Pierre LeBrun: Inspired by D'ohboy?
by D'ohboy on Apr 23, 2009 2:20 PM EDT
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PrintOk, maybe he came up with this on his own, but the premise of his current article on ESPN.com is eerily similar to a post I made a couple of days ago. In it, he argues that the Capitals this year remind him of the early-90s Nordiques.
Hmm. Where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, here.
His point is generally correct. I just want some credit. :P
If you do agree with his premise, do you think that the Caps should trade a Sundin for Wendel Clark? That is, would you be willing to sacrifice one of the "Young Guns," (presumably Semin) for a gritty, savvy veteran like say, Ryan Smyth?
If this FanPost is written by someone other than one of the blog's editors, the opinions expressed in it do not necessarily reflect those of this blog or SB Nation.
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oh look, he has now added "thank you, d'ohboy" to the bottom of the article..
..oh wait, no he didn’t.
sorry, i realize i sound like an a-hole. pretty huge leap to think that pierre was roaming our message board for tidbits. even bigger leap to expect him to credit an anonymous commenter.
as for the question: no, i would not trade semin for ryan smyth, even if salaries (and smyth’s is huuuge) were tossed from the equation. a young ryan smyth? maybe.
He damn well should. :)
C’mon, did you really think a post with the word butt-munch in the title was serious?
yeah sorry. the headline was more sensationalist than the body of the post. but you don’t have any pulitzer-prize-hungry editors to blame! (i miss “the wire”).
by Natty Bumppo on Apr 23, 2009 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Most of the Denver beat writers roam MHH and steal ideas. Hell, they even dated some of our contributors at times. Or so I’ve heard…
2008-2009 Colorado Avalanche: Dry Humping Mediocrity
SAY WHAT??? I actually grew up in Denver. One of my friends dated Woody Paige’s daughter. She was hotttt!
I knew that Dater trolled your site, but I didn’t think he took it that far…
What a crap year for the Avs, btw. They failed at failure. Those OT losses down the stretch cost them a better shot at Hedman or Tavares. I hope they pick up Evander Kane – I really liked his play in the WJC.
Also, Colby Cohen and Shattenkirk need to get up to the NHL ASAP.
Shathimself was not that impressive to me in the Frozen 4 or the WJC, although I know he’s got that hype. I may just be harboring bitter jealousy over every dman that contributed to Team USA’s underwhelming performance at the WJC though. It’s sure good they didn’t have Carlson. Dicks.
Hmm. I thought he was pretty damn good in the US-Canada game. In the US’ other games, I didn’t think he stood out negatively. In the Frozen Four, I thought he was good, but not spectacular. I did, however, think he played as good or better than Gilroy, whom I thought got walked on several times.
Yeah, Ruth over Carlson, great freaking idea. Butt-munches. Do you think they were punishing him for going to the OHL instead of going to college? Maybe sending a little message?
I agree, I’ll take Shatty at “just ok” with the National Champs ring on his finger in an Avs uni next season either way.
Dater has been a fanboy of DD’s for a while and now we joke about how he’s seeing Jibbles on the side…
2008-2009 Colorado Avalanche: Dry Humping Mediocrity
Also
It’s Matt Duchene over Kane at this point…
2008-2009 Colorado Avalanche: Dry Humping Mediocrity
Matt Duchene over Hedman at this point, apparently.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Hmm. Either way, the Avs better not screw the pooch on this one.
Sadly, they’ll probably be right back at the top of the lottery next year, and for a couple years hence. Welcome to Cap hell.
A thought came to me just now, do you think the Avs would be down with a Nylander for Scott Hannan swap? Basically, each team could rid itself of a salary albatross and pick up an asset that they need a little more. The Avs could get a #2 center who would fit their system, and the Caps could get a defensive-defenseman…
F-n-B is right. Avs fans have another season of “will he, won’t he” with Super Joe before we can discuss anything involving the center position. Wolski spent about half the season at C, and that was the #1 option if Joe retired last summer, so that might be the way it goes. However, if a coaching change isn’t made, it won’t matter if Jesus himself was leading the way, the Avs will still be wretched next year.
2008-2009 Colorado Avalanche: Dry Humping Mediocrity
And if I had a unicorn, I’d. . .
Sakic needs to retire. For himself, and for the Avs. They can’t fit him in under the cap, thanks to Franky Giguere/Andy Bernard (he seriously looks like that dude from The Office).
Wolski is most clearly not a #1 center, and his play this year proved that he’s not even that great an option at #2. He showed a brief burst of capability, only to retreat into mediocrity complete ass-tasticness with the rest of the team.
The Avs will suck with a tight seal, no doubt. But honestly, it’s probably good for them. They really came up empty from the draft for a while, and the perennial deadline deals really emptied out what talent there was in the minors.
I guess I was just postulating a trade that might make each team better and that is largely salary-neutral.
