2012 NHL Offseason - Draft, Free Agency, etc..

[Dr_Evil]

The draft lottery was last night and the Edmonton Oilers won. They only had a 18.8% chance of winning, but will again draft number one for the third straight year. I feel bad for Columbus, who can't seem to get anything to go their way.

Here's the updated order for the first 14 picks, with their chance of winning the lottery.

1 Edmonton Oilers 18.8
2 Columbus Blue Jackets 25.0 (48% when you factor in the fact that no one can move up more than 4 spots)
3 Montreal Canadiens 14.2
4 New York Islanders 10.7
5 Toronto Maple Leafs 8.1
6 Anaheim Ducks 6.2
7 Minnesota Wild 4.7
8 Carolina Hurricanes 3.6
9 Winnipeg Jets 2.7
10 Tampa Bay Lightning 2.1
11 Washington Capitals* 1.5
12 Buffalo Sabres 1.1
13 Dallas Stars 0.8
14 Calgary Flames 0.5
* Acquired from Colorado Avalanche in Semyon Varlamov trade.

Even though Nail Yakupov seems to be the clear number one pick, I wouldn't be surprised to see Edmonton trade the pick to get some defensive help. They're never going to rebuild if they don't focus on something other than forwards.

[astrochimp]

It`ll be interesting to see what the Oilers do with the #1. Mostly i'm just happy that the Leafs didn't get it.

[Dr_Evil]

Interesting to note that the Caps are getting the 11th pick from the Avs as part of the Varlamov deal. When it went down, a lot of people thought that was almost certainly going to be a top 5 pick, so the deal is probably not as good as many had assumed at first. Varlamov had an up and down year in Colorado, but with a better team in front of him, could be a good goalie for the Avs.

[Dr_Evil]

Montreal is hiring Marc Bergevin as their GM and Executive VP. Pierre McGuirre was apparently in the running as part of the final two. That close to having him off of our televisions.

[aktick]

Damn. Stupid Montreal. Can't do anything else right, could've at least taken Pierre from us. Wasn't Bergevin head scout or something for the Hawks?

[Dubya]

Word around Raleigh (and tweets from people like Bob McKenzie) is that Jordan Staal would like to be traded to the Canes IF the Pens decide to trade him. GM Jim Rutherford obviously can't mention him by name so as to avoid tampering charges but he basically acknowledged it could be in the works by saying they are now looking to do "whatever it takes to get a top player be it a wing or center" after previously stating a top line winger (Parise) to play on Eric Staal's line would be their main target in free agency. He then said Eric Staal could play wing hinting at a Staal brothers line.

[Dr_Evil]

I can see the Pens dealing Staal if they can't reach an agreement on an extension. I'm not sure Carolina has the assets that the Pens are looking for. They want to get some talented young guys on entry level contracts that will be affordable for the next few years. Ideally wingers or solid stay at home defensemen.

[Dr_Evil]

USA beats Canada 5-4 in OT in the group play at the IIHF World Championship. Jack Johnson with the OT goal, his second of the game. This was only the second time since 1985 the US had beaten Canada at the world championships.

[B.A.]

Blues' sale will close Wednesday

BY JEREMY RUTHERFORD | Posted: Monday, May 7, 2012 3:58 pm

The long wait for the sale of the Blues is finally coming to an end.

A group led by Blues' minority owner Tom Stillman is expected to close on its purchase of the club Wednesday, sources have told the Post-Dispatch.

Hall of Famer Brett Hull is expected to be named to a management position under the new ownership. No other changes within the management staff are known at this time.

Stillman, who is CEO of Summit Distributing in St. Louis, heads a group of local investors who are believed to be paying $130 million for a package that includes the Blues, the Peoria Rivermen of the American Hockey League and "significant interest" in the Peabody Opera House.

The sale will come exactly two years after former Blues chairman Dave Checketts announced that TowerBrook Capital Partners, the club's top investor, was divesting its stake in the team.

In the past 24 months, Checketts attempted to sell the Blues outright and he also tried to set up an arrangement in which he would sell the club to Chicago businessman Matthew Hulsizer and remain involved as an investor.

But in January, the NHL ruled that Hulsizer's purchase agreement with the Blues and Checketts had been terminated, opening the door for Stillman to pursue the franchise.

A minority owner of the Blues since 2007, Stillman put together an investment group that includes Stillman's father-in-law, former Sen. John Danforth, R-Mo; Steve Maritz, CEO of Maritz Inc.; Donn Lux, CEO of Luxco; and the Taylor family, owners of Enterprise Holdings.

