Comments for Battle of Ontario....
Gotta love Canadian sports television. A press conference regarding coaching changes to a small market hockey team gets live coverage.
I'm not complaining!
I love how hard up for hockey news Canada is!
I would watch it if I wasn't at work! Even at government jobs it's looked down upon to watch broadband at your desk.
Murray is the new GM.
Paddock!??!?! Maybe?
A new coach will be named in 1-2 weeks.
Thank god Keenan's gone.
Senators announce the signing of Ryan Smyth, Gary Roberts and Sean O'Donnell.
Gerber traded to Phoenix for a pack of Wayne Gretzky autographed golf balls.
Ok, maybe not.
Murray is the GM, scouting for a new coach.
What happens to Mucks? Does he stay with the organization or are we putting him in a rowboat and kicking it away from the shore?
Does he stay with the organization or are we putting him in a rowboat and kicking it away from the shore?
Didn't Rick Mercer say it was ice floes that shepherded the elderly to the other side?
So Murray is quit the GM killer. First Gauthier in Anaheim and now Muckler. I would guess he gets to stay as an adviser. He will probably be found in the corners of meeting rooms repeating "No trades, I am happy with this team" like a mantra.
Happy retirement, Mucks. No one will ever make you pronounce Saprykin again.
I lose no sleep over this change and will miss none of the "this team reminds me of the Oilers 20 years ago" crap.
I look for Murray's first big move to bring in (or develop) a "Fuck you. What are you going to do about it?" kind of player (or two).
Murrey must have a plan. Why make a change now if they're happy with the team? July 1st just got way more interesting...for me.
I think Mucks is done with, which is surprising considering the Sens just made the cup finals. Ah well, hey PPP which government office job do you have, is it with the Ministry or do you work at Queens Park or in Ottawa, government jobs are so good regarding the benefits eh.
It's actually a city government Rohit 
DC, that is exactly the kind of guy I would expect Murray to pick up after the Finals.
Conrad, I wouldn't be surprised if he had to present a plan to Melnyk and it was clearly impressive enough to can a hockey legend
Why make a change now if they're happy with the team?
Because if you don't you make a move when you're unhappy and you look like you're panicking.
Gee, I'd say it also because it's clear that Muckler is happy with a team that while very strong still has a few flaws and they need to be addressed.
So long, Vermette, AKA, trade bait for the last few years. Hello...Owen Nolan?
Yeah, and it sends a message to the fans, and it does a bunch of other things.
I'm just saying, while I look for Murray to make this team his own, I don't think he feels like he needs to do so in the first week. If he gets a chance though...
I think we will be seeing Schubie as a full time D man next year, probably paired with Corvo.
Every sports new outlet is reporting it now, but none have any new news. They keep running the same Muckler quote. "I'm having too much fun." Little bit sad. Like watching videotape of someone kicking the hell outta your grandpa.
I could definitely see Vermette being moved for some grit and Schubert back on D (considering Priessing is as good as gone) is a logical move.
One thing I wouldn't be surprised to see happen is the possibility of Alfredsson being moved. His value can't be higher and if Murray decides that the return is high enough that would be an interesting move. I'd put it at about a .00001% chance of happening of course.
I think I'm OK with any coach that is not named Pat Burns.
Alfredsson will not be moved. He is one of the few Senators forwards that showed up for the series against the Ducks and he is on a relatively cheap contract for 2 more seasons. He will stick around for at least one more season though he may get moved next summer if they need to free up some salary for Spezza and Heatley but I wouldn't be surprised if one of those two get traded before Alfredsson.
Alfie won't be moved. He's the only one who I can say that for sure.
Other guys that everyone loves could be moved. Guys like Fish. But I don't think they're going to be moved at the start of the season.
But I really think this mainly a play to set up continuity with a new GM and head coach (maybe even from our own coaching staff, or who knows, one of Lou's rejects) for the coming years.
I think I'm OK with any coach that is not named Pat Burns.
Pat Quinn is available or would you like to change that statement to 'any coach that is not named Pat.'
I think they're going to look around, seriously consider their options, and then hire Paddock.
would you like to change that statement to 'any coach that is not named Pat.'
I knew that was coming and the answer is nope..... 
Julien's available. So is Lewis. Probably be Paddock. Murrey is loyal to his guys.
Please not Quinn.
Randy Cunneyworth will probably get an interview. He's available for a head job in the NHL now that Belindy Ruff has re-upped.
Like watching videotape of someone kicking the hell outta your grandpa.
I almost feel bad for Muckler...almost.
Pat Burns please.
No everyday a coaching position comes up for the team that went to the finals the year before. I bet Hitchcock is kicking himself in Columbus.
