We here at the Chronicle are pleased that the Second Continental Congress of 1776 decided to declare independence from Great Britain. A risky move, for sure, but ultimately a good move.
Speaking of risky but good moves, when the hell are we going to finally use one of our goalie bargaining chips? I think that's the only way to get something at this point. I'm sure you've all heard the rumors, and seeing as how they're rumors that weren't generated by the Chronicle's Hallucination Department I'll refrain from repeating them here.
I'll just say that I'll be very displeased if DW doesn't make a Continental Congress-esque move by the end of the July 4th Weekend. If the Thrashers make a big trade in the next two days this weekend will go down in history as a wild and wooly one for the city of Atlanta. Not only has the Gay Pride Parade been moved from Piedmont Park (the official editorial position is that Piedmont Park can handle it, drought or no drought), and not only was there a huge turnout this morning at the Peachtree Road Race (I woke up early enough to see masses of runners outside my window; never actually witnessed the Race before, and I was shocked to see just what a big deal it is), but the Thrashers might renew their and our hopes as well! Do it DW.
Fantastic trade for San Jose, I think. I don't really understand why Tampa would trade Boyle; they might get Jason Smith, but they'll no longer have a good puck-mocking defenseman.
Monsieur Catalogues and myself love Markus Naslund, and like any halfway-decent Thrashers fan we despise the New York Rangers. Naslund has signed with the Rangers.
Death.
I understand Naslund's desire to sign with a Cup-contending team. He's a great player and a great captain, but he's 34 and he hasn't won a Cup with his Vancouver Canucks. We understand, Nazzy, but Jesus Christ...
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I'm opening a whole case of Heineken that's been sitting in my fridge for weeks.
It appears that the reason Jason Smith hasn't made a decision between Buffalo, Tampa Bay, and Atlanta is because the Tampa management isn't sure if Dan Boyle is going to waive his no-trade clause or not. Boyle, a quality puck-mover who puts up good numbers every season and had his last one derailed by a freak injury, signed a six-year contract with the Bolts at the trade deadline and got the contract insured with a no-trade clause.
Will Boyle waive his no-trade clause? If he does, the Bolts have a lot more money to throw at Jason Smith. If he doesn't, Smith will sign with Atlanta or Buffalo. And really, isn't Atlanta the better option?
If Boyle does get traded and Gator goes to live in the Bay, there's a slight chance he could come to Atlanta. Hmmmm...
Meanwhile, Mike Knobler of the AJC wondersif we might be going after restricted free agents now. As far as I know, Detroit's Valterri Filpulla is still on the market. Center for Kovy?
A minor quibble with the AJC: if a journalist asks a public personality (like, say, Don Waddell) a question and receives a non-answer or a cloudy vague statement, he ought to press some follow-up questions more forcefully. It shouldn't be a surprise that public figures on any scale--NHL general managers or politicians--give lukewarm responses and make shit up and keep the truth safely out of view. If a journalist feels he hasn't gotten a satisfactory and clear answer, he should ask more questoins. Rudely, if possible. In fact, you should begin with the assumption that powerful figures of whatever kind aren't being 100% up-front and honest, not a passive acceptance of whatever happens to come out of their mouth.
Isn't it unbelievable all the garbage that you read on the various message boards? I still read them, because I am starved for hockey talk. Rarely do I comment, just because I don't have the energy to get in to a never ending argument with a bunch of complete morons. You know who you are. It is obviously not anyone that reads this blog, because if you have ended up here your hockey IQ is off the charts! Seriously, some of these people really need to go have a Crown & 7, and come back when they are feeling better. There are a few people out there who can talk intelligently on the boards, but for the most part... the world is ending.
Everyone was frustrated we didn't get who we were going after on Day 1, but it wasn't for lack of effort (like so many say on the boards). It was because our team sucked last year (different argument, different time). We were very aggressive for Campbell, Rolston, and I would bet others that we as the public don't know about (seriously, WHEN are they gonna hire me?). Can't we at least try and stay positive? Hainsey was a decent start (along with Anderson, Moose, Bogo, no Shitnik...). We still have a lot of time and money to play with. There are still very good offensive players through FA, as well as those on the D (Jason Smith Jason Smith Jason Smith Jason Smith Jason Smith).
With our flexible cap space, that also gives us some options through trade. We could pick off a team that is in bad cap shape (that is how we got Hossa). Possibly Chicago? My God if we got Duncan Keith I would immediatly pass away of a heart attack, or die of a total overload of pure joy. Or we could take on a player that is good, but maybe not worth his contract (Marleau...). Things get a little risky when you go this route, but it is an option.