Checketts will not be involved with the franchise under the Stillman ownership.

The NHL Board of Governors' vote on the sale is to be completed Tuesday, prior to Wednesday's closing.

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/hocke...9bb30f31a.html


It's about damn time.

[astrochimp]

Originally Posted by Dr_Evil

USA beats Canada 5-4 in OT in the group play at the IIHF World Championship. Jack Johnson with the OT goal, his second of the game. This was only the second time since 1985 the US had beaten Canada at the world championships.

We bounced back though and beat France!

[aktick]

Pat Kane had a good time (maybe a bit too good, as the last picture shows...lightweight ) in Madison last weekend at the Mifflin Street block party.

http://deadspin.com/5908302/patrick-...tart/gallery/1

Sadly, it looks like his taste in women hasn't improved a whole lot. First there was the girls in the limo in Vancouver, then that chick from somewhere in Illinois last year, now these completely average looking UW-Madison girls (granted, he's probably just posing for a picture with them...).

[TheNightFlier]

Originally Posted by aktick

Pat Kane had a good time (maybe a bit too good, as the last picture shows...lightweight ) in Madison last weekend at the Mifflin Street block party.

http://deadspin.com/5908302/patrick-...tart/gallery/1

Sadly, it looks like his taste in women hasn't improved a whole lot. First there was the girls in the limo in Vancouver, then that chick from somewhere in Illinois last year, now these completely average looking UW-Madison girls (granted, he's probably just posing for a picture with them...).

The guy really is just white trash from Buffalo who happens to be a great hockey player.

[B.A.]

He's young, rich, and single. I don't begrudge him one bit for going to a great college town and partying his ass off when the season is over.

[aktick]

I don't really either, but the problem is he seems to be a terrible drunk, and always gets himself into shitty situations. There are a good number of young, rich, single players nowadays, and I can't remember seeing much of anything about others partying and making fools of themselves.

And I'd have way more sympathy for him if he was bagging hotties.

[aktick]

Some speculation that Quenneville might get the Montreal job. I'd be fine with him moving on.

[TheNightFlier]

Originally Posted by B.A.

He's young, rich, and single. I don't begrudge him one bit for going to a great college town and partying his ass off when the season is over.

When you're a young, rich, professional athlete you should use a little more discretion, imo.

[bunkaroo]

Originally Posted by aktick

Some speculation that Quenneville might get the Montreal job. I'd be fine with him moving on.

Agreed. I'm thankful he was here when we won the cup but I'm not convinced Savard couldn't have done the job the group we had.

I'd be fine with Kane being traded for a top-tier goalie.

[MrX]

WTF?

Quennville goes from almost out the door to being allowed to fire the one competent asst he has and given the power to hire another one of his BFFs on as an asst.

FU Stan!

[B.A.]

[aktick]

What are we watching?

[bunkaroo]

Originally Posted by MrX

WTF?

Quennville goes from almost out the door to being allowed to fire the one competent asst he has and given the power to hire another one of his BFFs on as an asst.

FU Stan!

Yeah I don't get that at all. I guess 2012-2013 will be more of the same.

[B.A.]

Originally Posted by aktick

What are we watching?

It was a live stream of the new ownership group being introduced to the media.

[brizz]

Semin sounds done w/ the Caps....WOTS is that the Wings will be #1 in line for his services. he'd look awfully nice playing on a line w/ Pavel - his old teammate from the Russian National team.

[coli]

I wonder when the 'lockout' talk starts, as I assume the CBA probably ends around June 30th like the NBA's? I still think the NHL owners will do exactly what the NBA owners did last year: Right now the players get 57% of total revenues, and the NBA owners wanted and eventually got a 50%-50% split. We'll probably see no games in the fall and then somebody will buckle in either November/December and we'll have a shortened season.

But with Donald Fehr vs Gary Bettman, wouldn't suprise if these two idiots cancel another season.

[dolphinboy]

Originally Posted by brizz

Semin sounds done w/ the Caps....WOTS is that the Wings will be #1 in line for his services. he'd look awfully nice playing on a line w/ Pavel - his old teammate from the Russian National team.

I've heard a lot of negative things about Semin, but if he is remotely reasonable in his contract requests, if he wants to play a lot and if he wants to win, the Wings should get him to play with Pavel. The Datsyuk/Semin/Ovechkin line was amazing for Russia, but it showed Pavel as more of the creator of chances while Semin and Ovechkin are more finishers (as is Malkin). The Wings desperately need a a guy who can just bury the puck on the top line. Watching that tournament made me think Semin might be as good as Parise.