The Neutral Zone

by **skatingtripods** » Wed Jun 27, 2012 3:58 pm

Interesting first note to kick this thread off.

The NHLPA announced their 31-player contingent to help represent the players' association in the impending CBA talks.

James Wisniewski is the Jackets' rep. Other interesting player of note is that Manny Malhotra is the Canucks' rep.

by **Cerebral_DownTime** » Wed Jun 27, 2012 5:25 pm

Fire Howson.

Players, get as much as you can because if it goes like it did last time you'll be paid in muffins. And not even good muffins, bran muffins.

Wis should choke out Bettman.

by **Govbarney** » Wed Jun 27, 2012 6:45 pm

This lockout is going to be brutal , I don't think the season will be canceled , but I am predicting a significantly shortened season.

I am calling it right now the City of Columbus will not host the All Star Game.

by **skatingtripods** » Wed Jun 27, 2012 9:25 pm

I don't see a lockout happening. The league is fully aware that they cannot endure another one. The last one cost them their ESPN deal and made them a second, or even third, rate sports league to most Americans.

Something will get done. Revenue sharing is a big sticking point. I think the biggest problem they'll have is narrowing down all the issues. You know there'll be re-alignment talk. Player safety. Revenue sharing. Escalating salary cap.

It won't be pretty, but they'll get an agreement before the season begins.

by **Cerebral_DownTime** » Wed Jun 27, 2012 11:08 pm

ESPN is gay.

Fucking channel looks like a goddamn U.N. meeting.

by **skatingtripods** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 1:23 pm

70.2M salary cap. 54.2M cap floor.

No wonder they're heading for a lockout.

After last CBA, cap was 39M.

by **skatingtripods** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 1:37 pm

Not Jackets-related, but the Penguins are about to give over 100M to a guy with concussion issues.

Crosby just agreed a 12 yr, 104.4M deal, front-loaded to pay him over 10M per season for the first 9 years.

Stupid. I hope it blows up in their faces.

by **StewieG** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 1:52 pm

Traded Marc Methot to Ott for LW Nick Foligno

Signed D Adrian Aucoin to 1-year deal to act as mentor for Murray and Moore.

by **skatingtripods** » Sun Jul 08, 2012 9:39 pm

Aucoin's still a serviceable player, and a potential captain when Nash gets traded. Guy used to lead the league in average time on ice every single year.

Like the Foligno move too. Little toughness, good role player, and I was not a big Methot fan.

by **skatingtripods** » Sat Jul 14, 2012 12:46 am

Yep, another lockout is on the horizon.

Greg Wyshynski ‏@wyshynski
Don't worry folks: The NHL's CBA proposal equates to *only* an immediate 22% reduction in player salaries. #OyVey #LockoutCity

by **StewieG** » Sat Jul 14, 2012 12:56 am

Wow...

by **Cerebral_DownTime** » Sat Jul 14, 2012 7:52 pm

RAT FARTS!!!!!!

by **Govbarney** » Sat Jul 14, 2012 8:57 pm

Yeah that All Star game in Cbus is looking more and more like a empty gesture every day.

by **skatingtripods** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 3:14 pm

Darren Dreger of TSN reporting that Rick Nash has been traded to the New York Rangers.

Will update with details when I get some.

by **skatingtripods** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 3:47 pm

Nash to NYR for Dubinsky + Erixon + Anisimov + 1st 2013.

Howson gets OWNED again.

Man, is this guy bad. Didn't get any of NYR's three best young players/prospects.

by **TouchEmAllTime** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 4:41 pm

skatingtripods wrote:Nash to NYR for Dubinsky + Erixon + Anisimov + 1st 2013.

Howson gets OWNED again.

Man, is this guy bad. Didn't get any of NYR's three best young players/prospects.

Sounds as if they got Shapiro'ed. Two guys who didn't even score 20 goals last year, is Erixon a prospect at D?

by **skatingtripods** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 4:49 pm

TouchEmAllTime wrote:is Erixon a prospect at D?

Yes, but he's a whiner. He refused to sign with Calgary after they drafted him. Calgary had to scamper to trade his rights before he went back into the draft. So, they traded him to NYR.

He's a prospect, a decent player, but he lacks impact upside. He may be a solid contributor for a while, but just getting solid contributors for a top-20 player in the league doesn't really work in your favor.

by **StewieG** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 4:52 pm

I'll say it again: How is this man still employed?

And isn't this deal worse than the one he supposedly turned down at the trade deadline?

by **Spin** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 4:58 pm

Oh My God. :thud:

That's more of a Stepien deal than a Shapiro. Shap would have gotten two of those players and $100,000 in cash.