As I said before, it is early July. The puck drops early October. Give this thing time to play out. The time to complain is when our team is set in training camp and you are not happy, not on Day 3 of free agency.
Here's what you get, at this point, with Hainsey: He's a big body, but a soft player, someone who doesn't take a lot of penalties but is a strong skater and good enough defensively 5-on-5 to be a top four defenceman. He generates very little offence at even strength, but played big-time minutes on the power play in Columbus and produced the sixth-most goals on the man advantage by a defenceman last season...
On a bad power play last season, Hainsey was an average producer on a per minute basis, but that could change in a more offensive environment alongside a wizard like Enstrom.
Solid. Hainsey and Enstrom together with the Czar might make for a dastardly power play. I realize that normally you're meant to have only one defenseman on a power play, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
Depending on how you determine a "full season," Hainsey might actually have scored more points in his first full season than Brian Campbell did in his.
First Real Season Stuff Brian Campbell played in 65 games in 2002-03 (most appearances in a season up to that point; first season as a real presence) and scored 19 points. Impressive.
Ron Hainsey played in 55 games in 2005-6 (most appearances in a season up to that point; first seaons as a real presence) and scored 17 points. As Sheila Broflovski might say: "WHAT WHAT WHAT?!"
Second Real Season Stuff Brian Campbell played in 53 games in 2003-04 (second season as a real presence) and scored a whopping 11 points.
Ron Hainsey plaed in 80 games in 2006-07 (second season as a real presence) and scored 34 points.
From There... We all know where Brian Campbell has gone. Three 40-point-plus seasons in a row, with this one past seeing him score a truly world-beating 62.
Ron Hainsey played in 78 games last season and racked up 32 points.
Tentative Conclusion We all know how good Brian Campbell is, and I was as heartbroken as everybody else when TSN announced he was headed to Chicago. I suppose I'm just asking you, readers, to keep in mind the fact that we simply don't know how Hainsey will be in the future. He could very well raise his game to near-Campbell-like statistics. He might not, of course, and people who are disillusioned with the Thrashers' disastrously-run organization have every reason to be skeptical.
Perhaps I'm being too optimistic, but I think Hainsey might well have a bright future. I would've been very pleased to get Campbell, and I know Hainsey was not our original plan, but the sky is definitely not falling. Again, I ask you all to remember where teams like the Caps and the Flyers stood at the end of the 2006-07 season.
--Brian Campbell didn't hit his offensive stride until his third or fourth full year in the NHL.
--Ron Hainsey didn't hit his offensive stride until his third or fourth full year in the NHL.
--I'm not saying that Ron Hainsey is the next Brian Campbell or somehow equivalent to him. Campbell's numbers all through his career have been higher than Hainsey's: Hainsey's "stride" so far has been 30-something points a season and Campbell's is much higher, of course. But Hainsley seems to be improving his game year by year, and playing on a team where he can pass to Kovalchuk's one-timer (which isn't remotely comparable to Rick Nash's one-timer) would raise his points considerably.
--The Eastern Conference, let's remember, is more offensive than the Western Conference.
--Brian Campbell has never shared a division with the Detroit Red Wings. We now have eight years to see how offensively capable he is against them.
The official editorial position of the Blueland Chronicle is that we're pleased with the Hainsey signing.
He will be a fine offensive defenseman, perhaps the man who turns our D around.
Instructions to DW: Go after Jason Smith NOW. Wrangle Pavol Demitra. The end. Cash money. A successful free agency period.
This might well go down in NHL history as a smart move in the midst of hysteria. The hysteria infected this blog, and I'll be eternally grateful if it turns out we should've been Hainsey-sober instead of Campbell-crazy all along.
ATLANTA - The Atlanta Thrashers have signed unrestricted free-agent defenceman Ron Hainsey to a US$22.5-million, five-year contract, a source told The Canadian Press. The 27-year-old offensive blue-liner had 32 points (8-24) in 78 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets last season. He had a career-high 34 points (9-25) in 80 games the previous season with the Jackets.
Okay, so far we failed to sign the following defensemen:
Brian Campbell Wade Redden Mark Streit John Michael Liles Mike Commodore
We failed to sign the following forwards:
Daymond Langkow Brian Rolston Michael Ryder
Our options?
For defense: Brooks Orpik and Jason Smith.
For the position of Czar's Center: Brendan Morrison Pavol Demitra Patrick O'Sullivan
Any of the above would be just fine with me. Trading away some draft picks for a young and effective center like O'Sullivan might be the best option, though I'd be elated with Demitra (very high-producing with Marian Gaborik; imagine how he'd be with Kovalchuk) or Morrison.
