[cferneyh]

Those poor, poor Islanders. They needed to spend $9 million to get to the cap floor so they overpay for Fedotenko, Guerin, and Comrie. Man they are gonna suck.

[Corpse]

The Edmonton Oilers have made a huge splash in the restricted free agent pool. Sources tell TSN that the team has signed forward Thomas Vanek to a seven-year, $50 million offer sheet, a signing that carries a price tag of four first round picks as compensation to the Buffalo Sabres if the team chooses not to retain him. The Sabres have called a media conference for 12:30pm et/9:30am pt to address the news.

[cochise]

The Edmonton Oilers have made a huge splash in the restricted free agent pool. Sources tell TSN that the team has signed forward Thomas Vanek to a seven-year, $50 million offer sheet, a signing that carries a price tag of four first round picks as compensation to the Buffalo Sabres if the team chooses not to retain him. The Sabres have called a media conference for 12:30pm et/9:30am pt to address the news.

Just read that earlier myself hock:

That is big $$, but 4 years down the road that will probably seem like a bargain for a franchise player...................and giving up the 4 picks probably won't effect the Oiler's too much

Lowe has almost missed the bus completely with UFA and RFA's, he needs to make some splash before the fans lynch him.

[Corpse]

Managing Partner Larry Quinn and General Manager Darcy Regier announced Friday that the Sabres will match the offer sheet made by the Edmonton Oilers. WGR has learned through a league source that the offer sheet will pay Vanek $15 million in the first two years, including $10 million for the first year. The total of the contract is 7 years, $50 million.

Quinn said often during the press conference that the Sabres were prepared for this scenario.

Regier said, "The reality is that the marketplace dictates the value and that the agent knew the best place was to go shopping for a contact. You can't blame the agent. It is was he was supposed to be doing. We fully forwarned Edmonton what we would do."

[Corpse]

i need an agent.............

[VioletlightHeron]

I have a feeling if Darcy and Quinn hadn't retained Vanek, the Sabres fan base would absolutely lynch them, especially after letting Drury and Briere go through incompetence and arrogance. 4 first round picks sounds good, but if Vanek had gone, the only dependable scorers would have been Roy and Max.

[tth_fan]

Wow...Buffalo had some pretty threatening and some not so nice words for Lowe & the Oilers.
It's a business...it's not like they have to sleep with Lowe's wife to get back at him. Just get over it; he was trying to make his hokcey club better.

Though, Buffalo must be feeling pretty bitter after loosing the core of their team.

[cferneyh]

Wow...Buffalo had some pretty threatening and some not so nice words for Lowe & the Oilers.
It's a business...it's not like they have to sleep with Lowe's wife to get back at him. Just get over it; he was trying to make his hokcey club better.

Though, Buffalo must be feeling pretty bitter after loosing the core of their team.

Yeah, but it was a bush-league move by Lowe. After losing their top two players, Buffalo had no choice but to match, and Lowe knew they had no choice but to match, but he did it anyway, knowing that they were going to match.

To me it was nothing more than a PR move by Lowe, trying to show the Oil fans that he's trying to do something, even though there is no way in hell that the "something" was going to happen.

If you are serious about getting a restricted free agent, you do it to a team that is already bumping up against the cap and therefore, can't match.

[farmerdan]

looks like Crosby signed a five-year contract extension worth $43.5 million:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=213216&hubname=">http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=213216&hubname=</a><!-- m -->

[farmerdan]

The Ice Bowl??
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.wgr550.com/sabres/fullstory.php?id=2504">http://www.wgr550.com/sabres/fullstory.php?id=2504</a><!-- m -->

[VioletlightHeron]

The Ice Bowl??
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.wgr550.com/sabres/fullstory.php?id=2504">http://www.wgr550.com/sabres/fullstory.php?id=2504</a><!-- m -->

Wow, nothing like shamelessly borrowing the name of a great football contest (Green Bay Packers) and ripping off the idea from college hockey of playing outdoors in the name of ratings. :roll: :roll:

[j-monster]

looks like Crosby signed a five-year contract extension worth $43.5 million:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=213216&hubname=">http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=213216&hubname=</a><!-- m -->

Nice deal for Sidney.

Of course it helps the Penguins that he didn't ask for the max... but if the salary cap doesn't go up by the same rate in the future as it did this year (I could hardly believe it went up from about $44M to $50M, I was expecting only a $2-3M increase at most), then they are still going to have trouble signing their other big young stars like Malkin and Jordan Staal, either that or of course signing them and having to play stiffs at other key positions.

Interesting to chart the future of the Penguins in the next few years, to be sure.

[j-monster]

The Ice Bowl??
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.wgr550.com/sabres/fullstory.php?id=2504">http://www.wgr550.com/sabres/fullstory.php?id=2504</a><!-- m -->

Wow, nothing like shamelessly borrowing the name of a great football contest (Green Bay Packers) and ripping off the idea from college hockey of playing outdoors in the name of ratings. :roll: :roll:

True enough re: stealing the name of the football game, but I do like the outdoor game idea. And yes, it was done first for college hockey, and it was done by the NHL about a year after in Edmonton (I forget what they called it, the Outdoor Classic or something, I just remember it being BRUTALLY cold that day), but regardless it's still a great idea. And if it gains ratings and positive media coverage for the NHL, all the better.

[thedarkcanuck]

heritage classic

[Tthip]

looks like Crosby signed a five-year contract extension worth $43.5 million:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=213216&hubname=">http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=213216&hubname=</a><!-- m -->

Nice deal for Sidney.

Nice deal - and weird numbers.
He wears 87.
Born on August, 7 (8/7)
Born in '87.
Deal averages 8.7 per year.