Exactly right DickyW. The Ducks were a 500 team with a really hot goalie. They would have been lucky to make the playoffs next season with Kariya. This team will stink.
Whoever gets stuck with Fedorov will be the laughing stock of the NHL. The guy is finished. He has lost a couple strides and wouldn't backcheck if his life depended on it. Dumping him and picking up Hatcher was huge for the Red Wings. Now, who can they sucker into taking Curtis Joseph?
Whoever gets stuck with Fedorov will be the laughing stock of the NHL. The guy is finished. He has lost a couple strides and wouldn't backcheck if his life depended on it. Dumping him and picking up Hatcher was huge for the Red Wings. Now, who can they sucker into taking Curtis Joseph?
Come now, this is hockey there are always more than 3 teams that could win it. Would you have said the Ducks could win before last year? They sure had a shot at it. How can you think that teams like Ottawa or Philly or Toronto couldn't get it together? What about Vancouver or Dallas, Hatcher wasn't exactly the reason they got to #1 in the west last year.
And I have to differ about Federov. I think he would be an excellent pickup for the right team. His value is lessened when his team is full of strong skaters, but put him on a team that is mostly a trap and defense team and I think he is a huge asset. Not to mention I think he looked quite bored and uninterested much of the time, give him a tougher assignment on a team that doesn't just cruise into the playoffs and I think he will be a much more noticed player. The physical skills and talent are still there, maybe he lost a little over what he had 2 or 3 years ago, but look at the talented hockey players out there and see how all of them are good up until almost 40.
Back to Kariya, that makes sense now although still he is a fool at $1.2 million. Playing on that team he may not put up the big numbers when he is buried on the 3rd line, will he make as much money as he thinks next year? And once again Selanne is so overrated. The guy gives you nothing on the defensive end, he isn't much of a passer either. He is all about scoring (and he couldn't even do that so well in San Jose or the end of his career in Anaheim), but when you have a cast of all-stars what value is there to put him out there like that? I am not about to give these guys the cup yet, its hockey and the best team on paper is not always the one lifting the cup.
And I have to differ about Federov. I think he would be an excellent pickup for the right team. His value is lessened when his team is full of strong skaters, but put him on a team that is mostly a trap and defense team and I think he is a huge asset. Not to mention I think he looked quite bored and uninterested much of the time, give him a tougher assignment on a team that doesn't just cruise into the playoffs and I think he will be a much more noticed player. The physical skills and talent are still there, maybe he lost a little over what he had 2 or 3 years ago, but look at the talented hockey players out there and see how all of them are good up until almost 40.
Back to Kariya, that makes sense now although still he is a fool at $1.2 million. Playing on that team he may not put up the big numbers when he is buried on the 3rd line, will he make as much money as he thinks next year? And once again Selanne is so overrated. The guy gives you nothing on the defensive end, he isn't much of a passer either. He is all about scoring (and he couldn't even do that so well in San Jose or the end of his career in Anaheim), but when you have a cast of all-stars what value is there to put him out there like that? I am not about to give these guys the cup yet, its hockey and the best team on paper is not always the one lifting the cup.
Good point. Fact is the Ducks had to be broken up as it is, they relied on guys that wouldn't be around forever and have a great goalie and some good young talent like Chistov to build around. In terms of bang for your buck Kariya isn't worth 10 mil a season, he isn't a big box office draw. After all when you are a team like the Ducks half the reason you sign a big money guy is to increase seats sold at home and away since the NHL is heavily dependent on the box office and gets fairly little from TV compared to the others. All the more reason to think the Avs owners got extremely lucky. They have no reason to spend the money on these guys but if you can get the duo for $6 mil its not a bad deal.