The scene: a luxurious hotel room in St. Tropez or a luxurious condo bedroom in St. Petersburg or Moscow.
A twentysomething Russian couple are turning in for the night. The man takes off his slippers, which happen to be made from the fur of Siberian tigers he's killed with his bare hands:
Dude: Tonight is good night, Nicole. I go to sleep and dream pleasant, then wake to find magnificent team in morning. Thrashers will have good solid defense. I finally have #1 center so I can conquer the world. I can hardly wait for season to start.
(why the Russian man speaks slightly awkward English in Russia or France is anybody's guess)
Chick: Quiet, Ilya! I am watching Grey's Anatomy dubbed in Russian.
Dude: Just don't turn it up too loud. I need Czar-recharging rest. I'm so excited about tomorrow!
Chick: Go to sleep, Ilya!
Dude: Yes, yes, to sleep. Good night Nicole!
Chick: Good night Ilya.
...here the script breaks off...
*************************************************
Whatever the Czar may be feeling today, he shouldn't fall into too much despair that we didn't get Brian Campbell. I was heartbroken, of course, but only because I'd gotten my hopes up in the last few days after having given up on him months ago. Ah well. I agree with Shooter: we do need to sign Jason Smith and Brooks Orpik, which would be a massive improvement over our current defense. They're both forward-decking D-men with a mean streak, a type this team has always lacked.
Meanwhile, I'm dead serious when I say the Thrashers ought to sign Brendan Morrison and Markus Naslund. I think Morrison really could be the center the Czar has been waiting for since the Savard days. He's not too old, only 32, and on his own he has a few good seasons left in him, I think. With the Czar he'd be a true force.
And Naslund, while not the beast he used to be, would probably flourish as a deputy goal-scorer to someone like Kovalchuk.
I won't say "Make it happen DW," as that seems to get us nowhere everytime. I'll just say "drive the team over a cliff, DW."
I still feel like our friend Bill O'Reilly below. But lets all realize one thing, yesterday was the first day of free agency. I know it didn't go well (to say the least). But there are still options to improve our team.
Reports are that we are after Jason Smith (thank Jeebus), Brooks Orpik, Hainsey, and others. Looks like we did miss out on that always sought after puck moving defenseman, but lets be honest... if we sign Smith and Orpik that is a HUGE upgrade to our defense. After yesterdays events, its not likely we will sign both (or one). But don't jump off the bridge just yet.
There are still options through free agency and trade. It is July 2nd. The season starts in early October. Just a thought...
6:09-- According to the Fourth Period liveblog, the Thrash are going after Redden and Rozsival now that Campbell is out of the picture.
6:32-- Mike Commodore to Columbus. Brian Rolston to New Jersey. The universe is cruel.
6:59-- We've made an offer to Brooks Orpik.
7:00-- TSN back on NHL Network. Everyone in the world after Redden.
Rozsival re-signed by Rangers.
7:01-- SIGN BRENDAN MORRISON AND MARKUS NASLUND! Make them an offer they can't resist!
7:07-- Hossa may not sign with anyone tonight.
7:12-- We must sign Wade Redden or Mark Streit. Then we must sign Brooks Orpik or Jason Smith. Then we must sign Brendan Morrison AND Markus Naslund.
7:36-- Wade Redden signed by the Rangers. Our only option for an offensive defenseman is Mark Streit, Mark Streit, and Mark Streit. Our options for shut-down defensemen are more expansive: Brooks Orpik and Jason Smith. Our choices are thinning.
8:22-- Mark Streit to the Islanders. Kill me now.
Trade Pavelec for Dan Boyle. Do it now. Trade several draft picks in the next few years for Jay Boumeester. Sign Jason Smith AND Brooks Orpik.
We've wasted the entire day (if not much, much longer) talking to Brian Campbell. He's decided to join Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp, Duncan Keith, and Cristobal Huet.
None of them are on the Thrashers.
We have a shitload of money gathering dust in our pockets.
What do we do with it?
Wade Redden.
Mark Streit.
Brooks Orpik.
Jason Smith.
Brendan Morrison.
Markus Naslund.
Michael Ryder.
Swoop in on Brian Rolston and make him an offer he can't refuse.
Place a ban on even speaking to someone from Ontario ever again. Fuck them all.
Into the free agent feeding frenzy, that is. We'll keep you updated throughout the day (more on our delusions and fantasies than the actual news; for that go to TSN) and post plenty of useful links.
Why not begin at the beginning, with the reason we have so much money to spend in the first place?
