James O'Brien breathes a sigh of relief

The Sedins resigned with the Canucks this morning before UFA officially started. Looks to be about half the deal they were asking for. 5 years, 30.5M for each of them, as opposed to the 12 year 63M loldeal they were initially looking for. Not a bad move for the Canucks, and I think the Sedins were probably finding out that the market for two giant contracts inextricably tied to each other was a lot smaller than they anticipated. The Sedins and the Canucks and O'Brien need each other. Now everyone is happy.

Joe from Sacrifice the Body on the Detroit Red Wings free agency outlook

Apparently James has a job interview today. Or at least that's what he's saying. I don't think I believe him. So apparently I get to post my own free agency outlook dealie.

If you haven't been there yet, you should go check out my blog, Sacrifice The Body. Honestly, it's kind of sad that I'm not all that active on it, but I try. I just feel dumb posting about minor shit that you probably already read somewhere else, because no one is going to my blog before they hit anything else. Blogging is surprisingly hard, isn't it?

By the way, I hope you're not hoping for more of O'Brien's pictures. I don't do that. If you need pictures, go to google and type your name into the image search, and entertain yourself with that. Better yet, type in "James O'Brien" into the image search, and see what you get. I got 20 bucks on hot O'Brien on peanut brittle porn.

1. Which player, for the love of God, do you NOT want to see in your team's sweater in the 09-10 season?

Frankly, with the Wings' cap situation, they'd have a hard time signing someone for the federal minimum wage, to say nothing of the NHL minimum wage. For that reason, I think I'm gonna have to stick it to guys on the Wings that I don't want to return. First on the list of Mike Samuelsson. Why? People have tried telling me before that he's not that bad, and maybe I'm spoiled and expect everyone to be a franchise player, but I swear, he does a lot of stupid stuff. Nothing I can ever think of off the top of my head (unlike, say, Andreas Lilja costing us a Cup), but I just don't think he's that good, and I'd rather see that spot filled by a developing youngster for a bit cheaper. I just don't like the guy.

Now for my more shocking answer: Marian Hossa. If Ken Holland were to resign Hossa to even a 4M/yr deal (which would be ludicrous on Hossa's part), you'd still have a team payroll of 55.2M, lose my boy Hudler, still need another forward or two, and perhaps a backup goalie (or even a starting goalie!), all with 1.8M to spare. For the sake of the Red Wing's salary structure going forward, it would probably be best for Hossa to move on. Unless Holland can pull off some sort of nice deal to save us some salary (please, someone, take Lebda and Lilja and Stuart off our hands!), Hossa ought to be the odd man out. Sorry bro, you had your chance, and you blew it. Massively. GLHF winning a Cup next year.

(An interesting alternative way for the Wings to get cap space: Lilja missed the playoffs with a concussion which he's still not recovered from, and I think he's had concussion issues before. Slap the LTIR tag on Lilja and he doesn't count against the cap. That's an extra 1.25M of savings!)

Also, I should point out, Ken Holland already announced that the worst player on the Wings would not be back next year. I love what you've done through your career, Cheli, but it really is the end of the line. Go be a coach somewhere, but please, get off the ice.

2. Conversely, pick a potential move by another team that would just crush your soul/favorite team's chances.

A move that would put a stake through my heart? That's a tough one, as I think there are only a couple of teams that could really knock the Wings off their perch. Anaheim getting Hossa would be a tough one, as they're one of the few that can consistently beat the Wings as it is. Calgary could also be a threat if Kipper ever gets his head on straight, so I guess I hope that Calgary doesn't hire a team psychologist or exorcist or whatever the hell he needs. I guess that statement also applies to the Sharks as an entire team. I don't get concerned about the East because we never see them, and frankly, I didn't think any of them could beat the Wings in a 7 game series until a couple weeks ago. So I guess if Giguere/Pronger went to Pittsburgh, that would also suck.

Pronger or Giguere going within the Central Division, San Jose, Calgary, or Pittsburgh would really suck all around. Pretty much the god damn Ducks are the source of any sort of thorns in my side. Except I can't really hate them because they've got some great bloggers and they're a really damn competitive team. Like, Edmonton has good bloggers, but the team and management is a joke, so I just laugh at them and don't take them seriously. Anaheim is actually really damn good, and for some reason they want to get rid of a really great defenseman, and keep pulling phenomenally talented goalies out of their ass. It pisses me off.

