Vanflyer

How could he turn down anything? He did not have a NTC / NMC. I call BS on this. Snow / etc. (a hole owner) could do whatever they wanted with MacD.

Do you mean like Eric Lindros?? Turris was never expected to be a savior. He was expected to be a good to a really good player (same as JVR). Not a Gretzky, Lemieux etc. Huh? You mean how "paid professionals" (whomever they may be) can expect to draft and offer a person millions of dollars to play a sport that said player loves and have expectations??? WTF. This is not candy land. He has been in Ottawa for three years now. Injuries / lock prior to this year and he has done nothing. You cite "first full season", I cough and say bs. He played in all games last season and did nothing. He played three quarters of a season two years ago and did nothing. Man you have a very skewed perception. The last three years, Phoenix has nearly 30 more wins than Ottawa. Two seasons nearly 100 points (which Ottawa has not sniffed in......well a long time). I mean, we really should flip the cards and say that almost always Ottawa is a lost cause, because if Phoenix is a lost cause playing in the west and perhaps the toughest division in the league and posting 90 - 100 point seasons, then certainly Ottawa must be a mammoth lost cause. Do your homework before spouting off.

Are you getting a big pay day because of that?? :-P How come nobody ever plays with a John LeClaire blade?? :-) That would be a good topic for the summer @hf101. Hockey blades. Gone are the days of the wooden stick and the blow torch. :-*(

Normally your predictions are the kiss of death. But you have done fairly well this playoff season (I think .500), which is no better or worse than any other here (including myself). I am going to ride NYR to game 7 and a ring. For no other logic than they beat my Flyers and I prefer the team to knock out my team to get the ring (because I then can be a braggart and say"we lost, but we lost to the Cup champs). I am only 8 years old by the way.

You and I are coming at this from completely different angles. You say career AHL'er and I say developing goalie. You say meh nhl numbers and I say 10 games at the NHL level hardly equates into anything- particularly when 2 games were when he was 20 years , 5 where when he was 22 y/o (all 7 for a crappy Tampa team). The reason he was traded was because Gudlevskis. They choose that horse. Nothing more, nothing less. You still have to scratch your head and wonder why Therien choose Tokarski instead of Budaj? (oh and btw, I am born in Colorado and a big Avs fan behind Flyers- and or course Vancouver). I have watched Budaj play. He is an average goalie. Nothing more, nothing less- and a dime a dozen.

Yup. I think there is a post further on down to Fanactic where I iterate the same. They are very similar players: streaky, no heart, and disappear when it matters (playoffs or stretch drive, etc.). Why HF101 or TFG would want Vanek in Minny is beyond me. I will take a flyer on him (no pun intended). Especially at a 6-7m asking price for 4-6 years.

Yeah, I was just having a little fun, since they both score 30 goals this year (shaprs 6th consecutive season doing so: I throw out last year because he was injured). Vanek would be a better comparable: streaky, no heart and disappears in the playoffs.

Yup. or even going off the reservation and picking one of the other guys in the top 10 / 15. I do have to disagree with Turris. One fine season out of six does not make a player. Potential, sure. As much as you might lament JVR and his heart and all that (which I am on the fence about). Had the Flyers drafted Turris, you would be screaming bloody murder at this point. The Yotes traded Turris for Rundblad and a 2nd round 2012 pick. After that cluster eff of a move, they traded Rundblad to the Blackhawks + Birsbois for a 2nd round pick in the 2014 draft. So, the net sum is that the Yotes traded Turris AND Brisbois for a 2012 and 2014 second round pick. That kind of tells you the value of Turris. Its great that he had a break out season this past year. But he would have been murdered by now in Philly had we drafted him at least 4 fold as compared to JVR. Fortunately we had enough centers and wanted some size on wing.

All points fair. Being from Vancouver (Turris played at Burnaby), I got to watch him play. A really good player, but slender is an understatement. At the time he was drafted, he was listed at 170'lbs and I am sure that was with all his equipment on and after a game drenched with sweat. It was completely unreasonable to expect a guy like that to play AHL or NHL hockey at that time. I am not sure what the solution would have been (after juniors, he has to play pro hockey somewhere). He has finally matured and developed in his body. That said, the Flyers fans would be howling at the moon on selecting turris over JVR.