--The Penguins have signed Pascal Dupuis to a reasonable contract. There go any hopes that Little Kovalchuk would return to Atlanta.
--Rumor has it Markus Naslund will sign with the Pens. I think he'd be a fine fit there. Just a thought: why not try to land Naslund here? I know our top priority is Brian Campbell and another defenseman and hopefully a center, but if we have some money left over why not try to entice Nazzy? Monsieur Catalogues would welcome him.
--It's now 1:02 PM. No word on the Thrashers yet.
--Thank God for the NHL Network though.
--1:05. Don? Don?
--1:19. Apparently Hossa is officially NOT going to the Bruins. Har har. I advise him to try out the Western Conference. Ideally he'll play for the Edmonton Oilers or the Vancouver Canucks, but I can certainly see him playing for the Blackhawks. There are also rumors about Wade Redden signing with the 'Hawks. If they add Hossa and Redden to their younguns...
--1:23. Apparently Olaf Kolzig--Ollie the Goalie to you--is on the verge of signing with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Apparently Big Shooter called this a few days ago.
--1:36. I've been reading the Wild beat writer Michael Russo quite a bit in the last few days to find out about this Brian Rolston business. If you point your trusty browsers in the direction of his Wild blog, you'll read the following: A player just told me Atlanta offered Brian Campbell a contract worth $60 million. Not sure of years, but I think EIGHT...
--2:02. Andrew Brunette to Wild. No word on the Thrash. While we're waiting, let's conduct a thought experiment:
--2:10. Allow me, for a moment, to sing the praises of Mike Green. As you've all probably heard he's signed a whopping contract with the Washington Capitals. What's interesting/laudable about this is Green's committment to his team: specifically, to his coach Bruce Boudreau and to his friends and comrades in the team's great nucleus of young talent: Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom, and himself. These guys clearly love each other, and that's one of the reasons Ovie was able to lead the team into the playoffs last year. These guys are fiercely committed to the Caps, to Boudreau, and to winning. I think some call that "heart." So while the Lightning might have the more impressive roster at the end of this free agent hysteria, the Washington Capitals will still be number one in heart, passion, soul, whatever you want to call it. The question is: how do the Thrashers get an impressive roster AND heart? The Czar quite clearly has heart to go round, as do Kari and Moose...hopefully our newest additions will pick up on their infectious enthusiasm.
--3:09. Vancouver Canucks have offered Mats Sundin $10 million for next year, which would make him the highest-paid player in the NHL. Caps have acquired Jose Theodore, my sources say.
--3:13. Is the asking price of Brian Campbell really $70 million? We have to have SOME money left to pay the Czar.
--3:24. Ty Conklin has gone to Detroit, presumably to replace Hasek as the back-up goalie. I wonder where Cristobal Huet is going to go?
Update on the Sundin thing: He's been offered a 2 year, $20 million contract. $10 million each year. Gads.
--3:35. CUJO has finalized the deal with the Leafs: $700,000 for next year. CUJO will likely finish his career as a Maple Leaf. CUJO deserves better.
--3:41. The Bolt Empire has conquered quality defensive forward Adam Hall. Donald Waddell, where you at? Can I get a 20 on Donald Waddell? Donald Waddell where are you?
--3:47. Sacre bleu! Les Faucons Noirs de Chicago ont acquis Cristobal Huet! Tout qu'ils ont besoin est Wade Redden et Marian Hossa! Mais ont-ils l'argent?
I hope Huet agreed to this deal from a cafe terrace in Montmartre or a nude beach on the Cote d'Azur.
--4:01. Somehow I missed the Panthers signing Cory Stillman. Excellent way for the Panthers to achieve precisely nothing.
--4:05. On second thought, Stillman paired with Nathan Horton might do some damage. It's very hard to tell just what the Kitties are up to, where they're going, etc.
--4:07. Darcy Tucker is now an Av.
--4:11. This Naslund-to-the-Thrashers bee is officially in my bonnet. I think he should come play for us, but he ought to keep that awesome Canucks jersey. Or find a way to combine the Jolly Thrasher with Thomas the Whale. He could join our Swedish Contingent and have cook-outs with Moose, Toby, and Nicky.
--4:19. I just got an automated call from John Anderson on my cell phone. He seems awfully excited about "sharpshooter Ilya Kovalchuk, rookie phenom Toby Enstrom, and goaltender Kari Lehtonen."
--4:22. Patrick Marleau obviously isn't going anywhere. Rumors say the Sharks are interested in Wade Redden and Michal Rozsival.