Bizarre paragraph in Jim Kelley's column:
Now no one will admit this, but Muckler's age also has a hand in this. Reports are he's 73, but there's no record of that given that the hall of records in the town he was born, Paris, Ontario, burned down many years ago and anyone officially checking on Muckler's true age was simply out of luck. There are reasons to believe he's considerably older than 73 and though that shouldn't matter, it's likely that it does.
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/
c...618_132322_5688
It's official: they fired Muckler for being a vampire.
So long, Vermette, AKA, trade bait for the last few years. Hello...Owen Nolan?
AAAAARRRGH! Part of my brain nearly quit working while contemplating that god awful trade. What we need is someone like Mike Knuble, Dustin Penner or Tomas Holmstrom, not Owen freaking Nolan.
Yikes, I missed the Owen Nolan mention. Bad idea.
Trade Vermette? A 2nd rounder and future considerations he might garner isn't exactly going to make the Sens better.
I say trade Spezza. He's going to want a raise next year, he's a soft cock, and his talents would pull in something considerable. Heatley and Afraidsson are more valuable to Ottawa, so move Giggles now and get somebody who can play when the going gets tough.
Or don't. I like your team better like this.
how about Yanic Perrault or Travis Green? they arn't doing anything next year.
I love Melynk's thinking here...runner up for the Cup was not good enough...he's thinking like a winner.
There are teams out there that fail to make the playoffs year after year and are quite content with their upper management team
The Owen Nolan thing was a joke.
Or don't. I like your team better like this.
Don't know how many more ways to say it...12-2-2 in both season the Leafs missed the playoffs, man. Woulda made the playoffs if you beat the Sens maybe a couple of times more. Why wouldn't you want them to change, again...? Because they lost in the final?
I hope the new coach knows the heimlich manouver
That's what the trainers and medical staff are for jared!
Oh wait, you made a funny...
Woulda made the playoffs if you beat the Sens maybe a couple of times more.
Woulda made the playoffs if they won a string of other games the regular season losses don't carry quit the finality that the regular season ones do.
Muckler is probably closer to Bob Cole age than Harry Neale. Maybe he was talking about trading for that young Paul Coffey from the Oilers or picking up Mark Messier after his 6th cup win and Melnyk realized that he had lost the plot.
Whut the...?
"Because of Nashville's uncertain ownership future and an expected tight budget in the coming year, sources tell TSN the Predators arranged with the Flyers to give them exclusive negotiating rights to two coveted free agents - defenceman Kimmo Timonen and forward Scott Hartnell.
Sources tell TSN the Flyers have now signed both Hartnell and Timonen to long-term contracts.
Hartnell, who was scheduled to become a free agent on July 1, signed with Flyers on a 6-year, $25.2 million deal for a cap hit of $4.2 million per year.
The Flyers also agreed to terms with Timonen on a 6-year, $37.8 million contract for an annual cap hit of $6.3 million.
In exchange for giving up the rights to the two free agents the Predators knew they would not be able to sign, Nashville received back its own first round pick that it gave to the Flyers as part of the Peter Forsberg trade."
They can do that?
http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID...211182&
hubname=
WHAT?!?!?!?! Can the Leafs start giving teams cash to get player's negotiating rights?! WHAT THE HELL DOES THIS MEAN!?!
No, the Leafs cannot do that because you are not allowed to trade cash for players, but you are allowed to trade a draft pick for players, even if they are impending UFA's. The Flyers actually did this a few years ago as well though I am not sure exactly who the player was but something tells me the team was Phoenix.
12-2-2 in both season the Leafs missed the playoffs, man.
We were rebuilding the past two years.
(That is totally my new story!)
but you are allowed to trade a draft pick for players, even if they are impending UFA's.
This makes sense... they probably traded the actual players (which is only their rights at this point). Which is fine, so long as the player agrees to a contract with the purchasing team.
Philadelphia need all the help they can get.
Philadelphia need all the help they can get.
Thank God for them that the Leafs are in the same conference. That's 4 solid wins for the Flyers.
Philadelphia need all the help they can get.
But I hope they enjoy paying Timonen $6.3 million when he is 38 years old and playing like Teppo Numminen.
Yeah, $6.3M for Timonen is a bit ridonkulous.
We were rebuilding the past two years.
(That is totally my new story!)
Yeah. All those draft picks collected at the deadline last year. 
Just checked out Timonen's NHL stat page, don't know much about him...
Selected in the 10th round, 250th overall??? Wow. American dream.
Think of Timonen as a Kaberle comparable. Small, not physical, but a good skater and playmaker. He is good defensively but his small size allows him to get overpowered by bigger forwards. He is a good solid defenseman and maybe worth $6.3 million now, but highly unlikely to be worth that in the latter half of that contract.
Kaberle was also drafted late as well, 8th round, 204th overall, so the comparison is pretty good.
Commenting by HaloScan