Just ship Pronger and Giguere in a package deal to Atlanta so I don't have to put up with them anymore. And I'm glad Allaire left you guys. So there.

POSTSCRIPT: Ok, so I wrote this for James right before the draft, at which point Pronger was traded to Philadelphia. Really, the worst things that could happen to the Wings were things the Ducks could make happen. I don't think Pronger going to Philadelphia is that big of a deal for the Wings, because in the end, only one Eastern Conference team will matter, and I hardly think the Flyers will make the Cup Finals. I mean, come on, they're the FLYERS. With RAY FRICKIN' EMERY. This team could just as easily finish with the #1 draft pick on the heels of an absolutely magical explosion of conflicting and contentious (and mean) personalities. Pronger will help immensely to control guys like Crosby and Ovechkin, but I really don't think its enough to make the Flyers a threat to the Wings.

So now as long as Giguere doesn't go anywhere important (let's see a reunion with Allaire and Burke in Toronto!), and Hossa doesn't sign with the Ducks, it'll have been a somewhat acceptable offseason. I'm far more interested in how the Wings juggle the cap space to complete a full roster for next year, and I'm really interested in who is going to be our backup goalie. Hopefully one of our three serious goalie prospects takes the job, and then takes the starting job.

(I think its important to note here that if the Ducks didn't get in the Wings' way so damn much, I'd probably be a big fan. They play a great mean physical game, they have a style and an attitude that really speaks "hockey" to me, and they have some great coverage between the guys at Anaheim Calling and Earl Sleek. But unfortunately they keep getting in the damn way. Seriously, please go away. We're trying to win some Cups here.)

CT from Hockee Night on Chicago Blackhawks free agency

Hockee Night is a blog devoted to the Chicago Blackhawks and their weekly podcasts (each Tuesday). Make sure to follow their work and enjoy their very funny Puck Casts. Thanks guys.

Let me preface this by saying I honestly don't expect to see much out of the Blackhawks in free agency this year. Their biggest concerns are internal, what with guys like Dave Bolland and Kris Versteeg being RFA's. The biggest issue for the Hawks will be whether or not Martin Havlat will agree to come back on a one year deal. If he does, they'll pretty much return the same team as last year. If he doesn't, they'll have a bit of money to play with, in which case I'd like to see them make a run at Mike Cammalleri or maybe John Madden. The Hawks biggest challenge will be trying to improve on a team that reached the Western Conference Finals while keeping enough cap space to sign Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith to extensions.

This is exactly our luck in Chicago. We finally have ownership in place that would be willing to spend money like the Red Wings used to, and we're stuck laboring under this goddamned salary cap.

1. Which player, for the love of God, do you NOT want to see in your team's sweater in the 09-10 season?

Looking at the list, I'm not really afraid of any particular player as much as their potential contract. The Hawks pressing issue will be signing role players to contracts that don't impact their cap situation in such a way that it costs them guys like Toews, Kane, Keith or Brent Seabrook down the line. While that seems like a no-brainer, keep in mind that GM Dale Tallon has a history of giving role players like Brent Sopel (3 years, $2.3M per) and Dustin Byfuglien (3 years, $3.5M per) oversized extensions. This tendancy, along with Joel Quenneville's affection for defenseman like Matt Walker who are known for "toughness" and nothing else puts a bit of a scare into me. Walker wasn't good, but at least he only made $500K last year. My nightmare is that the Hawks for some reason decide to go after a "marquee" physical (read: big stiff) defenseman who just won the Stanley Cup: Hal Gill.

Let me tell you something about Hal Gill: he sucks. He's terrible. He's so bad that I incorporated his ineptitude into a drinking game. He's big and probably strong, but so are the concrete pillars in a parking garage, and they've got similar range. Also, even though they aren't related(that I can tell), Hal's last name immediately brings to my mind Todd "No Skill" Gill who played the bulk of his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs (back in their Norris days) and also made stops in St. Louis and Detroit (honestly, the only thing that could make me hate Todd Gill more was if he'd done some freelancing for the Nazis) before showing up in Chicago in 2002 where the Hawks mercifully euthanized his career. He was so bad, he could only get into 5 games with the 02-03 Hawks. I mean, look at this roster for cripes sake. LOOK AT IT!

