The morning line
posted by Mike Boone at 7h33 EST on Jul 1
Cap space: With the salary cap at $56.7 million, here's where each NHL team is sitting as free agency begins:
Philadelphia $58.9-million
Anaheim $53.2-million
Boston $51.4-million
Dallas $49.5-million
Edmonton $49.3-million
Chicago $47.2-million
Florida $46.8-million
Carolina $46.4-million
Calgary $45.9-million
Nashville $45.7-million
San Jose $44.2-million
St. Louis $44-million
Toronto $43.7-million
New Jersey $42.3-million
Tampa Bay $42-million
Buffalo $41.9-million
Canadiens $41.5-million
Ottawa $41.3-million
Washington $40.9-million
Detroit $40.8-million
Colorado $38.8-million
Vancouver $37-million
Minnesota $36.8-million
Phoenix $34.6-million
Pittsburgh $33.9-million
N.Y. Rangers $33.8-million
N.Y. Islanders $32.5-million
Atlanta $31.2-million
Columbus $29.5-million
Los Angeles $27.8-million
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Comments
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Submitted by Mikeishockey2 on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 11:22.
Bob would never go overboard. He wouldn't offer hossa 8 million because he could do other intentions with that money. The situation with Sundin is most likely that he signs with the rangers but, we still have hope. A source from TSN said that Jagr will test the free the open market,look for pittsburgh to snatch him. Their are 2 teams going after streit a source from RIS told me. Boston and The Flyers are the teams. Habs should get Rolston.
Submitted by ZepFan2 on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 10:54.
Lmao
Yeah the Habs are "blowing it" by actually trying to sign free agents.
Where do they find these guys?
Submitted by nigel-ski on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 10:49.
I'm pretty sure that we will be shut out of our plan a, b, and c guys today, like usual. A lot of the players available are going to be massively overpaid anyhow, so it shouldn't be percieved as a huge loss in any event.
I say that we should pursue a guy like Cory Stillman. He has won two Cups recently, with TBL and the artists formerly known as the Whalers. Additionally, he would likely come much cheaper than a lot of other guys, for, despite his consistent point outputs, he seems to fly pretty much under everyone's radar. Unlikely though.
Forget Sundin.
The rumor in Toronto, courtesy of the Toronto Sun's Lance Hornby, is that we would have given up a player AND a draft pick if we'd signed Sundin in our massive 10 day exclusive window. Too much at the deadline, and too much in the last ten days to pay for a player who doesn't seem to care about winning the Cup.
Still, I hope we sign someone in the next few days that will help our team without being subjected to some ludicrous 7 year or higher term that screams "buyout" from the moment it is signed...
Habs rule, Leafs drool...
Submitted by the real vinnydj on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 10:40.
Santa is here!!! Thats how excited I am
Submitted by Wencz on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 10:21.
If Boston is really offering Hossa a deal like that I don't think Bob will try to compete; he's not one for overpaying, but even more so he's not one to agree on long-long-term contracts. What is the longest contract for a Hab at the moment? Must be Marky or Hammer at 4 or 5 years.
I'm thinking if we do make a UFA signing today that a good deal would be to get Rolston at around 4 mil for 3 years; not sure if that would get it done though. But I'm liking him and he's consistent.
Submitted by Hoegarden on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 10:11.
The way the salary cap is going, it's obvious to some agents that the gold rush is on one more time. Most teams have already signed their "must keep" young players except the Habs. Whose signature is more important to the casual Hab fan; AK46 or Sundin ? I say AK while agreeing with you all that he'll stay here, SK74 being partly the reason. Only a fool (Kevin Lowe comes to mind) would cough up 5 draft picks but you never know, do you ?
If Sundin really (I personally doubt it) wants to play here, he'll sign today, tomorrow, next week, but he'll sign.
Rafalsky, Shanahan, Brière, Brett Hull, now Sundin.Training camp will not come soon enough for me.
Submitted by SmartDog on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 10:23.
As the spurned Habs fan emerges from his spring slumber, the sad, haunting song begins, punctuated by short-lived periods of futile enthusiasm...
~Listen to the smart dog!
Submitted by Wencz on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 10:03.
Excellent blog on decisions around "offer sheets" for RFAs by Chip McCleary on Hockeybuzz:
http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=15961
After reading that, I can't see any team -- unless a GM finds themselves in a desperate situation like KLowe last year -- giving AK46 an offer sheet. He'll be a Hab next year I think.
If not, lots of picks coming our way, and hopefully we can go out and sign somebody who can produce now with the money saved.
