“I Might Just Be A Hockey Fan In California” is a feature that will be posted every Saturday here at the View From My Seats. There are plenty of things going on in the hockey world (and even the sports world); and you know everyone has an opinion. This is a place for some quick hits of the week that was.
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I might just be a hockey fan in California, but:
- If you were planning your life around an Ilya Kovalchuk signing, then I guess you wasted a year of your life that you’ll NEVER get back.
- There were WAY too many “Niedermayer to Buffalo—not that Niedermayer” headlines.
- I know the market for goaltenders is dropping faster than prices for an authentic Volchenkov Senators jersey, but being able to secure a goaltender of the future is well worth $3.5 mil per season. Nice work Blues.
- Every year, I wonder why the NHL can’t spread around some of the offseason news. Awards, Hall of Fame inductees, and the draft all within a week and a half. I guess they want to make sure Bob McKenzie can enjoy a longer vacation.
- Best hockey news of the week is that Brandon Worley is back writing over at Defending Big D. Pro Hockey Talk’s loss is the entire Dallas Stars community’s gain.
Is Niklas Hjalmarsson hurt? Or just doesn't want to leave Chicago?
- Doug Wilson put the Blackhawks in a helluva bind with the RFA Niklas Hjalmarsson offer sheet. Either a) the Hawks lose a Top 4 defenseman with NO one to replace him; or b) they keep him, can’t afford Niemi’s arbitration award and they lose their starting goalie. Well played Mr. Wilson. Ballsy, but well played.
- Speaking of the offer sheet, somewhere Kevin Lowe saying, “Oh, I’m not sure I’d do that if I were you.”
- Yet another note on the Hjalmarsson situation: If the Blackhawks match and are unable to resign Antti Niemi, they might be in the market for a goaltender that can win now. That sound you just heard was Marty Turco exhaling a potential sigh of relief.
- Some perspective on the money thrown around on July 1: This season, Shea Weber and Dan Hamhuis will make the same amount of money. Ask fans in Nashville which has Norris Trophy potential and which one has 2nd pairing potential (then again, Martin Erat and David Legwand make the same amount as well—so what do I know).
- I wonder what Willie Mitchell is asking for. He seems like an ideal guy for a short-term contract to show that he’s healthy and still capable. Top 4 guy, leadership qualities, and could be on the cheaper side. I’m surprised he’s not getting a little more attention.
- I still can’t believe the Florida Panthers had 6 picks in the top 50 selections of last month’s draft. When you have that many hooks in the water, you’re bound to catch a few fish.
- Somehow, I don’t think the Brent Lebda signing is addressing the Maple Leafs scoring woes from last season.
- Did you know that Josh Gorges went from an undrafted kid in 2002 to a potential captain candidate in Montreal? I’d read that book… in French!
- I loved how quickly the Rangers wrapped up Dan Girardi after the Hjalmarsson offer sheet. We’re talking 2 hours, tops. Who says that Glen Sather is stupid?
- When I see a writer for The Hockey News (Ryan Kennedy), praise the signing of a guy who was contributing to The Hockey News (Jay Feaster), I am confident there’s no conflict of interest.
- How did people live before CapGeek? I’m convinced life wasn’t as complete.
- What are the odds that the Edmonton Oilers just give Taylor Hall the “C” before he ever plays an NHL game? I would laugh—hard.
- I wish Bob Probert was around to see this huge outpouring of love and respect.
- After seeing the fiasco over the last few days on ESPN, I’m glad they don’t televise the NHL. It looks like they have bigger problems—I mean priorities. Oh, and…
- I refuse to mention LeBron James in a hockey post. Ever.
- Gary Bettman is a pompous little person that needs to be fired for the good of the game.
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Click here for our archive of past editions of our “I Might Just Be A Hockey Fan In California” feature.
Matt Reitz
Matt Reitz is an NHL Writer for ProHockeyTalk on NBCSports and the Editor-In-Chief here at ViewFromMySeats.com. When he's not shoving a mic in the face of NHLers or explaining why home teams should wear white, he's usually trying to figure out what song to play next on his iPod. It's a never-ending job.
