Hey, where are the Leafs? Ohhh right, on the golf course..
Man, I am actually feeling sorry for Leafs' fans... they have at least another 2-3 years of garbage teams, if not more... the previous GM, Ferguson, traded excellent prospects for garbage, and he gave HUGE contracts to average players. Cliff Fletcher is probably scratching his head, saying to himself ''WTF do they want me to do with THIS?''. Their best player is 37 years old and free agent this summer, the rest is average and overpaid, so near impossible to trade, in the nets, Toskala is merely OK and Raycroft couldn't stop a beachball from going in the nets, they have nothing extraordinary in their farm team, and not much room on their salary cap.... looks pretty bleak.
I don't really understand all the negativity towards Ottawa. They have one idiot on the team (Emery) and all of a sudden, they're all a bunch of prima-donnas.
It seems that a team that makes it to the Stanley Cup Finals having a bad year the following year is a common occurrence. Personally, I think most of their problems lie in the fact they played about 100 games last year and that�s why they aren�t the same team after November; there was too much wear and tear from last season into this one.
Ok, feel better having shown my hometown allegiance, now onto my own predictions.
Montreal in 6 over Boston
Ottawa over Pittsburgh in 6
Washington over Philly in 5
New York in 6 over the Devils
Detroit in 5 over Nashville
San Jose over Calgary in 5 (sorry Flames fans)
Minnesota over Colorado. Minnesota may be the surprise team of the West.
Anaheim over Dallas in 5. Burke wasn�t nuts about the wear and tear thing, so two of their top players got a few months off extra to take it easy.
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Gone: Triple Strike, Jacks to Open x2, Star Pool x2, Hi-Lo Ace, Spy Hunter, Stargate and... a lot of projects!Wants: Sport theme machine: Bobby Orr, Ice Fever, MNF, Royal Rumble... EM or SS...
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Out on the west coast we are probably cheering for Calgary, but I think the Ducks will go all the way. Same team as last year, (and they dominated), except they added Schneider and Bertuzzi. For the first year in many (a lifetime) I have become a Habs fan, but don't tell anyone. Man they are fun to watch. (NHL Centre Ice)
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Rumours have been going around that Emery really likes his booze and coke... and I don't mean coca-cola.
/-/ound...
The sooner we get rid of Emery the better.
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That would be a mistake. Emery is 25 years old, has some maturing to do but his physical ability is top notch. *IF* he can get his head on straight he has the potential to be a very good player. Goalies in general do not hit their prime until they turn 30. Giving up on him now would be a total waste of money.
Paddock broke this team, now Murry has to find a way to fix it. It won't happen this year but they'll be back on top next season. That said, the Penguins are in for a shock if they think Ottawa is going to just roll over for them.
I agree that patience with players is important, but that's a key position and the bottom line in this salary cap world is, can they afford to be patient? I just don't know. I don't think the rest of the league is impressed nor willing to take chances on him either, the word is they wouldn't take him as a freebie at the trade deadline, just to dump the salary, so there you go. Hopefully, he can at the very least get back to last years level of play. I never thought he was as good as some were saying but he certainly wasn't hurting the club.
My opinion of Emery is that he merely needs some guidance... sad to say but he acts like a spoiled teenager, but the tools are all there. The guy has got talent, no doubt... he just needs his head straightened out. But then again, can you blame him in a sense? 25-years old and he is paid more money per year than most make in a lifetime... PARTY TIME!!! I strongly believe that it takes much more than talent to make it in the NHL... you need a hell of a head on your shoulders not to get swept up in all the hype. Fame and money can corrupt character big time... that's where the guidance comes in. And unfortunately, I don't see anyone on that team that would help him there.
Heatley? ... remember what got him out of Nashville?
Spezza? ... another hothead
Redden? ... unmotivated, doesn't care
Alfredsson? ... riding his contract, looks like he doesn't want to get involved
Gerber? ... wants his job, so he won't help
My best comparison would be that the current Sens look a lot like the Habs did last year and the year before, with all the bickering and individualism, but with more talent, which got them into the series. They played as a team in the beginning of the season, and were virtually unbeatable. Then the bickering started. On the positive side, most of the veterans are signed, so chances are still good next year although Alfie is getting up there in age, but like the Habs did last year in the end and this year since the beginning, they need to introduce new blood which will push the veterans to surpass themselves... and maybe start having a good time playing in the process. THAT has been the Habs' key to success.
Keep Emery and support him well. Keep a few key veterans. Trade some out to make room for new young players that only want to impress.
...Look at Ottawa this summer. I will bet you they will try to get Hossa back.
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