Your 2012 National Hockey Lockout Thread

[BigBubba]

Is Yakupov going to be the first Muslim in the NHL?

Ramzi Abid was the first, I think.

Nazem Kadri was the second - and only other - one to be drafted.

[sportstar1212]

I think Edmonton is in dire need of a good defenceman. I figure they'll take Ryan Murray.

[The_Admiral]

You don't draft for need at #1, and certainly not when the need is defense, who take years to mature. Trade for defensemen, draft Yakupov.

[NEW.ERA]

Tambs is open to trading the #1 pick if the right deal comes alone.

[crashcarson15]

Edmonton doesn't take Yakupov...someone should lose their job...you don't pass on a kid like that no matter what kinda depth you have . Oh and does anyone see Columbus taking a guy like Filip Forsberg over Grigorenko due to him being a "safer" pick?

No. You've gotta go all out with the player with the most upside. A "safe" pick lets you pick 5th-8th just about every year like the Jackets have their entire :censored:ing existence.

If the Oilers trade the first pick to a team that's really not bad enough to deserve Yakupov, I am going to blow my :censored:ing head off.

[The_Admiral]

Whoever gets Yakupov (if the Oilers don't, and I think they will) is going to send quite a bit back, probably on the NHL blue line and from across the farm system. It won't exactly be the rich getting richer. Anaheim is an intriguing possibility, as the Oilers could still pick high with the Ducks' pick and get some quality talent coming back as well. I can see a trade with Dallas, perhaps. Yakupov to Toronto would be a wet dream for the league, but there's not enough in it for Edmonton. Whom do you send back? Komisarek?

[NEW.ERA]

I was going to say Byfuglien, Jets 1st, but then realized they don't have any decent prospects outside of Scheifele.

Also Tambs might not be stupid enough to do it.

[The_Admiral]

No, the Oilers need NHL defensemen, not Dustin Byfuglien. The Jets should move some bodies for a big draft this year, however. Antropov is a guy who will play no part in this team's window. Flip him.

[Lee.]

The Jets are saddled with a lot of bad contracts from the Atlanta days, including Antropov and Hainsey; they were able to get our from under the Oduya contract by virtue of Stan Bowman obviously doing Cheveldayoff a solid (a second AND a third for a UFA? Thanks!), but there's also not a lot that could bring anything close to consideration to the 8 teams before them in the draft to want to trade places.

If they can flip Antropov for a pick, maybe the 4th rounder that they sent to Washington for Eric Fehr, I'd say go for it. If they could move Hainsey for a shot at moving up, I'd also say go for it. The Jets have a number of middle-pairing defensemen to work with (Flood, Clitsome, Hainsey, Stuart, Jones), and with Postma likely ready to make the jump next year, there's no reason that one or two of them couldn't be shuffled along.

They're also in an enviable position in that a number of their free agents have gone on record as saying that they want to be back; the only one who hasn't gone on record as saying he wants to be in town long-term is Kane; once he hits UFA status, he'll move on, but that's okay. He's a good player, and will be a fifty goal scorer one day, but he's gotta learn how to turn on skates. He has way too many plays where he ends up skating to the corner because the defenseman in front of him just turns him away from the net. Kid can't cut.

[The_Admiral]

Oduya was a necessary overpayment since Steve Montador is probably in the Mike Rathje Memorial LTIR For Life Zone. As it turned out, he's vastly improved the defense. I'm glad we got him. I hope the Jets use the 2013 picks well.

[officeglenn]

Per the Flames' Facebook feed: "The Flames & Brent Sutter have reached a mutual agreement to conclude his coaching duties. In addition, assistant coach Dave Lowry will not have his contract renewed. Details here ~ http://bit.ly/HBsHMK "

[NEW.ERA]

Per the Flames' Facebook feed: "The Flames & Brent Sutter have reached a mutual agreement to conclude his coaching duties. In addition, assistant coach Dave Lowry will not have his contract renewed. Details here ~ http://bit.ly/HBsHMK "

I'm indifferent, miss the playoffs three times this is what happens. Sutter wasn't bad, he's best of Sutter's IMO. Also too bad Lowry's gone.

If Feaster promotes Hartsburg, I'm gonna flip.