There goes the one reason to make the 2 hour drive to Cbus...

by **skatingtripods** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 5:02 pm

StewieG wrote:And isn't this deal worse than the one he supposedly turned down at the trade deadline?

This was my post back during the trade deadline:

According to Larry Brooks of the NY Post, here's what Howson wanted and what he was offered.

Howson's offer: Dubinsky — plus either Ryan McDonagh or Michael Del Zotto — plus either Derek Stepan or Carl Hagelin — plus 2009 first-rounder Chris Kreider

Rangers GM Glen Sather's offer: Brandon Dubinsky, 21-year-old top defense prospect Tim Erixon, highly regarded 2011 first-round draft choice J.T. Miller and 2010 second-round pick Christian Thomas, along with a 2012 first-round selection

Can't blame Howson. I really like the upside of NYR's offer, but you don't get NHL-ready impact just yet. It's not a bad offer at all, in fact, in the long run, it could be close to the package Howson wanted. But it's a very difficult sell for a fan base that is already beyond frustrated.

If Kreider or del Zotto were in that second offer, replacing Christian Thomas or JT Miller, Nash is a Ranger today.

viewtopic.php?p=472695#p472695

So, basically, Howson blinked and Sather gave him basically the same package he was going to give him at the deadline. Just swap Anisimov for the 2nd and the 1st for Miller, a former 1st.

Same deal value-wise as five months ago. Tells me that everybody knew that Howson had no leverage.

FWIW, I like that trade package a lot less now than I did back then.

by **Govbarney** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 5:13 pm

Complete incompetence.

I will not buy another CBJ ticket until Howson is gone.

by **swerb** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 11:23 pm

Anticlimactic end to the Nash Era. Franchise is a mess right now. Hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Need to knock those three #1's out of the park next year

by **bac5665** » Tue Jul 24, 2012 1:41 pm

So Howson is the laughingstock of the NHL media right now.

The only thing I can conclude is that the ownership doesn't care even slightly. If they did, this trade would never have happened.

No hope until Howson is gone and I don't know what it will take to get that done, if this last year didn't.

by **Spin** » Tue Jul 24, 2012 2:25 pm

bac5665 wrote:So Howson is the laughingstock of the NHL media right now.

The only thing I can conclude is that the ownership doesn't care even slightly. If they did, this trade would never have happened.

No hope until Howson is gone and I don't know what it will take to get that done, if this last year didn't.

Being 27th in attendance hasn't shown management that nobody believes in the direction the GM is taking.

Then again it hasn't meant anything to Dolan for that matter. I just don't see the BJ's in the list of most profitable franchises like I do the Tribe.

by **bac5665** » Tue Jul 24, 2012 2:30 pm

Spin wrote:
bac5665 wrote:So Howson is the laughingstock of the NHL media right now.

The only thing I can conclude is that the ownership doesn't care even slightly. If they did, this trade would never have happened.

No hope until Howson is gone and I don't know what it will take to get that done, if this last year didn't.

Being 27th in attendance hasn't shown management that nobody believes in the direction the GM is taking.

Then again it hasn't meant anything to Dolan for that matter. I just don't see the BJ's in the list of most profitable franchises like I do the Tribe.

That's my point. Howson singlehandedly destroys our hopes of getting better and yet if he hasn't been fired yet, I see no reason to expect him to be fired in the next 2-4 years. It's more hopeless than any of the Cleveland franchises and that is a truly depressing thought.

by **Govbarney** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 12:07 pm

As far as ownership goes John P. McConnell makes Randy Lerner look like Vince Lombardi when it comes to knowledge about the sport your team plays in.

If it wasn't for the fact that Worthington Industries did the majority of its business in Ohio, I have no doubt in my mind he would have sold the CBJ before his fathers body turned cold. Its well known the man is not a sports fan, let alone a hockey fan. As far as running the organization goes, he feels that the same people who run Worthington Industries are more then capable of running a Sports Franchise, and he refuses to change that philosophy, either because he doesn't give a shit, or he is using the executive positions within the CBJ as some sort of reward for loyal henchman.

At some point soon the city or Nationwide Insurance will have to step in and demand a change. They own the arena now, got to figure they have some say in how the franchise operates.

Sidenote: While I hate this trade, I have to admit , there is no way the Blue Line will not be improved next year. James Wisniewski, Fedor Tyutin and Jack Johnson are locked up for the long term, and the parts we added in the trade will add the much needed depth. CBJ will be just good enough now to miss out on MacKinnon next year.

by **TouchEmAllTime** » Thu Jul 26, 2012 6:22 pm

Not CBJ related, but also not thread worthy, Alexander Semin signed a one year deal with Carolina for 7 mil.

by **Govbarney** » Thu Sep 13, 2012 4:46 pm

No surprise due to the lockout , but CBJ have assigned Ryan Murray to the WHL and center Boone Jenner to the OHL.