Submitted by mrhabby on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 10:11.
my guess is and likely wrong. bg very quiet today on the ufa front aka hossa , sundin and concentrates on our own internal signings. why upset the apple cart when nothing is really wrong. he still has the summer and right up to trade dealine to make some changes.
Submitted by arcosenate on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 10:01.
I found this in a journal on federal institutions. I think we're going to have trouble attracting any UFAs:
Sean Avery has refused to play in Canada due to its first past the post electoral system. He maintains that until proportional representation is established there's no way he's playing in that "democratically challenged" wasteland. Mats Sundin, on the other hand has expressed grave concerns regarding Canada's bicameral legislature, believing the upper chamber to be "redundant" and an anachronism which a mature system of government would never retain. Marcel Hossa has ruled out the playing in Montreal due to the the underrepresentation of Alberta at the federal level. Until the issue of western alienation is addressed Hossa has vowed to "never carry a hockey stick north of the 49th parallel."
Oh well, and on Canada Day too, I would never have thought these guys were paying such close attention.
Submitted by G-Man on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 10:22.
Personally, I blame the Habs lack of UFA signings and everything else on the Meech Lake Discord, um, Accord.
Gilbert
Submitted by SmartDog on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 10:09.
This is untrue about Hossa. Ekland says he was turned off by our inability to obtain consensus on a process for amending the constitution until 1982, meaning amendments to Canada's constitution continued to require the approval of the British parliament until that date.
~Listen to the smart dog!
Submitted by arcosenate on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 10:12.
HAHA!!
Submitted by Wencz on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 10:07.
good stuff
Submitted by Xtrahabsfan on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 10:06.
LOL,you had me on the Avery thing and no further.
Submitted by SmartDog on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 10:15.
Hockey Buzz says Rolston turned down the lightning.
I would bet Bob will be giving him a call... let's hope he's heard about our poutine and has a love of one way streets, summer festivals, long winters, and arrogance.
~Listen to the smart dog!
Submitted by Xtrahabsfan on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 09:51.
Buckle up Hab fans,today is the day that give us insight as to the success of the new season.I really hope the last two years of free agency success don't haunt us .
Submitted by SmartDog on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 09:54.
Ouch. You're really wearing your heart on your sleeve to pin your hopes on today.
My guess is we'll sign ONE person and it will be someone who hasn't been high on the list of HIO chatter.
~Listen to the smart dog!
Submitted by The Teacher on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 10:14.
I concur.
Submitted by TommyB on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 09:27.
Amid all this panic and paranoia regarding A Kostitsyn, you people are making some mighty big assumptions. First of all, submitting an offer sheet to an RFA is rarely done these days. Second, to do so would cost you severely in future draft picks. And Third, how do you know AK is regarded as such a hot commodity throughout the NHL that he is worth the aforementioned risks? Add to that the fact that Montreal still gets the right to match any offer, and I really don't think AK would be offered anything so outrageous that Gainey cannot or would not match....Time to relax a little, people.
Submitted by Jim M on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 09:56.
Tommy,
If you keep posting logical comments like this, then you're going to spoil a lot of people's fun.
Submitted by nightmare_49 on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 10:39.
Hi Jim , how are you keeping.
Submitted by Jim M on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 10:51.
N_49
Very well. Thanks for asking. How about you? I've noticed that you are really into the free-agent deadline when GMs decide to throw money away because their teams didn't draft and develope properly. Player agents must be laughing their heads off at some of these clowns.
Submitted by nightmare_49 on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 11:15.
M - Not bad Jim and i love this time of year ever since i was a kid and bare knuckle boxing was the fad.
Submitted by J.T. on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 09:58.
Hey Jim! Great to see you back! And Tom, I totally agree with you on A.Kost.
http://habsloyalist.blogspot.com
Submitted by Jim M on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 10:07.
Thanks, J.T.
I've enjoyed reading your blog very much, by the way. You always keep it real and that's refreshing.
Submitted by The Teacher on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 10:15.
J.T.'s blog is always great to read, I agree. :)
Submitted by SmartDog on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 09:52.
Methinks this is just a grumpy nervous crowd this morning. Of course, that doesn't explain all the other mornings. :)
~Listen to the smart dog!
Submitted by The Teacher on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 10:16.
Grunt......sniff....must sign a Free Agent or ....grunt...sniff....we...grunt...must go to Bell Center...grunt and Burn Bob.....grunt...scratches nether regions....grunt...
Submitted by SmartDog on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 10:25.
LOL. Just be glad I don't have a webcam.
~Listen to the smart dog!