Anyway, I don't want any part of Hal Gill, and the thought of the Hawks possibly signing him makes me wake up with night sweats.

2. Conversely, pick a potential move by another team that would just crush your soul/favorite team's chances.

I gotta be honest, this already happened. I was sure the Detroit Red Wings wouldn't be able to Zetterberg, Datsyuk AND Johan Franzen, but they already did. So I guess my biggest fear is that Marian Hossa, Mikael Samuelsson and Jiri Hudler all sign on with Detroit for a combined salary of $650,000 for 10 years.

I'd also hate to see the Sedin twins stay in the Western Conference. I would highly recommend that those two freaks go play in the Eastern Conference with its easy travel schedule and tolerance of people who are genetic copies of each other. Here in the Western Conference, we still believe that identical twins are the product of the union between a she-wolf and the Olmec god Xt'Tapalatakettle, and we god-fearing Western Conferencites want nothing to do with that.

Unless they want to sign in Chicago at a rock-bottom price. That I'm okay with.

Raw Charge throws some free agent lighting bolts our way

Raw Charge is a great Tampa Bay lightning blog under the Sports Blog Nation umbrella. We hope you enjoy the thoughts of Cassie and John. Thanks you two!

1. Which player, for the love of God, do you NOT want to see in your team's sweater in the 09-10 season?

Cassie: Chris Chelios. I like the guy - I really do - but he deserves so much better than what Tampa Bay can give him. Especially with ownership squabbles and money woes going on. Out of respect for a legendary player, please don't sign Chelios! For his own sake, don't even talk to him or his agent! Let him retire a Blackhawk - just like he should.

John: Chelios but for different reasons. Chris is one of those “traditional” players who thinks he is protecting the sancity of the game when he undermines hockey and it’s fans in the south. I respect what he’s accomplished in his career but he has publicly stated how much he hates the fact hockey went to regions “where it doesn’t belong”. That said, if he were chased or signed by Tampa, he’d be selling-out ideals as well as obviously desperate to stick around. No thanks.

2. Conversely, pick a potential move by another team that would just crush your soul/favorite team's chances.

Cassie: The obvious - trading away Vinny Lecavalier. He is the franchise; he is the Tampa Bay Lightning. But they can't keep him. The team's been pretty clear about their financial situation. So it's a damned if they do, and damned if they don't. Keeping him means cutting salary elsewhere. Trading him means getting rid of 10 years of franchise history. Not to mention a goodly number of fans. Nothing good can come of this situation.

John: What Cassie says is true, but what I fear (with all the rumors swirling around about money) is a fire sale. I can see it now: Malone to... somewhere for a bag of pucks; St. Louis dealt to the Rangers for tickets to Elton John performing at Madison Square Garden (nosebleed seats, ugh!); Jeff Halpern traded to the Kings for gift certificates to California Pizza Kitchen… And Vinny to the Habs in return for Poutine and a condiment-to-be-named-later… That would kill me and the fan base in TB.

Anaheim Calling talks about the one ex-Duck they don't want to see in Detroit, Anaheim free agency in general

Make sure to follow Daniel and Arthur's great Ducks blog, Anaheim Calling for all your flying-V/knuckle pucking/formerly dirty elbowing needs. (Sorry, that was generic, but I'm sleepy. Anaheim Calling really is awesome.)

1. Which player, for the love of God, do you NOT want to see in your team's sweater in the 09-10 season?

DANIEL:

The player I'd hate to see in my sweater has to be Jeremy Roenick. I've disliked him since he insulted the Ducks organization during the 1997 Playoff series between the Ducks and Coyotes (which we won). How does it feel not having your name on the Cup, Roenick? You're entirely too cocky for a guy who's never won a championship, and I'd never want you on a team that I root for.

"Tsst!"

ARTHUR:

Dear Murph,

This offseason, please don't sign anyone born before November 10, 1970. I realize that you're an old Blackhawk and Chelios is an old Blackhawk and Roenick is an old Blackhawk, and you occasionally want to walk into the locker room and reminisce about that one time that Darren Pang puked on Steve Larmer's skates. I realize how attractive that is for you. I also realize that there's some kind of Blackhawks AARP underground, and Doug Wilson probably just called you to remind you it's your turn. To that, all I can say is TSST!

What's that? Bill Guerin? TSST! His birthday's on the 9th. Saku Koivu? Good Murph. Good boy. Now, I can show you affection and stop being do-minant.

