Your 2012 National Hockey Lockout Thread

[pollux]

Looks like the Leafs are gonna try JVR at center. Interesting...

Stars have moved Benn from the wing to center this year, with good results. I don't see why it couldn't work for JVR.

[spartacat_12]

Looks like the Leafs are gonna try JVR at center. Interesting...

Stars have moved Benn from the wing to center this year, with good results. I don't see why it couldn't work for JVR.

You don't? The fans/media in Dallas are a lot friendlier than in Toronto. A few mistakes by JVR in his first few games as a Leaf and everyone will be demanding he get moved to the wing and chastising Burke for not landing a true centerman.

[TimEOBrien]

Does this look good to any other 'Hawks fans?

A month ago I couldn't imagine it, but now I kinda love the idea...

(This can't happen thanks to Glenn Hall)

[Coast2CoastAM2006]

Looks like the Leafs are gonna try JVR at center. Interesting...

Stars have moved Benn from the wing to center this year, with good results. I don't see why it couldn't work for JVR.

You don't? The fans/media in Dallas are a lot friendlier than in Toronto. A few mistakes by JVR in his first few games as a Leaf and everyone will be demanding he get moved to the wing and chastising Burke for not landing a true centerman.

i wouldn't say friendlier, they are more concerned with Cowboys, Rangers, Mavs, UT/TCU/Baylor and High School sports.

[Kevin W.]

I know he'd get a frosty reception at first from the fans in Chicago but I would not mind Luongo playing for the Blackhawks.

[oddball]

I know he'd get a frosty reception at first from the fans in Chicago but I would not mind Luongo playing for the Blackhawks.

Yeah you would. The minute he choked away a playoff series, you would not only mind, but you would hate him. Trust me, there's a reason Luongo wants to go to Florida, he hates pressure and wants to play in a situation where there will be no expectations on him and the team and he can just collect his money.

[TimEOBrien]

Yeah you would. The minute he choked away a playoff series, you would not only mind, but you would hate him. Trust me, there's a reason Luongo wants to go to Florida, he hates pressure and wants to play in a situation where there will be no expectations on him and the team and he can just collect his money.

Replace "Luongo" with "LeBron" and pretend this comment came two years ago. I would say that's a flawed argument.

Listen, Lu is better than Craw, Rayzor or anyone we have coming down the pipe, and if it means we lose the Stanley Cup in the finals every year, I'd rather have that than a first round bounce thanks to poor goalie play (among other things...) like we've had for the past two seasons here in Chicago.

[TimEOBrien]

Sorry double post but...

Lu wins 53% of his playoff appearances and has a .916 career playoff save percentage.

Let's compare that to Martin Brodeur: Wins 55% of his playoff appearances and has a .919 career playoff save percentage.

Those are pretty similar numbers, it's just Marty has had better talent around him, especially defensively (and by that I mean better team defense), as proven by the fact that Marty faced an average of 26.3 shots per playoff game in his career vs Lu's 30.6.

That's almost 5 shots more per playoff game. That adds up in the end (to three Stanley Cups...).

[Corvus]

I know he'd get a frosty reception at first from the fans in Chicago but I would not mind Luongo playing for the Blackhawks.

Yeah you would. The minute he choked away a playoff series, you would not only mind, but you would hate him. Trust me, there's a reason Luongo wants to go to Florida, he hates pressure and wants to play in a situation where there will be no expectations on him and the team and he can just collect his money.

Yeah, your assessment of Luongo's character isn't even remotely accurate.

[Funky Bunky]

I know he'd get a frosty reception at first from the fans in Chicago but I would not mind Luongo playing for the Blackhawks.

Yeah you would. The minute he choked away a playoff series, you would not only mind, but you would hate him. Trust me, there's a reason Luongo wants to go to Florida, he hates pressure and wants to play in a situation where there will be no expectations on him and the team and he can just collect his money.

Luongo still brought his team to the SCF two years ago, he's not some massive choker. If the Canucks would've won one more game, nobody would be calling him a choker.... He's better than Crawford, and that's all that really matters.

[Funky Bunky]

I know he'd get a frosty reception at first from the fans in Chicago but I would not mind Luongo playing for the Blackhawks.

Yeah you would. The minute he choked away a playoff series, you would not only mind, but you would hate him. Trust me, there's a reason Luongo wants to go to Florida, he hates pressure and wants to play in a situation where there will be no expectations on him and the team and he can just collect his money.

Yeah, your assessment of Luongo's character isn't even remotely accurate.

Luongo is actually a pretty down to earth guy, from what I have seen and heard. He's not some fragile, choke artist, arrogant monster like the media makes him out to be.

He's also really funny on twitter. (@Strombone1, for whoever wants to follow him (he keeps it unverified so he doesn't get too much harassment))

[Kevin W.]