Maybe I am just being pessimistic, but I don't see them playing NHL hockey this year.

by **skatingtripods** » Thu Sep 13, 2012 6:01 pm

Sorry to the NHL lovers, but I'm rooting for a lockout.

Adrian Dater says that there's a very high likelihood that Gabriel Landeskog will play for the Lake Erie Monsters during a lockout: http://blogs.denverpost.com/avs/2012/09 ... son/11521/

That would be awesome. The talent will go up in the AHL with a lockout. Edmonton has already said Ryan Nugent-Hopkins would play for Oklahoma City in the event of a lockout. Imagine other teams will follow suit.

by **Govbarney** » Mon Sep 17, 2012 12:12 pm

skatingtripods wrote:Sorry to the NHL lovers, but I'm rooting for a lockout.

Adrian Dater says that there's a very high likelihood that Gabriel Landeskog will play for the Lake Erie Monsters during a lockout: http://blogs.denverpost.com/avs/2012/09 ... son/11521/

That would be awesome. The talent will go up in the AHL with a lockout. Edmonton has already said Ryan Nugent-Hopkins would play for Oklahoma City in the event of a lockout. Imagine other teams will follow suit.

Mid Day ESPN 3 KHL games, will definitely be more interesting.

by **Govbarney** » Wed Oct 24, 2012 10:51 am

CBJ Press Release: The Columbus Blue Jackets will host a press conference at Nationwide Arena today at 2 p.m. ET to introduce longtime National Hockey League executive, Hall of Fame broadcaster and former goaltender John Davidson as the club's president of hockey operations. Visit BlueJackets.com to watch the press conference and for continuing coverage throughout the afternoon.

This is huge , for once the CBJ will have someone who is well respected in the league, and knows what the hell they are doing.

Sidenote: If there is no season this year will they redo the lottery, or just use last years draft order?

by **skatingtripods** » Wed Oct 24, 2012 10:56 am

Govbarney wrote:This is huge , for once the CBJ will have someone who is well respected in the league, and knows what the hell they are doing.

Davidson built a strong team in St. Louis. Not completely sure why he left that situation. But he has tremendous knowledge of goaltenders and drafted some fine defensemen. Between Craig Patrick (who Davidson may name the GM very soon) and Davidson, the Jackets have a wealth of knowledge in the front office now. It's a great hire.

Sidenote: If there is no season this year will they redo the lottery, or just use last years draft order?

Here's what they did for the 2005 NHL Entry Draft after the entire 04-05 season was canceled:

As a lockout cancelled the games of the 2004–05 NHL season, the draft order was determined by lottery on July 22, 2005. Teams were assigned 1 to 3 balls based on their playoff appearances and first overall draft picks from the past three years. According to the draft order, the selection worked its way up to 30 as usual; then instead of repeating the order as in past years, the draft "snaked" back down to the team with the first pick. Therefore the team with the first pick overall would not pick again until the 60th pick. The team with the 30th pick would also get the 31st pick.

Not sure if they'd use this same format or not.

That said, I don't think it's a concern. There will be a partial season.

by **Govbarney** » Wed Oct 24, 2012 11:03 am

skatingtripods wrote: Not completely sure why he left that situation.

New Ownership in St Louis wanted to bring in their own guys.

by **skatingtripods** » Wed Oct 24, 2012 11:21 am

Govbarney wrote:
skatingtripods wrote: Not completely sure why he left that situation.

New Ownership in St Louis wanted to bring in their own guys.

Ah, thanks. Joke's on them. Davidson built that team from the ground up. Expect the same in Columbus.

by **bac5665** » Wed Oct 24, 2012 2:47 pm

So as a fan who's new to hockey, what should I expect with Davidson? Is Howsen finally gone? Are we going to fire our new coach before he plays a game? Or is Davidson going to let this FO group play out for a season or two?

by **StewieG** » Wed Oct 24, 2012 3:43 pm

I hope Howsen's gone. The man's a bumbling idiot who should've been fired a long time ago.

As for the coach, I have no idea. I suspect they'll give him at least this (partial) season - assuming we have one - to see what he's got. But honestly I have no idea. New regime may want to bring in their guy right away.

by **skatingtripods** » Wed Oct 24, 2012 5:57 pm

bac5665 wrote:So as a fan who's new to hockey, what should I expect with Davidson? Is Howsen finally gone? Are we going to fire our new coach before he plays a game? Or is Davidson going to let this FO group play out for a season or two?

With Davidson, you'll get a guy who is extremely involved. From the scouting staff to the roster to the rest of the front office.