Instead, we can offer to send you back Theodore… :)
Only if you take Razor, Arny, Tucker and Granato the other way.
2008-2009 Colorado Avalanche: Dry Humping Mediocrity
Done!!! We get back a coach we can fire, a goalie whose contract expires July 1, a C whose contract expires July 1, and a gritty D-bag (which are in short supply on our roster) who has one year left at 2.3 We get 2.2 mill of cap space and a d-bag. I can live with that.
I HATE Tucker. But I’d take him over Theo if only for the fact that he is half the cap hit and he actually brings something to this team that nobody else does.
How about this, we take him, and then send his ass immediately to Hershey, and thence to South Carolina, where he can head to the hills and return to his trailer park ways?
by D'ohboy on Apr 24, 2009 1:33 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
He, D’oh – the “p” word is awfully aggressive, given that what you wrote was buried in the comments. I don’t want to do it, but if you’d edit the title, I think it’d be an appropriate move.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Screw it – I edited it. I’m not going to have a tenuous (at best) claim that so seriously questions someone’s professionalism and ethics stay up on the front page. Sorry, D’oh – hope you understand.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
i think the “p” word was also the impetus for my strong response. it really strikes at the very heart of a journalist, no matter one’s opinion of lebrun.
i’d have gone with “great minds think alike” as my headline.
by Natty Bumppo on Apr 23, 2009 2:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah. You’re probably right. I also thought that the likelihood of someone actually thinking he had plagiarized me was even smaller than the possibility that he had, in fact, plagiarized me.
Yet another lesson in the sometimes tortured relationship between sarcasm and the internet.
You’ve got to realize the power of The Rink. Check this out.
With great power comes great responsibility.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Apr 23, 2009 2:58 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Oh, and no, I would not trade Semin for Ryan Smyth. Not in 100 years.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Sorry, I had stepped away. . .
No worries about the edits. I tried to leaven the comment somewhat by adding in the obvious silliness of the butt-munch commentary. I wasn’t actually suggesting that he ripped me off by using a comment that I had buried waaaaay deep in some post on here. :)
I also wouldn’t trade Semin for Smyth. Of course, I’m not sure I would have traded Sundin for Clark, either.
As silly as what I wrote sounds, though, I think the Caps are going to approach that same sort of crossroads in the next two years. What sort of risk/return do you think is worth it?
I’m not exactly sure what you are asking but I think if GMGM is makes shrewd FA decisions he can avoid having to trade a key player to add to the team. That doesn’t mean he won’t trade a key player but I think he can just continue to build around the core we have without having to do violence to the roster for us to win a Cup.
I think it’s all well and good to say: “we’ve got core guys that are untouchable,” but what happens when you need that extra piece and nobody is going to give you that gritty power-forward/rugged d-man/veteran keeper without us giving up one of those core players?
I’m sure that Pierre Lacroix would have preferred to trade Ricci to the Leafs for Clark, but they wanted Sundin…
Right I’m saying we don’t have to put ourselves in a position where we need to trade for that guy. Chris Higgins and Mike Komisarek (Long Island represent!) are both UFA this summer. Both of them would fill important roles on this team. They may be hard to sign (especially Komisarek) but the point is that guys like this do appear on the FA market and don’t require giving up anything directly. That said, if we sign Komisarek we may end up in a cap pinch and be unable to resign Semin. If that is the case GMGM needs to decide whether to let Semin play out his contract here or trade him for more assets. That is a more likely scenario I think than having to trade one of our current core to round out the team. It’s also more likely that some prospect that may not even be in the system yet is the guy that has to get traded (like Sundin was when he got traded).
Sundin was playing with the Nords before he got traded, and had been for several years. The dude potted 47 goals for them one year.
At some point, you’ve gotta give to get. I’d love to trade a 2nd round pick for Bobby Ryan, but it ain’t happening. I wouldn’t mind seeing Higgins come here, but he’s not the #2 Center we need. I’d rather see us pick up Tanguay, personally, then pick up Knuble to ride his wing. I think you could get both of them for under $8m total.
As for Long Island, it’s on the wrong side of the sound. Connecticut in the hizz!
I thought Sundin had only played 2 years for QUE, he played 4, I stand corrected. We don’t need any more flashy perimeter players on our squad. We got that covered. We need a 2 way guy with grit, leadership, and a nose for the net. Higgins has that over Tanguay, and will be cheaper. I’m not a fan of Knuble at this point in his career (35 years old), but if he takes Kozlov’s money or less (which would be a paycut for him) then I could accept it. He’d still be low on my list though. I also chose Higgins because I think he is one of the more likely guys to leave MON in their summer of cap hell.
Knuble’s only making 2.8. What’s 300k for someone who will actually go to the net? Yeah, he’s old, but is there a better option that does what he does for the same price? If he were showing signs of slowing down, I’d be more against it, but he’s holding up pretty well.