Submitted by MikeL on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 09:40.
Agree, if a Gm out here is going to offer a crazy Penner-like contract, I don't think it will be on Andrei K. Mike Green seems to be the most likely to get an offer.
Edit: Just noticed Green was signed.
Submitted by RetroMikey on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 09:34.
Well said Tommy B.
Andrei K is one of our biggest priorities to sign and we'll hear good news he will be a Habs for years to come!
"We will win the Cup only with Carey Price in the nets"
Submitted by showey47 on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 09:30.
agreed. AK will be a hab this upcoming season and for years to come. We just don't know for how much money and for how many years.
Submitted by habs-13 on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 09:20.
Let's hope Gainey can do what George McPhee did in Washington and get Kostitsyn to sign within hours of free agency.
Submitted by RetroMikey on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 09:09.
Heads it's Detroit, tails it's New York for Mats.
Flipping my loonie and it's......HEADS!
Mats is going to Detroit.
"We will win the Cup only with Carey Price in the nets"
Submitted by SmartDog on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 09:50.
A beer says it's New York. His young finacee isn't going to want to live in Detroit.
~Listen to the smart dog!
Submitted by RetroMikey on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 09:54.
Smart Dog, when do I get that beer from last season's bet? :)
"We will win the Cup only with Carey Price in the nets"
Submitted by SmartDog on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 09:59.
Arggh... I think I darnk that one. :)
All beers will be paid at the next HIO outing. Who organized last years? Is there one in the works?
~Listen to the smart dog!
Submitted by The Teacher on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 10:17.
We must organize it.
Pretty sure Jay in PA organized the last one.
Submitted by Morenz7 on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 09:06.
Personally, I'm getting less concerned about the potential loss of Sundin than I am about the potential loss of AK46 to some half-cocked offer sheet. Looks like Gainey failed to get him signed long-term, and there are some GMs (and owners) in very aggressive moods this year. Come noon, I'll be holding my breath.
Submitted by RetroMikey on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 09:18.
Don't forget aggressive agents like Don Meehan who represents Andrei Kostitsyn.
"We will win the Cup only with Carey Price in the nets"
Submitted by Robert L on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 09:06.
Obviously, Mats Sundin is on the minds of many Habs fans today. The reasons, and the angles, for this are numerous.
Not long after I posted a piece entitled "Habs Handcuffed By Sundin?" at my Eyes On The Prize site, I noticed that Habs World's T.C Deneault posted his own take, "Mats Sundin's Unfinished Legacy" at the Hockey News Canadiens blog.
T.C.'s piece is a great and curious read, as he likens Sundin's career to that of Marcel Dionne.
I wish I'd thought of that!
J.T.'s "Plan B" is another excellent read. Check it out!
http://wwwrealitycheckeyesontheprize.blogspot.com/2008/07/habs-handcuffe...
http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/16899-Canadiens-Blog-Mats-Sundins-...
http://habsloyalist.blogspot.com/2008/06/plan-b.html
edit reply
Submitted by mrhabby on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 10:23.
nice piece on realitycheck.
Submitted by Drive_For_25 on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 09:17.
All that means nothing without AK46 though!!! Sundin or "Plan B" are meant to be brought onto a team with great budding talent such and Andrei. I can't believe anyone on here is even thinking of Sundin!!!! It's cool if you wanna get your hopes up about a big FA signing but I could care less unless we take care of the guys we have first. Notice how we've missed out on the big FA's in recent years and what happened? The team got better every year!!! Tanguay isn't enough for everyone??? Get your priorities straight people!!!!
Submitted by Exit716 on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 09:13.
Geez, penniless teams like Washington and Florida get their RFAs signed. But the cash cow Canadiens can't FFS.
Submitted by SmartDog on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 09:02.
>Twelve times leading the club in scoring. Eleven times leading the Leafs in >goals. Nobody has ever done that before in Toronto. Nobody ever will do that >again.
Sundin is a marquee player and deserves all the respect this column is rightly showing. But it does help the the team SUCKED.
~Listen to the smart dog!
Submitted by Drive_For_25 on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 09:19.
I could have led the team in scoring but I was too busy watching the Habs!!
Submitted by J.T. on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 08:39.
I wonder what Bob Gainey's doing right now? I'm guessing he's been out for his run and is now enjoying a relaxed coffee over Le Journal.
http://habsloyalist.blogspot.com
Submitted by Mike Boone on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 08:47.
If BG is relaxed he has failed to grasp the gravity of the situation.
Submitted by J.T. on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 08:59.
