2009/2010 Official NHL Hockey Thread

[AxlsMainMan]

No one even knew it went in because it was such a goal. Kane is called The Magician for a reason, afterall.

[GypsySoul]

All that buildup to wind up ending on a freaking fluky goal. Not a fan of either team but damn that was such a lousy way to end the playoffs.

Flukey goal? His puck handling before he even shot was beautiful, let alone the goal itself.

Yeah total fluky goal, that's the kind of goal that never should get through and no one even knew it went in. I don't expect you will agree with me and that's fine but that one never should have gone in.

I don't think the goal itself was flukey but that had to be the absolutely most anti-climactic ending ever. 

CONGRATS anyways AxlsMainMan 

[AxlsMainMan]

Thanks Gypsy'

I doubt Kane thinks of the goal as anti-climatic, it was made from a seemingly impossible angle that any hockey player would have loved to have made.

Would be pretty cool to know you won your team their first Cup in 49 years after being the #1 draft pick just 3 years before; all at age 21 too

[Malcolm]

Leafs signed Colby Armstrong to 3 yr deal..pretty good 3rd liner, and got Versteeg via trade..solid 2nd liner

[Alan]

should be an interesting season for the Oilers, pretty much blew up the team.

[Malcolm]

MAPLE LEAFS SIGN D LEBDA TO TWO-YEAR CONTRACT

The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed unrestricted free agent defenceman Brett Lebda to a two-year contract, worth $1.45 million per season.

Lebda, 28, has appeared in 326 regular season games amassing 18 goals, 50 assists, and 201 penalty minutes.

Undrafted, Lebda originally signed as a free agent with Detroit on July 21, 2004.
 
The Buffalo Grove, Illinois native played for the University of Notre Dame from 2000 to 2004. In 152 games with the Fighting Irish, Lebda scored 26 goals and added 59 assists for 85 points.

[Malcolm]

NABOKOV AGREES TO FOUR-YEAR DEAL IN THE KHL

Evgeni Nabokov is leaving the San Jose Sharks for the Kontinental Hockey League.

Various reports on Wednesday valued his deal with SKA St. Petersburg at four years and $24 million.

Nabokov, 34, leaves the NHL after posting one of his best seasons to date. In 2009-10 he went 44-16-10 with a 2.43 GAA and .922 save percentage for San Jose.

The goalie spent all 10 of his seasons with the Sharks, the club that drafted him in the 9th round of the 1994 draft. He won the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year in 2000-01, and was named a first-team All-Star in 2007-08.

Nabokov also played three games for Russia at the Vancouver Olympics, where he posted a 2-1 record with a 4.16 GAA.

SKA St. Petersburg also boasts former NHL players Sergei Zubov, Darius Kasparaitis, Alexei Yashin, and Sergei Brylin.

[AxlsMainMan]

Kovalchuk gets 17-year deal from Devils

ESPN.com news services
Updated: July 20, 2010, 8:44 AM ET

Ilya Kovalchuk is staying with the New Jersey Devils. Kovalchuk has signed a 17-year, $102 million deal, ending a three-week courtship that included offers from the Los Angeles Kings. He was also pursued by the New York Islanders and SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL. The Devils will absorb an annual salary cap hit of $6 million -- the average amount per season.

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/nhl/news/story?id=5392170

[Malcolm]

NHL REJECTS KOVALCHUK CONTRACT FOR SALARY CAP CIRCUMVENTION

The NHL has rejected Ilya Kovalchuk's 17-year, $102 million contract with the New Jersey Devils on the grounds that it circumvents the NHL's salary cap.

Kovalchuk was slated to earn $95 million over the first 10 years of the deal and then just $7 million over the last seven seasons. That would translate to an annual cap hit of $6 million per year.

The 27-year-old rejected a $101 million, 12-year extension from the Atlanta Thrashers before being dealt to the Devils in February.

[AxlsMainMan]

Marty Turco in net for the Blackhawks this year. Should be interesting.

[chineseblues]

That's like what 7 or 8 of the guys that helped get you the cup gone?

[AxlsMainMan]

That's like what 7 or 8 of the guys that helped get you the cup gone?

We got a first and second round draft pick from the Thrashers for 5 of them or so though. There were serious salary cap issues, and while I'm especially sad to see Big Buff go, we still have a nice core to rebuild around with Kane, Toews, Sharp, and Hossa.

[chineseblues]

That's like what 7 or 8 of the guys that helped get you the cup gone?

We got a first and second round draft pick from the Thrashers for 5 of them or so though. There were serious salary cap issues, and while I'm especially sad to see Big Buff go, we still have a nice core to rebuild around with Kane, Toews, Sharp, and Hossa.

Draft picks won't do much to get you guys back to the cup next season though. Quite a few of the guys  (including Neimi!) played a HUGE part in you guys getting the cup.

On another topic, looks like Modano has finally decided to come to the Wings and win another cup next year!!!! 

[AxlsMainMan]

It's probably too early for Cup predictions without pre-season games even going on yet, but with Kane, Toews, Sharp, and Hossa, I still strongly believe the 'Hawks are still a legitimate playoff team. Sure, Niemi is a significant loss, but his save pecentage could have been better through the playoffs, and he wanted too much money.