Official NHL 2007-2008 Thread 2 Minutes for Hooking

I'm perfectly fine with them going 10-72 or so as long as they win the right 10.

Devils looked great today.
Colorado looked awful, and Detroit looked scary, even without Lidstrom.

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Originally Posted by Yoshi

It is time to root for Philly tomorrow night though so Ottawa loses that game in hand. There will probably be a couple more occasions before the year is over.

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Not really, because if Montreal beats the Rangers (yes please) we're still out of first in the conference, and Montreal is scary. I'd rather have the divisional rivals continue to lose, and hope we gain ground on Ottawa in other ways.
It won't really matter that much, as the easiest first round opponent will be the third seed, so really we ought to be aiming for seventh.
So today I'm rooting for:
Boston
CBJ
MTL
OTT
FLA
EDM
MIN
CHI
PHX

Games in Hand all even out in the end.

If Montreal beats out Ottawa, that's the best thing in the world for the Devils. They completely own Montreal and have for over a decade. The only way Montreal beats the Devils is when the refs call five consecutive penalties in the third at the same time the Devils take an early All-Star break. Ottawa is a much, much better team than Montreal, barring an acquisition of a Hossa-type in Montreal.

Ottawa has too many names and not enough goaltending. I'm worried about what will happen once their traded players decide to make an impact, because I know this losing skid can't continue, but Gerber and Emery are not Cup caliber goalies.

The Flyers picked up Modry, for some crappy pick.

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Originally Posted by Cowutopia

Ottawa has too many names and not enough goaltending. I'm worried about what will happen once their traded players decide to make an impact, because I know this losing skid can't continue, but Gerber and Emery are not Cup caliber goalies.

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I want nothing to do with playing Ottawa. Over several playoff series, they always seem to play one goal games with the Devils, and upsets have happened in both directions because of this. I don't like playoff coin flips. Ottawa's goalies are an exposure, but so is the Devils' consistency in scoring, which may balance out.

Here's some juicy but potentially worthless rumor mongering:

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Originally Posted by The Sporting News

Trade fodder

The NHL GM meetings are taking place in Naples, Fla., this week, and there is no shortage of trade rumors involving Eastern teams.

The Canadiens are believed to be front-runners for Atlanta's Marian Hossa. If the Habs can't land Hossa, they might settle for checking-line center Chris Gratton of the Lightning. The Senators are believed to be considering a deal that would bring them Nikolai Khabibulin from the Chicago Blackhawks for defenseman Wade Redden.

The New Jersey Devils are believed to be making a pitch for Chicago right wing Martin Havlat and putting him on a line with longtime buddy Patrik Elias.

The free-falling Flyers, losers of seven straight, are desperate for some help now that defenseman Derian Hatcher will be shut down for a minimum of three weeks with knee pain. Left wing Joffrey Lupul is out three weeks with a high ankle sprain, and left wing Simon Gagne could be out for the season with a concussion. The Flyers have their sights set on Tampa defenseman Dan Boyle now that Peter Forsberg has decided he will not return to the NHL this season.

Of course, the two hottest names on the trade market are Hossa and Toronto's Mats Sundin. Both are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents on July 1.

Hossa, 29, has rejected a five-year, $35 million offer to stay in Atlanta, so he'd likely be a two-month rental for whoever gets him. Hossa told the Atlanta Journal Constitution last week that there was a "very slim chance" of him signing with the Thrashers before the Feb. 26 trade deadline.

"They could lose me for nothing," he said. "Obviously they're aware of that. It's a big decision on their part."

Hossa has twice scored more than 40 goals and might be the most talented player available. He'll cost most teams a promising player, a high-end prospect and a draft pick.

Sundin, 37, is the oldest player on the market, but he has not yet lifted his no-trade clause, and he'll have a big say in where he'll go if he leaves Toronto. The cost for Sundin would be lower, but not by much.

"What we've been telling people around the league is that we're not going to make a trade for a rent-a-player," Toronto general manager Cliff Fletcher said. "We are looking long term. That doesn't mean we wouldn't look at a guy who might help us now. But he also would have to be someone that would help us down the road."

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You know the Senators suck in goal when they're looking at pinning their Cup hopes on Khabibulin in 2008. That said, he's probably an improvement, so I hope it doesn't happen or they overpay dearly.

I can't say that I'm not excited about the prospect of a Parise-Elias-Havlat top line with a Zubrus-Zajac-Langenbrunner follow-up.

That would actually be pretty fucking hot, but where would Gionta go? He'd be as good as useless on a fourth line, and has no spot on the brylin-madden-pando line.

So, he'd be gone.

Gionta would have to be included. Chicago would need someone to replace Havlat to some degree plus some prospects/picks.