Yeah, but can you imagine him in a panic? Or even in a rush?
http://habsloyalist.blogspot.com
Submitted by Moey on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 08:53.
Exactly right Mike, all this nail biting and sleepless nights :)
Submitted by showey47 on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 08:36.
Taking it for what its worth coming from eklund but according to his website huet is looking for a 5 year 5 million dollar/season contract, yikes.
Submitted by SmartDog on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 08:39.
I think he's worth close to that. If you look around the league he's an elite goalie. Especially if you could figure out how to stop him from letting in those softies. :)
~Listen to the smart dog!
Submitted by showey47 on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 08:45.
5 million may be close but its the 5 years that makes me say no thanks. Maybe if he signs on the west coast where he can only blow games against the laffs once a year instead of 8 lmao.
Submitted by SmartDog on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 08:59.
Painful but true.
I always said he needs a good shrink.. seriously, I think he could be the best goalie in the league.
~Listen to the smart dog!
Submitted by SmartDog on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 08:22.
Not listening to Marc DeFoy, and we did pick up Hamrlik last summer, and now Tanguay even if through a trade, but I wonder if Montreal has permanently lost its sheen as a great place to play. Not for anything Montreal has done (cough-Tremblay-cough) but as much as anything for how people have changed. In business we talk about how the "me" generation looks at jobs differently - they want to have fun, be treated well, etc. Montreal is a tough place to play, so much pressure, and as a city, it's fun but it doesn't have the cache of New York, the weather's not great, and you need to deal with language bullcrap. If it were me, I could be lured by San Jose... or Anaheim, Tampa, New York...
Just a thought.
~Listen to the smart dog!
Submitted by TommyB on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 08:47.
someplace with a beach.... ;]
Submitted by Exit716 on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 08:28.
I think you're correct, especially about the players wanting the big money and the adulation but not the responsibility. Just look at Ribs comments about Dallas compared to Montreal.
Sundin will be much happier in NY or Detroit where the hockey team is an after thought behind the three major sports.
Submitted by Exit716 on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 08:07.
That contract would take Hossa past the age of 40.
How would they get it in under the cap? They have just about $7 million to play with.
Submitted by Mike Boone on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 08:46.
They're going to cut Glen Murray and Manny Fernandez
Submitted by RetroMikey on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 07:56.
Interesting link to an article to read why fans believe it is imperative to sign Hossa, Rolston or Sundin to big lucrative contracts and cripple our franchise further! The Rangers should get the lifetime Boner Award for this category.
10 Worst free agent signings
"We will win the Cup only with Carey Price in the nets"
Submitted by Rugger on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 07:51.
I have to take issue with "blowing thier primary target". Is anyone upset that Brier did not sign with us?
Submitted by RetroMikey on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 07:57.
No
"We will win the Cup only with Carey Price in the nets"
Submitted by Drive_For_25 on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 09:22.
Don't worry bud, he was 20 last season.... remember?
Submitted by Thomas Le Fan on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 07:47.
Let someone else over pay these stiffs. Sundin ain't coming and we don't need his worn out 37 year old body, anyway. We led the league in scoring without him. I'm tired of this free agent crap. None of them want to play in Montreal. Fine. Let's stop pursuing them and build the team the old fashioned way. Which, by the way, Gainey and Timmins are doing quite well.
Submitted by RetroMikey on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 08:05.
Well said. We have 2 other options to make trades if needed, December and March deadlines. What's the rush to sign them the dotted line on July 1?
Are we not a better team than a year ago?
Let's play it by ear and see how we progress during the first quarter of the season and then we can evaluate the situation.
IMO, we are a better team and will get better without free agent signings.
Signing these free agents does not guarantee you a Stanley Cup.
"We will win the Cup only with Carey Price in the nets"
Submitted by TommyB on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 08:45.
Briere...Gomez...Drury. What do these top three free agents of last summer have in common? Here's a clue: neither of them hoisted the Stanley Cup this spring. And yes, I stole this line from TSN, but it does merit repeating. You are right, Retro, we have to be careful here.
That said, it should be an interesting day.
Submitted by ths on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 07:46.
Wow these guys must be laughing at all this.
Sundin would be stupid not to play them all off each other.
I think a player who had the world at his feet would take NY over Montreal just for the life experience and I think the wife would insist on it.
Submitted by Barts on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 07:40.
$100 million, 12 yrs for Hossa??!?? Be my guest Boston... LOL!
Submitted by RetroMikey on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 08:13.
That's why there are buyouts after several seasons when the players don't produce after inking big contracts and not producing.
"We will win the Cup only with Carey Price in the nets"
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