RE: NHL 2013
This is your NHL on drugs.
Probably a good move for Schneider, not so much for the Nucks. Schneider is going to benefit big time from sitting behind Brodeur & it'll help ease him into a full time starting role. Not sure that it was the best idea for the Nucks though, think that they overplayed their hand with Luongo in holding off on trading him for so long that it got to the point where no one was going to give up anything for him & the owners weren't prepared to buy out his contract. IMO he'll still do a job for the Nucks, but this whole saga would've taken a toll.
Of course as one of the major rumoured parties interested in Luongo, the trade hurts the Flyers as well (Not to mention that we now have to deal with Schneider after the decades of getting stonewalled by Brodeur) but we've ended up with Ray Emery. Really happy with that outcome, not that fussed on Emery but we've got him for a really team friendly deal (1 year, $1.65m). Let him & Steve Mason battle it out this year & if neither of them emerge as a solid #1 we can address the position next year.
Philly going balls out as always, nothing new to see there. Actually quite a good FA period for us though, aside from the Streit deal (I know we needed at least one other decent defenceman, but the length of the contract - 4 years, $21m - does my head in. He's 35 ffs).
Loved getting Vinny Lecavalier to replace Brierre. Our forward lines are just incredibly stacked with talent, even more so when you consider that we (apparently) have Gagne all but signed to make his return, just working out salary cap nuances.
Hartnell-Giroux-Voracek
Schenn-Lecavalier-Simmonds
Gagne-Couturier-Read
Talbot-Hall-Rinaldo
That's three really amazing lines. Fourth line isn't anything flash (Nor should it be, it's a fourth line) but that group can be really staunch in defense. It's saying something when you've got a guy with the talent of Sean Couturier playing third line.
Defense is coming together slowly as well, still rumours flying around that Philly's going to make some more changes there. Not sure if we'll be able to bring in a top tier defender at this stage, but nothing would shock me with the Flyers. We are over the cap right now though, so there'll definitely be some big moves coming.