Leafs get Versteeg

[naslundfan19]

So says LeBrun:
Pierre LeBrun (Real_ESPNLeBrun) on Twitter

 

[scottflyers88]

cool something finally happened.

 

[IPostedWhat]

Wrong! It's.............

VERSTUUD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[dash]

Man, talk about going from the penthouse to the outhouse for Kris Versteeg...

 

[Destroydacre]

3 prospects for Versteeg? NHL GMs had Chicago between a rock and a hard place with their cap hell and they sure bailed the Hawks out giving them a ton of prospects with these trades. I expected the GMs to squeeze Chicago's balls a bit harder.

 

[IPostedWhat]

I guess HBK was right.

 

[Automattic]

Fuck! I wanted to see him and Eaves go at it as much as possible!

 

[Automattic]

My favorite line from the comments section at the bottom of the TSN.ca article:
"Credit where it's due. Burke, good trade. I still don't like you though."

 

[scottflyers88]

chicago is still at 51.1 mil for 13 players. that means they need to sign 7 players at about 8 mil and then they better not have injuries because they will have no space.

 

[dash]

Some wily GM could still put the Hawks in considerable trouble by submitting an offer sheet for RFA Antii Niemi...

 

[Eddie_Shack]

Some wily GM could still put the Hawks in considerable trouble by submitting an offer sheet for RFA Antii Niemi...

Paging Kevin Lowe, paging Kevin Lowe, please report to your fax machine. Niklas Hjalmarsson is on line one...

 

[TOX1]

Some wily GM could still put the Hawks in considerable trouble by submitting an offer sheet for RFA Antii Niemi...

Where's Bob Clarke when you need him?!!

 

[PhillyPhaithful48]

A western team should really consider doing this. It seems like a dick move but hey, its legal.

Why not attempt to strangle these guys when they are in a tough spot.

 

[puckhead]

chicago is still at 51.1 mil for 13 players. that means they need to sign 7 players at about 8 mil and then they better not have injuries because they will have no space.

teams tend to carry 23 man rosters, so they have 10 people to sign, at an average of about $820k each.
it's getting into doable, but still largely AHL territory.... especially as they still have to sign Niemi, Hjalmersson, and have qualified Ladd at $1.6m.


I do like that the Chicago players are being spread around to non-contenders though. Put Versteeg on the Sharks or Pens and he's pretty dangerous. Ask him to carry the load in Toronto, and they are still a deep lottery team.

 

[smo5039]

well put puckhead

 

[scottflyers88]

well 10 players for 9 mil is tough. actually it is less than that. especially since they have 3 of their old players to sign. no blackhawk fan believed me when i said they would have to get rid of 2 of byfuglien, sharp, and versteeg.

 

[beantownmaniac]

You know us Bruins fans don't like seeing this.

 

[puckhead]

teams tend to carry 23 man rosters, so they have 10 people to sign, at an average of about $820k each.
it's getting into doable, but still largely AHL territory.... especially as they still have to sign Niemi, Hjalmersson, and have qualified Ladd at $1.6m.

slight correction on numbers. add the $4m bonuses from last year to the current salary pile, and they are at about $55 mill, with 10 players still to sign (would be average of $410k per player). so they are still firmly in 'hooped' territory.

I'm quite surprised that they didn't waive Huet ($5.6m) prior to the buyout window.

 

[Destroydacre]

slight correction on numbers. add the $4m bonuses from last year to the current salary pile, and they are at about $55 mill, with 10 players still to sign (would be average of $410k per player). so they are still firmly in 'hooped' territory.

I'm quite surprised that they didn't waive Huet ($5.6m) prior to the buyout window.

They must still be hopeful that they'll be able to trade him to someone. Not sure who would take on his ridiculous contract though.

 

[juliansteed]

I don't know much about the other prospects in the trade but the Hawks are getting a pretty decent one in Chris Didomenico (aka "Dido"). Very talented player. He broke his femur in last year's QMJHL finals and as a result missed his team's trip to the Memorial Cup. Otherwise he likely would have been playing for the Leaf's AHL Marlies this past season. After missing most of the season due to the inury, he was assigned back to Drummondville of the QMJHL as an overager, after recovering sooner than expected. He came back and dominated the Q during the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs before his team was eliminated in the semis by the eventual league champs.

He's hard working and dedicated. He was passed over twice in the OHL draft and at 17 tried out for an 2nd year expansion QMJHL team as a walk on. Not only did he make the team but he became their leading scorer and first player in franchise history to make Team Canada at the World Juniors.

The negative on this guy is that despite his talent he is a bit of a yapper and agitator. Some of you may remember him as the guy who got suckered by a US player that was on the bench as he skated by their bench during a goal celebration during the 2009 World Juniors. Not making excuses for what the US player did but I'm sure it wasn't entirely random that Dido was the victim. It was likely the result of some taunting, likely during both the celebration and throughout the game. He was also known a bit around the Q for diving and taking long shifts. Going from a big fish in a small pond to a small fish in a big pond, and some pro coaching will likely get him to clean up his act though.