Jerrydevil

Lamoriello deserves a ton of credit.....the guys who have gotten the big payday in recent times -- Elias, Brodeur, Stevens and Niedermayer -- have been worth every penny. All of them are clutch performers, all of them are durable (except for Stevens this past year) and all are good leaders on this team. Joe Thornton isn't providing for the Bruins NEARLY what the Devils' stars provide for their team. It's not even close.

OK, I'll revise what I said....he's not even worth Gomez and the #1 pick. Gomez makes what, $2 million? What does Sensitive Joe make, $5 million? Is Joe Thornton worth $3 million more than Gomez? Hell no! You may think he is, but think again. Lamoriello has to build a real team here, not a fantasy team, and when you waste $5 million on a guy like Joe Thornton, it means you don't have the money to spend in other areas. He's just not worth it.

Let's just say I am not in love with Mr. Retirement Threat. He's a big baby and is not a great leader for that team. He's got talent, unquestionably. But what about the big picture? He gets paid like "the man" but does he really play like "the man"? He complains like an old bat. Maybe he would be better off in a situation where he wasn't the captain, ala Vincent Lecavalier. But I'd be careful about falling in love with his million-dollar size and skill when he doesn't have the heart and balls to match. That's why he's not worth Gomez, Parise and a #1.

I think some people overvalue Joe Thornton. He's been a disappointment, not the star some people think he is. Parise might turn out to be a better player. It's possible. Joe hasn't set the bar too high.

How could you be so cruel to talk disparagingly about the poor guy? He has erectile dysfunction! He deserves to be in our prayers.

No way he gets $4 million, much less $5 million. I'll believe it when I see it.

"Diagnosed with erectile dysfunction"? HE'S 70!!!!!! I heard he was diagnosed with wrinkles, too!

Yes, it's another early exit for Joseph. But I think he played his best playoff hockey this year since the late 1990s, when he stood on his head to win those first-round series with the Oilers. I'm not interested in making excuses for the guy. The fact is that many of the teams he played on weren't all that good. I think the years in Toronto were disappointing though. Losing to the Devils twice hurt (especially in 2001, when the Leafs had us on the ropes) and losing to the Hurricanes in the ECF was a tremendous disappointment.

I don't want to make it look like I don't like Rafalski. I think he's a good player. This is a money issue more than anything else. Rafalski will command more money in arbitartion than the Devs are willing to pay him, I think.....considering that Paul Martin probably doesn't even make a million dollars and has shown that he's a top 4 defenseman isn't a good sign for Rafalski staying here.

Anyway, NewarkDevil, we agree that Rafalski is expendable. I wouldn't be surprised if he isn't in a Devil uniform next season..well, considering he's a restricted free agent under the old CBA rules and no one knows what the new rules will look like, who knows what will happen with Rafalski and all the other players in the league without contracts.

Fantastic performance by Cujo last night. Too bad for him that the other 18 guys were gassed in the third and fourth periods. That Calgary team is clearly in better shape than the Wings.

And that should throw up a red flag. He's not worth it. Come on Newarkdevil, let's take it easy with the Giroux-can-easily-replace-Rafalski argument. Rafalski brings more to the party. You know it. Anyway, Rafalski is expendable, in my mind, because of Paul Martin, not Giroux.

Scott Gomez + Brian Rafalski + first-round pick = more bang for the buck than Joe Thornton Joe's a great player, but three-for-one trades are generally not a good idea in the NHL. You need a lot of good players to win. He makes too much money for the Devs, considering two or three players on the Devs are already getting star money - Brodeur, Stevens, Elias.

Yeah, the Devs could use some more bulk. We may have to wait on the kids though. Not many teams are giving away big talented bodies, especially on defense. (By the way, Mike Commodore is playing a nice role for Calgary....another Devil defense prospect doing well elsewhere, a tribute to the Devs farm system). It'd be great if Lou could find the next Randy McKay, who really made something of himself in NJ, going from plumber to power-play garbage-goal specialist. He was good at the dirty work. If Langenbrunner is healthy, he gives the Devs needed grit. 2004 was kind of a lost season for him.

Everyone has their own tastes. The Colorado Rockies jersey is not my taste. Yeeck.

I wouldn't say "no one." I think most would agree that Colin White stepped up physically in the playoffs, even though the Devs lost in 5.

This is the World Championship Tournament. Who gives a rat's ass? It's played during the Stanley Cup playoffs, which is an indication of how highly regarded it is. Larry didn't have much to write about this week, I'm afraid. And let me tell ya...after 80 regular-season games and a round in the playoffs, I wouldn't want any part of it either. Larry's patriotism rant is a bunch of garbage.

PK, what were you wearing, or not wearing?

Mr. sheeps, I agree that the Devs got some favorable matchups last year.....but they're only favorable if you play well and exploit the other team's weaknesses. The same goes for Tampa this year....they matched up well with the Isles and Habs, then they actually went out and took them apart. That's the sign of a good team, not easing off the gas pedal.

It's awfully convenient to say that the Lightning have had an "easy road." I just think they're playing great playoff hockey. Yeah, they beat the seventh and eighth seeds (they earned that right by posting the best record in the East), but we've been saying all year long that the difference between the playoff teams in the Eastern Conference is small. Heck, the Isles beat Tampa three times during the season. At any rate, I agree that disposing of its first two opponents quickly could be a huge advantage to Tampa. But history tells us all teams usually face some adversity in the playoffs, and maybe Toronto or Philly will be the team to put some heat on them.

http://www.ryano.net/iraq/?77052

DITTO!

That big teddy bear represents how soft that team really is.

Yeah, but what the heck is that hump with a hockey stick and puck? It looks like an eight-year-old drew it.

Great question.