.

"Obviously, it's a shock right now to hear," teammate Scott Gomez said. "You knew that day would come. We all thought Scotty would be back.

"Right now I'm a little bit shocked because he announced something, but at the same time he didn't play the second half of the year."

Pointing to the offseason acquisitions of Vladimir Malakhov and Dan McGillis, Lamoriello said the Devils' defense "is better than it was last year," referring to the 2003-2004 season.

Malakhov, 36, won a Stanley Cup with the Devils in 2000 before playing for the Rangers and Philadelphia, and the 33-year-old McGillis has played more than 600 NHL games with Edmonton, Philadelphia, San Jose and Boston.

The Devils also will start the regular season without left wing Patrik Elias, who contracted hepatitis A in the spring when he was playing in eastern Europe during the NHL lockout. Lamoriello said Tuesday that Elias is able to do conditioning work but is not yet skating and would not be ready to play by the Devils' first game on Oct. 5 against Pittsburgh.

"He's progressing. It's going to take time," Lamoriello said.

[Rob]

Can't say I'm sorry about that news.

[Mal Brossard]

I hated seeing my favorite teams play against Stevens, but I will miss seeing him out on the ice.  This was a guy who embodied what a defenseman in the NHL should be-- could play back, could score and pass, could hit, could fight, and was a hell of a leader.

So who's taking the C for New Jersey?

[Mal Brossard]

Stevens, Messier, Klatt, Damphousse... Who's next?

[Rob]

Even more up in the air, who's taking the C for the Rangers?  Jagr?  He's one of only a handful of players who was on the team two seasons ago.