E.L. wrote:
Chris18 wrote:
Johnny Boychuk retires due to the eye injury he suffered during the regular season. (Skate to eye). Not sure if that gave him a concussion or something, because he played again in the post-season, then got rocked like a motherfucker by Matheson. Didn't play again after that.
Bummer. I like him and wanted to see him retire on his own terms, even if it was with another team or something. Glad to see the cap space, but that sucks for him. Truly appreciate the way he played for the Isles.
Hate to say it but LouLams is probably breathing a sigh of relief. Barzal time.
Yeah. I posted here first and then went on Isles fan sites. Most are saying the same as me. Although of course, there are the Louspiracy theorists, who believe he knew all along that Boychuk would retire due to injury (some even say he's paying him through some side business or something crazy, like Lou's an actual mobster), which of course then raises questions about the Toews trade...
So now, they have money to pay Barzal without making another move. Currently have 20 NHL contracts with 23 spots available, and $9.9 million in space. Speculation is they'll bring back Brassard, Martin and Greene on low ball contracts, and sign Barzal. Then bury Ladd and Hickey in Bridgeport. Again. 3 more seasons of Ladd's contract! Holy shit. Hope Seattle wants a fairly local, veteran leader.
Two more years of Hickey's contract. I thought it was just one. Wow.
If Greene isn't re-signed and there isn't another veteran out there worth taking a shot on, the Swedish Sebastian Aho gets a real shot. Not as good as Toews or Boychuk, but also not absolutely terrible. Greene worked really well with Dosbon though.
As of now the D is:
Pelech-Pulock
Leddy-Mayfield
Hickey-Dobson. Hickey is pretty good. He's just piling up injuries. Greene for 1 year would be good.
Aho as the 7th. If Greene comes back, maybe Hickey is the 7th?
Corey Schneider still isn't shown as signed anywhere official, but I had read long ago that he'd signed with the Isles for like $800k, assuming he'll be playing in Bridgeport to start. He could take a low salary, since he'll still be getting paid by the Devils. It was a while ago that I'd heard he signed with the Isles. Guess it was BS.