I know he'd get a frosty reception at first from the fans in Chicago but I would not mind Luongo playing for the Blackhawks.

Yeah you would. The minute he choked away a playoff series, you would not only mind, but you would hate him. Trust me, there's a reason Luongo wants to go to Florida, he hates pressure and wants to play in a situation where there will be no expectations on him and the team and he can just collect his money.

If he chokes, then so be it, but the Blackhawks are in need of a change between the pipes. Crawford and Emery aren't the answer that Niemi was two years ago. Will Luongo be that answer? Who knows? I'm willing to give him a shot and find out if and when the Hawks sign him.

[CS85]

It'd be incredibly weird if Luongo was a Blackhawk but I'd have a hard time initially being able to support him the first time he has a bad game. We really don't need another Huet experience with a god-awful contract.

[TimEOBrien]

It'd be incredibly weird if Luongo was a Blackhawk but I'd have a hard time initially being able to support him the first time he has a bad game. We really don't need another Huet experience with a god-awful contract.

Just because you hate someone doesn't mean they aren't good. Brett Favre is the worst human ever and I hate him with all my heart. Doesn't make him any less of a great QB.

Don't let your hate blind you, Lu is a career .919 sv% goalie who has never had an NHL season with a sv% below .908 and his second lowest is .914. And most of that is while playing with a poor team defense squad in Vancouver.

Craw and Rayzor don't compare.

And at $5 mil a year on the cap, it's not a bad hit. Plus, since Van can't have them on their team next season, they might be willing to eat some of the contract...

[The_Admiral]

That's some good photoshop work for such a bad idea.

EDIT: It's a $5 million cap hit from now till the edge of forever

EDIT 2: you can't "eat some of the money" on NHL contracts you gomer

EDIT 3: Vancouver had an absurd scoring differential in 2011 and pretty good ones in 2010 and 2012; that's not "poor team defense"

EDIT 4: Bieksa sucks, though

EDIT 5: saying that Luongo is better than Emery and Crawford does not impress me; there are king-size mattresses better than Emery and Crawford, you may know that king-size mattress as Jean-Sebastien Giguere

[CS85]

I'd be down for a #1 goaltender who is actually a king-size mattress.

[TimEOBrien]

That's some good photoshop work for such a bad idea.

EDIT: It's a $5 million cap hit from now till the edge of forever

EDIT 2: you can't "eat some of the money" on NHL contracts you gomer

EDIT 3: Vancouver had an absurd scoring differential in 2011 and pretty good ones in 2010 and 2012; that's not "poor team defense"

EDIT 4: Bieksa sucks, though

EDIT 5: saying that Luongo is better than Emery and Crawford does not impress me; there are king-size mattresses better than Emery and Crawford, you may know that king-size mattress as Jean-Sebastien Giguere

You don't have to be an ass, jesus. What the hell did I do to you?

1. If you think he's one of the best goalies in the NHL, isn't $5 mil reasonable?
   
2. I didn't know that. Sorry. Sheesh.
   
3. scoring differential is not an accurate representation of how good a team is defensively, shots against is. And as I said above, in the playoffs the Canucks allow almost 5 more shots a game than a team like New Jersey - and that's not just this year, that''s the careers of Lu and Brodeur.
   
4. Agreed.
   
5. my goal was not to impress, but rather stress how 'meh' the hawks net situation has been and it's been that way for a long as time. But if you actually take the time to look up Craw's numbers, I think you'll be surprised at how good they are. .910 career sv%. Not great, good. No need to look at Rayzor, his are far worse than I imagined.
   

For $5mil a year, one of the best goalies in the league, if you can make it work, why the hell not lock him up? Look at what the kings did with great goalie play, imagine that + Kane, Toews, Sharp, Hossa and Kieth and Seabrook in front of him.

Last time Toews Kieth and Seabrook were on the same team, good things happened...

[CS85]

Last time Toews Kieth and Seabrook were on the same team, good things happened...

With Luongo, you mean.

[TimEOBrien]

Last time Toews Kieth and Seabrook were on the same team, good things happened...

With Luongo, you mean.

Oops. Yeah.

[IceCap]

Luongo's going to wilt in Chicago, Toronto, or anywhere else where fans and the media actually expect something out of the local NHL team. He's a hell of a talent, he just buckles under the pressure. Looking back I'm amazed he didn't let in seven goals in 2010 Gold Medal game. He needs to go somewhere where he can play at the level he's capable of without the pressure that comes with being an elite goalie.

Florida's ideal, but they'd bankrupt themselves taking on his contract. Tampa would also be ideal, and unlike Florida they could afford him. Still Hockey Genius™ Steve Yzerman has decreed it shall not be.