Fantasy Hockey Year:Three

[Fran]

How are the Red Wings expected to do this year?
I don't care how bad they may become... but never doubt them.

 

[Venom Drool]

wings are damn boring to watch.. sorry..its like watching nashville or dallas

 

[Cobb]

How are the Red Wings expected to do this year?
I don't care how bad they may become... but never doubt them.

IMO they're still strong until they're proven not to be. They've taken some hits, like losing Shanny and Yzerman, but still can boast some of the leagues better players.

They'll need big years from Hasek, Lidstrom and Zetterberg but also need Dats to morph from star to superstar. IMO he could be a huge factor when all is said and done. Holstrom needs to step it up a notch and chip in to make up for Shanny and Kronwall is also a kid that could chip in big time. He has to stay healthy though. In the end, they're still a good team but have alot of question marks.

 

[Eric Draven]

Man, the Islanders are such a joke. Since apparently they haven't learned their lesson after signing Yashin to that 10 year contract, they've now signed Rick DiPietro to a 15 year, 68 million dollar contract


I wonder what lasts longer, DiPietro's contract or the Islanders team....

 

[Shifty]

McKenzie: DiPietro deal a Wang production
Bob McKenzie
9/12/2006 6:43:35 PM

There isn't anyone in the NHL who isn't talking about Rick DiPietro's 15-year, $67.5 million contract and you should hear what they're saying about it. Or more precisely, what they're saying about the man who engineered it, Islander owner Charles Wang.

It's absolutely mind boggling.

DiPietro is a good NHL goalie who still has a chance to be a great one, but giving a goalie who turns 25 next week a 15-year deal, well, it just isn't done. This contract, outlandish as it may be, won't hamstring the franchise as badly as Alexei Yashin's 10-year deal, but it is symptomatic of an NHL club that is, at best, non-traditonal, and at worst, totally dysfunctional.

Make no mistake, this was a Charles Wang production from start to finish. Neophyte GM Garth Snow was only along for the ride.

An Islander source said Wang insisted on negotiating the deal directly with DiPietro, bypassing the goalie's agents. DiPietro's father was part of negotiations, apparently as a safeguard for the goalie, and DiPietro's agents were left to counsel from afar, providing their input behind the scenes.

Deposed Islander GM Neil Smith was never going to last in the Wang regime, but there is every reason to believe the timing of his dismissal was directly related to DiPietro's contract talks. Which is to suggest, Islander business gets done Wang's way or it's the highway.

The point is, this is not how it's done. This is not how successful hockey organizations do business. So either Wang is a visionary who is smarter than the rest of the NHL or he's…

Well, suffice to say what judgments are being reached throughout the league today.

For TSN.ca, I'm Bob McKenzie.


How many goalies have really been worth signing to a 15 or even a 10 year contract in the past 20 years? Brodeur, Hasek, Roy....

I don't know what the hell Wang was thinking. Sure the price of goalies will probably be worth more in 10 years but then you could actually get a better younger goalie. Again ownership is screwing with a once great franchise.

 

[Victor Creed]

wings are damn boring to watch.. sorry..its like watching nashville or dallas

It's not boring watching the Stars play.....they just rarely do so, lol.

 

[Green Lantern]

I'm in

 

[Shifty]

2 more spots left, I can increase the number of teams.

 

[Venom Drool]

haha.. isles = dumb

 

[Badger]

Im in, let the beat down begin.

 

[Eric Draven]

How many goalies have really been worth signing to a 15 or even a 10 year contract in the past 20 years? Brodeur, Hasek, Roy....

I don't know what the hell Wang was thinking. Sure the price of goalies will probably be worth more in 10 years but then you could actually get a better younger goalie. Again ownership is screwing with a once great franchise.

Yeah, Wang could be getting a good deal for a first-string goalie five years down the line, but he could also be paying five million per year for a third-string goalie...

 

[Venom Drool]

thats cause you like wrestling though

 

[Eric Draven]

What does that have to do with anything?

 

[Shifty]

Well the Isles only have 5 more years of Yashin. With the Islanders luck, DiPietro will get have some freak injury, forced to retire and will collect all of his 67.5 mil contract.

 

[Venom Drool]

you'll see.. itll bite you in the ass in the end

 

[Eric Draven]

Well the Isles only have 5 more years of Yashin. With the Islanders luck, DiPietro will get have some freak injury, forced to retire and will collect all of his 67.5 mil contract.

Knowing the Isles, they'll probably sign Yashin to another 10 year contract in five years....

 

[Eric Draven]

you'll see.. itll bite you in the ass in the end

It already did. Goddamn Pronger...

 

[Venom Drool]

so?

yashin is amazing

 

[Venom Drool]

It already did. Goddamn Pronger...

oh yes... haha to you... we got sammy though

 

[Eric Draven]

so?

yashin is amazing

Okay then, Charles Wang

 

[Eric Draven]

oh yes... haha to you... we got sammy though

Oh yeah, well we got Ladislav Smid!

 

[Venom Drool]

you guys wont get to the playoffs i fear

 

[Eric Draven]

you guys wont get to the playoffs i fear

I dunno, our offense is pretty damn potent this year. Smyth, Hemsky, Horcoff, Stoll, Torres. Add to that Sykora, Shremp, and Mikhnov (who's looked amazing in the russian league) and we have at least three solid scoring lines.

 

[Venom Drool]

you left too much up to roloson who stunned everyone.. you needa repeat from him and not only that.. someone to replace pronger? i dont think thats possible... you gota tough division at that... so you guys better make a move to toughen up your D

 

[Eric Draven]

The defense isn't that bad. Yeah, losing Pronger is a huge loss. But Smid is supposed to be a great defensive prospect.


I have faith in K-Lowe to do something anyways....



And how could I forget Lupul. That guy could be a 50 goal scorer