2. Conversely, pick a potential move by another team that would just crush your soul/favorite team's chances.

ARTHUR:

If you've never seen a conniption, come and find me when Francois Beauchemin signs with another team. The man can turn a playoff series around, whether it's by throwing the big hits, scoring a goal, tricking Iginla into thinking he's right-handed or breaking Tomas Kopecky's face.

It kills our chances if he signs with Dallas. That team already has our number, and they'd be adding a guy interested in reminding us, game after game, why it's important to negotiate with your injured players.

DANIEL:

The free agent signing that would crush my soul is easy: Pahlsson to Detroit. If Arthur and I were blogging during the 2006-07 season, I can guarantee we would have done a post called: "The Top 10 Reasons Pahlsson Deserves The Selke." I like Pahlsson, and I've always thought he was underrated, both as a defensive player and a scorer. Conversely, I hate Detroit. I mean, I HATE Detroit. They've ended the Ducks' Playoff run on 3 occasions, and I feel that, despite everything that gets said about Anaheim and L.A., Detroit is the closest thing we have to a true rival. Losing a player like Pahlsson, who is in my eyes the quintessential Duck, to our rival in Detroit would cause me physical anguish comparable to crucifixion.

Five for Smiting threatens Murray with goat urine, er, shares Senators related free agency fears

We first introduced ourselves to Senators Lost Cojones aka the founder of Five for Smiting a week ago with our draft special and are happy to have 'em back for a second contribution in as many weeks. Make sure to follow this funny, insightful Ottawa blog even if Dany Heatley won't waive his No Trade C(ause he's a jerk clause).

1. Which player, for the love of God, do you NOT want to see in your team's sweater in the 09-10 season?

Marian Gaborik. If Alexei Yashin and Drew Rosenhaus ever conceived a bastard love child, that's what it would look like. I'm sorry to have to be the one to break this to Bryan Murray, but our quota of butter soft, injury prone, over rated Euro trash has been filled, thank you very much. His baffling, nauseating...Nay! Infuriating!!...contract extension to Filip Kuba made sure of that. If Gaborik somehow slithers his way into the Senators line up, I swear by all that is good and right in this world, I will soak my most prized possession (vintage 1993, #13 Jamie Baker jersey) in the urine of a thousand goats and burn it on The Bryan's desk. GOATS BRYAN!! YA HEARD ME!! Honest to God GOATS!!

2. Conversely, pick a potential move by another team that would just crush your soul/favorite team's chances.

The Maple Leafs somehow pulling Jay Bouwmeester out of Darryl Sutter's ass. I'll let them have the Sedins. After all, that poor, misguided, delusional and obviously drunk diaspora known as Leaf Nation hasn't had an overpaid forward to hail as the second coming of Darryl Sittler and then spend the next six months bitching about since the Antropov trade. But J-Bo... I'm not at all comfortable with the possibility of Laugh fans finally discovering what Real NHL Talent looks like. They may develop a taste for it.

Then again, once Larry Tanenbaum and his Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment hench-yokels discover how deeply Real NHL Talent will cut into their profit margin, I'm sure they'll nix any deal Burke can make, lest he anger his pension fund gods. Then he'll double season ticket prices to appease them...and just because he can.

Vancity Canuck gives her Vancouver FA thoughts

To read more from Vancity Canuck, read her Vancouver Canucks blog as well as her work at The Hockey Bay. Thanks again, VC!

1. Which player, for the love of God, do you NOT want to see in your team's sweater in the 09-10 season?

Any player with a girl's name, namely Marian.

Gaborik: When he's not injured, he's a really exciting player to watch. But he does get injured, 27 injuries since 2000 injured. There's also a lot of obstacles when you play in Vancouver, he could trip and break his leg on the seawall, sprain his ankles on the Grouse Grind, break both legs snowboarding on the mountains...or just trip on some electrical tape.

Marian Hossa really might be the best in the litter, but I can't get over the feeling that he's cursed in the Stanley Cup Finals.

2. Conversely, pick a potential move by another team that would just crush your soul/favorite team's chances.

Bouwmeester in Calgary! Imagine having Jay Bo and Phaneuf shutting down Vancouver's top two lines six times a year. I want him on my team, and if we can't have him, I'd rather see him in an Oilers jersey than being a Flamer.