[BigBubba]

Burke has kept saying that he won't blow up the Leafs' depth chart for a top player (i.e. Nash), so there's no way they trade up to get Yak. The only top-4/top-6 guys we have are either (all but) untouchable (Kessel, Gardiner, Lupul, Schenn + Grabo and Liles for their recent multi-year extensions), not enough (Franson, Kulimen, MacArthur, Gunnarsson) or overpaid bums on the wrong side of 30 (Komisarek, Connolly, Armstrong, and soon enough, Dion Phaneuf).

And Lupul was booed at the Blue Jays game when he was shown on the JumboTron. Really? He was one of only 4 remotely consistent players last year. Yeesh.

[NEW.ERA]

Well I don't know what to take away from Feaster's presser.

Sutter and him met this morning, they both didn't agree on which way this team should be headed. Some say Feaster no rebuild, Sutter rebuild. And even if they did offer Sutter a one year deal for example he would have declined. Leading to the mutual agreement of parting ways.

Bob McKenzie just said it best on TSN. The Flames more so than any other Canadian team, have their ownership group play much more of a role in team happenings. Which is why this team continues to be the same. Murray Edwards and Ken King both need to leave the team to either Feaster or someone else, who knows the game. This record has been on repeat for the last two decades, and everyone has had enough.

[IceCap]

Burke has kept saying that he won't blow up the Leafs' depth chart for a top player (i.e. Nash),

Of course not.

[BigBubba]

Burke has kept saying that he won't blow up the Leafs' depth chart for a top player (i.e. Nash),

Of course not.

I'm probably missing something here, but how does MLSE being rich have to do with Burke's insistence on blowing up their depth chart?

" . . . if we can add a piece that can help us get into the playoffs we're going to do it, but we've spent three years putting together some depth here, we're not going to blow it all up to try (to) squeak into the eighth spot."

http://www.vancouver...l#ixzz1s2ihnR1Y

That was in reference to Rick Nash. Sure, getting Yakupov would be a big help as well, especially for the future, but giving up two big young talents (especially when it has been said that the projected no. 5 pick in Galchenyuk could have gone second if not for his injury) for one really do anything? It seems like a step forwards and another one back to me (even though I'm for sure misinterpreting what you posted).

[IceCap]

Burke has kept saying that he won't blow up the Leafs' depth chart for a top player (i.e. Nash),

Of course not.

I'm probably missing something here, but how does MLSE being rich have to do with Burke's insistence on blowing up their depth chart?

The Leafs kind of need to shake it up, because what they have currently will never amount to anything higher then seventh place, and that's in a year where EVERYTHING goes their way.

Problem is there's no drive to change things up because the fans will show up regardless.

[The_Admiral]

Problem is there's no drive to change things up because the fans will show up regardless.

I don't think this is really true. If the Leafs got good again, support would just go from really great to all-out spectacular. The whole sequence of "the fans aren't showing up, so we must build a winner, now we are winning, and now they show up" seems mythical at best. I mean, teams get good and support goes up, but it never seems to come out of Fans Demanding A Winner so much as just the natural conclusion of being bad long enough to restock the farm. In the case of the Leafs, it will come out of being run by anyone who isn't Brian Burke.

[Cosmic]

As some have said before, the idea of the Blue Jackets passing up on Yak/Grigs because of the whole "Russian" thing is borderline xenophobic. If they did, their GM should be fired immediately, even if he just replaced Howson a week earlier.

The Sabres have drafted exactly one European in their last 40 picks. Their first pick in 2011 was Finnish, and before that the last European Darcy Regier picked was in 2006.

EDIT: It's called the Don Cherry plan.

[BigBubba]

If the Leafs are gonna shake up, don't do it by trading a top 5 pick, even if it's to go first. I wouldn't trade Gardiner/Schenn + a fifth overall pick for the first. As I mentioned before, Galchenyuk has the skill to go second; this isn't 2005 where Crosby is lightyears ahead of the other picks. If they want to shake up, be a seller, not a buyer (just don't trade Gardiner, Kessel, or Lupul), or do this at any other draft.

I've been a big defender of Burke and I've laughed at the Pittsburgh Way™, but it's become apparent that you won't become a Cup contender by signing former Ducks and acquiring future second-liners (Kardi, Frattin, Colborne, etc...). Of course, trading two top-10 picks didn't help, so I predict another 5 years of mediocrity before they end up falling flat on their faces and surrendering to the Pittsburgh Way™.