Vanek?

Would you compare him to Patrick Sharp?

It was a side-comment not directed at you per se'. It is in the context of the number two pick and who is better between JVR and Turris. Some feel Turris would / should have been the pick. I beg to differ. While there are several other players down the line in that draft class I certainly take over JVR OR Turris, thats easy to do with 20/20 hind site. At the time, it was a coin toss between the two at the number two slot (Turris / JVR). I still think the pick was the right one. Nothing more, nothing less.

Price is obviously "the man" for the Habs. But why the love fest with Budaj? Even as a back up. He is a career .500 win pctg goalie, with .900 sv pctg and 2.76 gaa avg (and his AHL numbers are nearly identical). What about that is there that you REALLY like? Your posts are always very articulate / inciteful / and obviously informed. So, I mean this with all due respect. Budaj of the world are a dime a dozen. I am not anointing Tokarski as the next coming, but man he is better than Budaj (and there is nothing you can say to prove me wrong on that count). Heck, even Therien thinks so (which given the pressure cooker that is Montreal speaks volumes in him putting faith in the unproven youngster over Budaj). Crap, even Bryzgalov is better than Budaj. I get it if Tokarski banged your sisters 18 y/o daughter and there is a sore spot. Otherwise, I don't get it at all.

I haven't followed Jr much since moving to where I am now. But watching him, it looks like Lindros lite, 2.0. I would sign up for that too. The reason I asked about his skating is that at 6'2 / 230, you don't need to wait for him to physically mature. He is ready, physically. If he can skate and pick up the pace, wow. I would move up too if I could. Who is the cornell guy always dishing to him and vice versa? He looks like a nice player as well.

Its equally as hard for us Flyers fan to say as well, but I agree.

and throw in Ken Hitchcock as a sweetener.

Why in the world would Chi want to get rid of Sharp? The past 6 seasons (I threw out last year because he was injured), all he has done is average 30 goals and 40 assists. Granted he did not have a good playoff, but that is not his norm. 30/40 guys do not grow on trees. If Chicago was looking to move anyone, I would start with Hossa who is under contract until he will be in a retirement home.

Read the article. What is showed me is that Schenn can be a good player if partnered with the right kind of player. Whats actually more damning in that article is that Coburn can not anchor a pairing as a 1-2 guy without a partner like Kimmo (ie last year it was Couburn / Grossman).

Thats john leclair size (though I think leclaire was 6'3). Can he skate??

Perhaps, but they overpaid for Gaborik. All three of the players that NY got are fine players. Not superstars, but the kind that you fill out you roster and complement your superstars. Obviously Columbus filled those holes, but they could have had better / more assets. Its a would have could have should have thing and past is past. Like you said, those players did not cost them the cup.

I thought that too, but two monday games, three wednesday games and only a single weekend game (not one weekend game with an afternoon start). Mondays and Wednesday games are better draws that say a Sunday afternoon game? Heck, I always thought thursdays were big money days (better than Fridays because everyone is busy doing things with their pay checks- oh and there is one Friday game). Obviously the NHL schedule makers must have analytics to support their cause, but its a complete head scratcher to me.

Agree with everything you stated (and was also how I read Yave post).

Yet there are those that now say they would want Turris on that pick instead of JVR, yet all Turris has done is have one 55 point season- playing one more season than JVR. JVR's production (right wrong or indifferent), smokes Turris's- with one less season under his belt no less.

If you look at the thread topic, its about Richards out of LA. Which means, does he fit there? Is he worth the money? Is he performing? All of the above imo. You want to turn this into career stats and all that. I have repeatedly stated, both players are fine players. Yet, Richards is odd man out in LA at the moment (behind Kopitar, Carter and Stoll). Stop bringing up career stuff when that has nothing to do with the dialogue. Richards is a burden to the LA Kings at 5.75 m and three other centers ahead of him. End of discussion.

Interesting again. I guess there must be some sort of contractual language about that stuff, but its hard for me to fathom- sort of, because really its a corporation and "trade secrets" and all that. Intellectual knowledge / property is an interesting thing. Look at Chip Kelly. Should the Oregon Ducks be suing him because he learned / developed a system under their organization and then took it else where??