If there's a type of player about whom all my attempted objectivity flies out the window, it's the type of player who:
...commits a youthful mistake that causes a tragedy, but gets off kindly and is embraced by the community in which that tragedy happened, but then demands a trade from that supportive community, and gets a big fat contract with a no-trade clause, then demands a trade from the team that gave him that contract, then wields that no-trade clause to block a reasonable trade and instead forces a really bad one so he can land on a Cup contender.
So yeah, I'll be honest: I think it's really funny that Dan(n)y Heatley has been traded to the Wild, who were 21st overall last year, and ranked 26th in 5-on-5 play (not exactly Heatley's strength...except when he wants to). What's the over/under on how long before he asks out of this one?
Better yet: Martin Havlat, a fun player who has been jobbed by a few teams in his career, goes to a team that's an annual contender.
I jest about cap circumvention, but apparently somehow Richards' and Christian Ehrhoff's contracts are just fine, but Max "Turtle" Talbot's deal is not.
Islanders Links
- So there isn't really much Islanders news (though we'll have a new post up at mid-day). But here's Scott Gordon talking about his new gig with the Maple Leafs.
- And here's a look at two realistic Josh Bailey scenarios at Dobber Hockey: He settles into a role, or he doesn't.
- And here's a review of the Islanders 2011 draft picks from Hockey's Future. (FanShot is here.)
- On Kirill Kabanov's wild ride to his NHL contract [FIXED. Sorry about the bad link earlier]. Per CapGeek, that contract is near the max on rookie salaries, but with just a $10,000 signing bonus and no other frills.
Hockey Links
Among the coverage of Brad Richards' cap-circumventing contract with the Rangers, I found this quote most amusing:
I’m excited to get to meet some of the young players. When we played them in January, it was probably the hardest team to play against all year.
When the Stars met the Rangers in January, Dallas hadn't won in four games. They tied the Rangers that night, dropping the shootout bonus point.
More:
- The weekend's signings create some interesting cap situations in Buffalo and Washington, among others. See anything there you like? Related to that, Spector's rumor roundup from Sunday.
- And did all that movement make Philadelphia better? (No. And Chris Pronger is not getting younger.)
- They also make Ken Campbell paranoid, as he is wont to be.
- Here is your sortable list of free agent signings at TSN.
- And here is a review of Atlantic and Northeast performance on the market [FIXED. Sorry about the bad link earlier...]. Playing it smart earned Garth Snow the second-best grade in the division (behind Pittsburgh).
- And here are some of the forwards left from a Nashville perspective. The Preds just dumped Matthew Lombardi, who only got two games in before a concussion sabotaged his season. Salary dump in prep for...?
- Ted Leonsis is giddy about having a proven goalie in Tomas Vokoun. And cheap! That's gotta make an owner happy. Sure makes a GM happy, too. GMGM, that is. And playing for a contender sure makes a goalie happy.
Have a happy 4th if you're celebrating, remembering, barbecuing, beach-surfing (like me), or just generally blowing stuff up. (Legally, I assure you.)
(For our international readers: July 4th is the U.S. Independence Day, which is a day of heavy travel to summer holiday destinations, and occasion for people to take great risks with their children, their fingers, and their belongings in the quest to blow things up and create pretty colors.)