The “soft” knock on Tanguay is overblown. He was the Avs MVP in the finals vs. Jersey in 2001 – he really raised his game when Forsberg went out with the spleen injury. Also, he’s a centerman, which Higgins is not. The Caps need someone who can play the #2 pivot – no more old guys and converted wings. We need an honest-to-God center.
Higgins plays C. He was drafted as a C. If he’s not playing C on MON it’s because of how many Cs they have. I didn’t say Tanguay was soft. Tanguay isn’t soft like Backstrom isn’t soft, but neither is a front-of-the-net player, which is what we need. As for Knuble, 300k isn’t much for someone that goes to the net but he is old and his production is declining and will likely continue to decline. I’d rather see Laich and Fehr get a real shot to be the net man on the top two lines before paying to bring in an old UFA.
i want higgins. any team in this town should have an ivy leaguer quota.
by Natty Bumppo on Apr 23, 2009 4:15 PM EDT up reply actions
Higgins is a left wing. I don’t care what he played at Yale, he’s a left wing, and has been since arriving in the NHL. Yes, the Canadiens are stacked at C right now, but even two years ago, Higgins wasn’t playing C, while the Canadiens were giving a regular shift to Steve Begin. Radek Bonk and Garth Murray. When Higgins was healthy this year and Koivu and Tanguay were on the shelf, he still didn’t play C. Higgins is as much a C as Kozlov was, and we all remember how that turned out.
Over the last 5 years, Knuble has failed to play all 82 games exactly one time. Over those same 5 years, he has consistently put up over 20 goals and around 25 assists. Yes, he peaked in 05-06, but you’ll also note that his ice time has declined by around 2 minutes per game as the Flyers forward corps got deeper. Yes, he’s old. Yes, there is a risk he could quickly start to suck. On the other hand, that’s why the Caps could actually afford him.
The obvious counter to this argument is: Tanguay’s a left wing, too. . .
by D'ohboy on Apr 23, 2009 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
And Knuble is a wing. If we are talking wing replacements I still take Higgins over Knuble. Higgins is younger and a better leader.
Disagree wholeheartedly. Higgins is less durable, having never played a full NHL season, and missed significant time 2/4 seasons. Yeah, Knuble’s old, but Higgins is a clear injury risk.
Dating back to his first full season is Boston in 2001, Knuble has been a minus player exactly 1 time. Even during the 06-07 Philly meltdown, he was a plus player. Higgins, by contrast, has never been a plus player, even last year, on a team that won the Eastern Conference. Say what you will about the accuracy of +/- as a stat, but that’s pretty telling.
Finally, it’s about what the team lacks. Higgins may have more skill, but Knuble does what other Caps forwards cannot/will not: he goes to the net and scores ugly goals. This is reflected in his consistently high shooting percentages: above 15 every year for the last 5 years. Higgins plays more of an outside game, and his shooting percentage, and therefore goal production, are inconsistent.
The “leadership” argument isn’t provable or disprovable, but we do know this: Montreal hasn’t exactly set the world afire the last few years despite a talented roster. Knuble, on the other hand, was basically the one shining light for that Philly squad in 06-07.
Unless we could get Higgins for less than Knuble, or Knuble wanted a deal longer than 3 years, I would take Knuble over Higgins in a second. We already have a Higgins-type, his name is Brooks Laich. Knuble is what Clark would be if Clark could stay healthy and perform like it was 2006, every single year.
I just <3 Knuble. He’s exactly the kind of player the Caps desperately need.
Also, I think you might be giving Brooksy a bit of a short shrift. He did score 40 goals in Seattle. Maybe you’re right though – I don’t think I’ve seen enough of HIggins to parse the two out.
Random: weird things come up when you google Brooks Laich.
Caps could’ve perhaps drafted Bobby Ryan if the 2005 Draft Lottery wasn’t a traveshamockery.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Where have you gone Sasha Pokulok, our nation turns its lonely eyes to you….
Boo-hoo-hoo.
Yeah, that did kinda suck.
i always wonder about people’s respective ages…anywhere i travel on this crazy interweb.
by Natty Bumppo on Apr 23, 2009 4:16 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m older than I think. :)
The suck I was referring to was more to losing the rigged lottery that year, but it could go either way.
There are so many ways to reply to that. :-)
I didn’t really think one way or the other about the suck part of your statement. All I know is that I started humming by the fourth word of the first sentence. I know I’m older than I’ll admit.
Yes, but if we’d had Getzlaf, he’d have been here soon enough and helped enough that we might not have gotten Nick and Karl.
If, if, if… sigh, sigh, sigh.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
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Florida
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|
Washington
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|
Winnipeg
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56 | 26 | 24 | 6 | 58 |
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Tampa Bay
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Carolina
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