tonytalkssports My Take on Sports, particularly the Yankees, Maple Leafs and Browns

NHL News & Yanks Win On Old Timer’s Day

As we head toward July 1, there has been plenty of activity in the NHL prior to free agency kicking in.  The Buffalo Sabres picked up Robyn Regher and Ales Kotalik for 2 young players which allowed the Flames to sign Alex Tanguay to a 5 year contract extension.  Ryan Smyth, Captain Canada, has gone back to his roots as he has been traded back to the Edmonton Oilers.  And Brian Campbell was traded from the Chicago Black Hawks to the Florida Panthers.  Why all the activity???  Well part of it has to do with the fact that the new salary cap figures are out and there is a $48 million floor that each team must spend to.  As a result, teams are willing to take on big salaries of players who may not be living up to expectations.  This could make for more moves prior to July 1 and throughout the summer.

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Rumors are flying about where Brad Richards and Steven Stamkos may end up.  The reported favorites to land Richards are the NY Rangers.  However, the Philadelphia Flyers are now being reported as extremely interested with the Maple Leafs and LA Kings also in the mix.  It does not surprise me that the Flyers are now in the Richards sweepstakes with the blockbuster trades that they made moving Mike Richards and Jeff Carter.  I really do think this will come down to the Rangers and Flyers.  At one point it was suggested that Richards would give the Lightning a discount because that is where he started his career but I don't see that being the case now.

Speaking of Tampa Bay, there are reports that the Lightning may not be willing to pay Steven Stamkos what the market would bear for a player of his caliber: $8.5-9 million a year for 5 years.  Stamkos is a restricted free agent so the Lightning would be compensated if Stamkos signs with another team and it is being reported that several teams are looking into the possibility of submitting an offer sheet for the young superstar center.  The Maple Leafs, Red Wings and Flyers are all teams that have been associated with this possibility.  If the Lightning, (who reportedly lost $20 million dollars last year) do not sign Stamkos by July 1st, I can see the Maple Leafs making a move to get the Toronto-area center man.  This would be a dream come true for the Blue and White.

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Realignment seems to be all the rage these days and the NHL is in on the act as a result of the Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg.  For this season, the Jets will be playing in the Southeast Division with Florida, Tampa, Carolina, and Washington.  Initially it was reported that either Detroit, Columbus or Nashville would be moved to the Eastern Conference with Detroit being the favorite.  The problem with this is that the remaining Western teams were not happy with the thought of losing the Red Wings from visiting their arenas 3 or 4 times a year.

So a report is out that the league is considering a complete realignment with the Eastern Conference consisting of 2-eight team divisions and the Western Conference consisting of 2-seven team divisions.  The unbalanced schedule would be thrown away and each team would play every other team at least twice a year.

2 problems with this proposal as I see it.  First, four teams in each division would make the playoffs with the first round being divisional and the second round would be reseeded with the other division in the conference.  This means that there is greater opportunity for teams to make the playoffs in the West because there are 2 less teams.  Second, with 2 less teams in the West there will be a push for 2 expansion teams which would be a disaster.

Bettman should just have the guts to swap a team with Winnipeg and throw out this crazy realignment proposal. 

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Yesterday was Old Timer's Day at Yankee Stadium and the Yankees did not disappoint the big crowd with a come from behind 6-4 win over the Colorado Rockies.  Jorge Posada and Nick Swisher continued their hot hitting with back to back home runs that tied the game for the Pinstripers.  It is really important for these two to continue to provide some offense to extend this lineup.  Mark Texiera hit his 23rd home run of the year as the Yanks go into an off day still one-half game ahead of the Red Sox.

It was great to see Joe Torre back at the Stadium and he received quite the ovation.  It was also great to see Bernie Williams back.  Check out Tuesday's Thoughts for more on Old Timer's Day!!