Ray77

I don't like that move for the Wild, especially with the NTC. Was somebody talking about organizations without a plan...Montreal anyone? And how about Florida going on a spending spree. 5 years @ $5.5M per year for a 3rd line player (Bolland)?!!!

Christian Ehrhoff to Pittsburgh on a 1 year, $4M deal.

It'll be interesting to see how he does on another team. No doubt he benefitted from playing on that team in Pittsburgh. Will he have the same success elsewhere?

Jason Spezza just traded to the Dallas Stars.

Free Agency opens up today at 11:00 am...any predictions?

And now the LA Kings re-signed Gaborik (good move) for 7 years (WHAAAT?). He's currently 32 so he now has a contract that goes until he's 39 - at $4.875M per year. Interesting decision there on the part of the Kings. Marian Gaborik re-signs with Kings

Wow! Good for him! I didn't expect that.

Very interesting article. Some very interesting comments and viewpoints. It sounds like the Blackhawks are going about this the right way. I wish we had that type of leadership years ago... Dialogue is key with Blackhawks logo This:

He'd look mighty fine playing back home in Black and Gold. He's got 1 year left on his entry level contract this coming season. Fletcher better lock him up!

Obviously my opinion is quite biased. I'm a huge Bruins fan but always like to see the Wild do well as the "local" team. If they would sign Subban, I'd hope they finish dead last in the Central division. Having Cooke and Subban both on that team would make them very easy to cheer against. Let's take a look to see how realistic this even is. The Wild have about $22.7M in cap space for next year. Per the article it sounds like Subban will command about a $9M/year contract anywhere from 5-7 years, and also note that he's a RFA, so Montreal can match any offer that Subban receives from another team. Montreal has $26.4M in cap space next year. Also, if Montreal doesn't match an offer sheet, they would receive 4 FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICKS as compensation! Along with Minnesota's $22.7M cap space, they have 5 forwards and 2 defensemen that are UFA's, and 3 forwards and 1 defenseman that are RFA's. So that's 11 spots that they need to fill with that $22.7M in cap space. If you tie up $9M on Subban, you have $13.7M left for 10 players. Good luck with that. I'm not sure who this author (Dakota Case) is, but I hope Chuck Fletcher has more common sense than he(?) does.

Just painful to watch.

I agree. Can we close this thread now?

Greene's an interesting case. He's an Alternate captain in LA, but he's also a 6th/7th D on the team. He wears the A for a reason, however, going forward if he comes back does he continue to wear a letter? As he's a UFA this season, will they bring him back? I definitely think he has a few years left in him - whether it's in LA or somewhere else. When Gaborik got traded to the Kings, there were a ton of 'experts' who said that it was a horrible trade and a horrible fit. I think a lot of people didn't expect this playoff performance out of him. Look how that turned out!

He's a UFA, so the only thing they'd really be able to trade would be his negotiating rights. Doubtful that's going to happen. I was just looking at LA's situation - wow! For next year (2014-15) they are $13.1M UNDER the cap, and the only guys that aren't under contract are Willie Mitchell, Marian Gaborik and Greene (UFA's) and Dwight King (RFA). Unbelievable. Looking ahead to the following year (2015-16) they only have a couple UFA's and a bunch of the young kids will be RFA's, but currently they're $28.9M under the cap for that year! I'd guess they'll get the kids locked up this offseason to take care of that, along with maybe bringing in a couple of guys, and they'll be locked in. They're going to be tough for some time to come. Dean Lombardi has done a great job building this team.

Tonight's prediction: the Rangers pull a close one out by winning in OT, and the Kings go back to LA and win it in Game 5 at home.

Agreed. I don't get it. Careful what you wish for Penguins...the grass isn't always greener...

Ahhh...I guess I didn't pick up on your sarcasm. I could see the series going the way you described, so didn't know where you were going wit the 'greatest team of all time' thing. I could see the Kings winning in 4, 5, 6 or 7 games. If the Rangers win it, I think it'll go at least 6, and more likely 7 games.

? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Did he look like this in both lines?

I think in both series, the home team wins in game 6 and closes it out. No way do the Rangers want to go back to Montreal for a game 7, and I think with what happened last game Henrik Lundquist has something to prove. Add in Rene Bourque's comments about the rookie Tokarski outplaying Lundquist this series - look out! Same with the Kings - no way do they want to go back to Chicago for a game 7.

Will the series end tonight?

I think it translates to a lot of different things, and much of it can't be posted here!

Hello? Where'd everybody go? Am I in the wrong thread? I thought I'd see some Kings/Blackhawks talk out here? Maybe some Montreal/Rangers talk about the Prust headshot, John Moore's hit on Weise, Carcillo elbowing an official, embellishment penalties...? I suppose you all only thought those unsportsmanlike meanies from Boston did that kind of stuff and maybe you don't want to talk about it anymore... . Seriously - we've resorted to NBA talk here?

As I said before - it could be Nakota, Nokota, Nahkoahtah...whatever. It won't happen.

Let's compare and we'll see how this plays out. The 2 teams are in very similar situations. Minnesota has $22.7M in cap space and have 17 signed players (9F, 6D, 2G). Detroit has $20.1M in cap space and has 18 signed players (11F, 5D, 2F)