To me, if Craig Patrick wants the GM job, and he may not because he's in his mid-60s, I think Howson's gone. If Patrick doesn't want it, I'm honestly not sure. At least there will be a lot more checks and balances on Howson and his decisions from this point forward.

I think Davidson will want to assess the coaching situation after he sees some results, positive or negative.

by **Spin** » Sun Oct 28, 2012 7:29 am

What is Brandon Dubinski's status?

I'm in a fantasy league (yeah right, the 2012/13 season is a fantasy) where we selected non-playoff teams, list 8 "keepers" from it, and then build the team up.

Dubinski is listed as "NA", but I see no injury status, he's listed on the BJ roster. Anything I should know?

by **Govbarney** » Wed Oct 31, 2012 10:35 am

SkatingTripods, this may only interest you, but its a great article from The Hockey News on the complex/rocky relationship between the NCAA, CHL, AHL, NHL and Internationals.
[url]
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/chlpa-face ... 25z;_ylv=3[/url]

by **skatingtripods** » Wed Oct 31, 2012 10:43 am

Govbarney wrote:SkatingTripods, this may only interest you, but its a great article from The Hockey News on the complex/rocky relationship between the NCAA, CHL, AHL, NHL and Internationals.
[url]
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/chlpa-face ... 25z;_ylv=3[/url]

Thanks, I'll check it out.

by **Govbarney** » Thu Dec 20, 2012 11:44 am

Thanks for the lockout update Adam, good read.

James Wisniewski , Derek MacKenzie, and Umberger have been playing in Beer League games around Columbus.

A lot of people in the Cbus media feel that it would be better for the CBJ in the long run if the season is canceled, what are your thoughts?

by **skatingtripods** » Fri Dec 21, 2012 12:59 am

Govbarney wrote:A lot of people in the Cbus media feel that it would be better for the CBJ in the long run if the season is canceled, what are your thoughts?

I think it would have been better for John Davidson to see what he has to work with, both on the ice and behind the bench. That way, he could have some working knowledge on what areas absolutely needed improvement and what areas could just use some developing this offseason. It might help them in terms of a draft lottery, but they were probably a lottery team anyway.

by **Cerebral_DownTime** » Fri Dec 21, 2012 12:26 pm

I guess I want hockey back. But i'm sick and tired of these lockouts. Bettman and the owners really are subhuman trash. I hope Bettman dies in a car fire and I get to see it and not help.

2 lockouts in 8 years, nice job cocksucking NHL brass. Way to sell your product. CUNTS.

by **Govbarney** » Fri Dec 21, 2012 1:02 pm

World Junior Championships is starting next week, that should feed my Hockey fix for a couple of weeks. I don't think the lack of Hockey will really hit home for people until late January/February when footballs over with. Without Hockey the only thing I will really have is College Bball and Ice Fishing until Pitchers and Catchers report.

by **skatingtripods** » Fri Dec 21, 2012 2:48 pm

Cerebral_DownTime wrote:I guess I want hockey back. But i'm sick and tired of these lockouts. Bettman and the owners really are subhuman trash. I hope Bettman dies in a car fire and I get to see it and not help.

2 lockouts in 8 years, nice job cocksucking NHL brass. Way to sell your product. CUNTS.

Players' Association is just as guilty.

Govbarney wrote:World Junior Championships is starting next week, that should feed my Hockey fix for a couple of weeks.

Love the WJC. Pure hockey.

by **Cerebral_DownTime** » Fri Dec 21, 2012 5:20 pm

Last time I checked, the owners locked the players out. They're like freaking vampires, just plotting ways to suck more money out of the fan. "$9 for a Molson?" "better make that $12 MUHAHAHAHAHHAHA!" Then they all light cigars with $1,000 bills and sacrifice a virgin to their money god, The Monopoly Guy.

That's how it goes.

by **skatingtripods** » Thu Dec 27, 2012 12:04 pm

I'll throw this here. Team USA's World Juniors games being streamed on NHL.com. Also televised on NHL Network. Dublin, OH native Sean Kuraly scored the first goal against Germany, 20 seconds in. Games being replayed on TV in the evening.

They play at 9 a.m. EST tomorrow against host Russia, 4:30 a.m. EST on Sunday against Canada, 5 a.m. EST Monday against Slovakia.

US currently up 4-0 on Germany, early 2nd period.

by **Cerebral_DownTime** » Thu Dec 27, 2012 4:40 pm

The Germans were cheated.

by **Govbarney** » Thu Dec 27, 2012 6:14 pm

Cerebral_DownTime wrote:The Germans were cheated.

Those dam sausage eaters didnt belong on the ice. Bring on the Ruskies !

by **skatingtripods** » Fri Dec 28, 2012 12:42 pm

3rd period coming up of real good Russia/US game. Tied 1-1.

The Neutral Zone

Who is online

Who is online