--4:34. Tampa's deal with Kolzig has been finalized: $1.5 million for 1 year of service. Meanwhile, Ottawa have signed Alex Auld to a 2-year deal worth $1 million.
--5:00. NHL Network goes over to TSN feed. Thank God. Now the real fun begins.
--5:12. Bob McKenzie says that Brian Campbell has narrowed his choices down to three teams: the Chicago Blackhawks, the San Jose Sharks, and the Atlanta Thrashers. That rules out teams like the Senators and the Rangers, which are closer to his friends and family around London, Ontario. Since that was reportedly a concern of Soupy's, it works in our favor that he's ruled out the Sens and the Rangers. Of the three teams he's consdiering, the closest to home is Chicago, seeing how it's a Great Lake city and all. But we have more money. More money.
--5:30. We're not in the running for Rolston. Scratch him, then. We go to Plan B: Ilya Kovalchuk-Brendan Morrison-Markus Naslund. The West Coast Express meets the Trans-Siberian Railway.
--5:33. UFAs still available as of right now:
Possible Thrashers: Brian Campbell Jason Smith Brooks Orpik Brendan Morrison Markus Naslund Sergei Fedorov Mark Streit Wade Redden Michael Ryder
Folks Who Clearly Aren't Becoming Thrashers: Marian Hossa Mats Sundin Jaromir Jagr Brian Rolston Sean Avery
And then there's the possibility of a trade...
--5:39. Brian Campbell a Blackhawk. SDLAK;JKFSAL;KFJSA ;ODIFU34-8UTEP8GOIFJ;LKNCM/. X,SFK;VJAS;LKFJDSL
The most common and cynical prediction I've seen today is that Brian Campbell will end up in the wrong shade of blue, playing in Madison Square Garden. While history tells us that players love to jump on those huge contracts that Glen Sather hands out like candy, then go on to display stunning mediocrity until they are dealt away in futility, I find it hard to believe that the Rangers are really in a position right now to match what Atlanta is going to be offering the Soup.
Yes, Jagr's contract is finally up. However, faithful readers, remember that the Caps have been paying a portion of Jagr's contract all these years that he's been in New York, so the MSG purses haven't been weighed down as much as it might have looked on the surface. The Rangers reportedly want Jagr back, and this time they'll have to foot the bill without Ted Leonsis' help. They already have 8 million going to Gomez and another 7.5 to Drury. Add another 2.5 million for their top 2 defensemen and 7.5 for Lundqvist. They have to replace Rosival, which is where the interest in Campbell comes in, but if they're going to bring Jagr back, then they can't afford to sink 7+ million into a single defenseman.
That being said, theyr'e still the New York Rangers, and money in New York doesn't work like it does in the rest of the hockey playing world. After Drury and Gomez, the rest of the Rangers' forwards are bargain basement young talent that they brought in during their pre-lockout fire sale. Say whatever else you will (and I will) about Sather, he did a good job during that lockout preiod to create a solid foundation of players around his diamond studded superstars. Unfortunately for the Rangers, a lot of those players will be up for new deals next year and will be at least doubling thier salaries. That's shaky financial ground on which to make a long term, high dollar offer to someone like Brian Campbell.
With a frenzy of eleventh hour re-signings, teams are thinning the ranks of available free agent defensemen. John Michael Liles and Adam Foote are staying in Denver, and Lilja has decided to remain with the evil forces in Detroit. Kevin Lowe decided not to risk getting his hand bit by teams with larger wallets in the UFA pool, and instead made a trade to bring Lubomis Visnovski from the tar pits to the oil fields. So what does this mean for the boys in blue? It means that teams that may have been willing to let one of the top prizes go for a better bargain a little further down the ladder might be getting a little jittery about the sparsity of talent that'll be running out of the gates at noon today. When you're looking at settling for Jeff Finger instead of Mike Green, that extra million or so per year for Brian Campbell or Brooks Orpik starts to look more doable. Traditionally, UFA day has begun with a few major signings right out of the gate. While it's exciting to watch, especially if this year one of those signings is announced by Don Waddel standing next to Brian Campbell, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. The biggest name players aren't going to be hurt by waiting a few days to let other players find their places into rosters. As long as the big fish is out there, nobody with enough bait in their tackle box is going to settle for a guppy and go home. If I were BC or Hossa or one of the others who looks to make big money, I'd wait several days until I was sure I'd heard from every team that might possibly consider throwing riches my way to fill a void on their roster.
That being said, Soup, there's no team that can offer you the opportunity and the money that Atlanta can, so go ahead and sign DW's autograph book at 12:01 pm today, ok?
