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Rambo2305 Posted - 07/06/2009 : 07:51:24
So, now that most of the big names are off the market, time to reflect and look back. In your opinion, who is the biggest Free-agent bust. So who signed for big money, and did nothing?

"Most people spend time and energy going around problems, rather than trying to solve them" - Henry Ford
28   L A T E S T    R E P L I E S    (Newest First)
Odin Posted - 07/09/2009 : 10:39:19
quote:
Originally posted by admin

quote:
Originally posted by Alex

quote:
Originally posted by brentrock2

Some biggest FA busts that I can remember ove the years are:


1. Thomas Vanek, Buffalo: This is bit of a stretch because Vanek was in Buffalo last season, but since the Sabres had matched an offer sheet to keep him, he qualifies as a free agent for our purposes. And a seriously overpaid one at this stage. Vanek was one of the NHL's best young snipers last season when he earned $475,000, and now he's getting $10 million this season and $50 million over the next seven years. But he's on pace to score about 20 goals, or fewer than half the 43 he had a year ago.

2. Dustin Penner, Edmonton: The Oilers, in case you forgot, made the offer sheet to Vanek and, when that didn't work, tried the same trick on Penner, the punishing young winger who was an important contributor to Anaheim's Stanley Cup last season. Penner got a 10-fold raise from the $425,000 he made last season, but he lost key Ducks linemates Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry in the process. It has showed. Penner only has three goals.

3. Sheldon Souray, Edmonton: While Penner hasn't played well, Souray has hardly played at all, much to the chagrin of the Oilers brass. The Alberta native overestimated the price teams would pay in the free-agent market for a one-dimensional offense defenseman and then finally found a taker when he signed for a "hometown" discount of $5.4 million annually. Problem is Souray has played only six games because he hurt his shoulder -- in a fight.

4. Todd Bertuzzi, Anaheim: Does it seem like he's a regular on this list in the past few years? He was a bust last season with Florida and to a lesser extent with Detroit, but Ducks GM Brian Burke goes back with him several years to their days in Vancouver and stunned everyone by giving Bertuzzi a two-year, $8 million free-agent deal. Last season, he hardly played because of back problems, and this year, he suited up seven times for Anaheim before sustaining a concussion.

5. Sergei Samsonov, Chicago: The Canadiens were so anxious to get rid of Samsonov and his $3.5 million salary, they packaged him off in a trade to the Blackhawks for players they had dumped as soon as the deal was complete. Samsonov's change of scenery hasn't helped him get out of a coach's doghouse, which may have something to do with the fact he has no goals and is minus-5 in 14 games.

6. Manny Fernandez, Boston: The bright side for the Bruins is that they didn't give up much in the trade to get Fernandez from Minnesota. But when you're paying a guy $4.3 million, you expect him to be your starting goalie. Fernandez wasn't even before he hurt his knee. He played in just four games and had a miserable .832 save percentage and 3.93 GAA. Worse, the guy Boston already had, Tim Thomas, has played like a Vezina candidate, and he only makes $1.1 million.

7. Scott Hartnell, Philadelphia: The Flyers pilfered his rights away from Nashville during the Predators' fire sale in June and then signed the pending free agent to a six-year deal worth $25.2 million. It seemed like a good value because Hartnell is only 25 and scored 47 goals over the past two seasons, but unlike the other young newcomers in Philadelphia, he has really struggled. Hartnell has only one goal and is on pace for his worst career season.

8. Michal Handzus, Los Angeles: Handzus is a towering and powerful two-way center who is very tough to play against when he is at his best. He was off to a great start last season in Chicago before he blew out his knee and just hasn't been able to get back on track with the Kings, who signed him to a four-year deal for $16 million. Handzus has only one goal and three assists, and he is a minus 7.

9. Tom Poti, Washington: The ugly giveaway pass that cost his team a game in Florida on Thursday is not the only reason we're including him here. That's because Poti is a defenseman who is all about offense, something the Capitals desperately need and the reason they signed him last summer for $14 million over four years. He has missed six games with a groin problem, but he has only four assists, and his quarterbacking skills have not prevented Washington from having one of the league's worst power plays.

10. Jason Blake, Toronto: With all due consideration of the rare form of leukemia Blake was diagnosed with earlier this season, remember that it has not prevented him from playing in all 20 Maple Leafs games. And his 14 points in those contests aren't a horrible total, but Toronto signed Blake to a five-year, $20 million contract last summer because he was a 40-goal scorer. At least he was last season. This time around he only has two, and that's not what the Leafs counted on.

HABS RULE!!
brentrock2



Nice bentrock. Apparently you and Wes Goldstein from CBS Sports have the exact same opinion on FA busts. Word for word in fact. How uncanny!
Original source: http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/story/10477940

Sorry to call you out on it man but cite your sources next time.



I thought Brentrock's post was a little off considering that Bertuzzi didn't play in Anaheim this past year.

Brentrock...plagiarism? Defined at Dictionary dot com as; a) "Literary theft. Plagiarism occurs when a writer duplicates another writer's language or ideas and then calls the work his or her own. Copyright laws protect writers' words as their legal property. To avoid the charge of plagiarism, writers take care to credit those from whom they borrow and quote." b) "The act of taking the writings of another person and passing them off as one's own. The fraudulence is closely related to forgery and piracy-practices generally in violation of copyright laws."

Not exactly what you want to be known for. Be sure to cite your sources when you are quoting.



Samsonov didn't play for Chcago either. He's been a Hurricane for 2 years.

Anybody signed as a UFA by the Rangers already ahs one hand tied behind their back. There aren't too many that sign with the Rangers and go on to have career years, let alone good years. The Rangers, for whatever reason have become a UFA wasteland.

poor Marian....
Rambo2305 Posted - 07/09/2009 : 08:51:38
quote:
Originally posted by slozo

I predict that the biggest free agent bust for 09/10 will be Gaborik, although I am sure the Rangers can squeeze into the playoffs with their star goalie. It doesn't take much of a faltering step for the NY media to pile on you, and Gaborik has absolutely no idea what real media coverage is, coming from the icy backwater of Minnesota. For me, it's not just the injuries; I have always questioned Gaborik's work ethic, and will be surprised if he gets more than 60 points after signing a fat long term contract.

Rob Scuderi in LA is getting way too much, and might be considered a bust just because of his fat contract.

"Take off, eh?" - Bob and Doug



The bad part about Gaborik, he can score 60 points and only play half the season lol...well, good thing for the Rangers. Looking forward to see how he handles the media spotlight and high expectations...

"Most people spend time and energy going around problems, rather than trying to solve them" - Henry Ford
n/a Posted - 07/09/2009 : 05:41:19
I predict that the biggest free agent bust for 09/10 will be Gaborik, although I am sure the Rangers can squeeze into the playoffs with their star goalie. It doesn't take much of a faltering step for the NY media to pile on you, and Gaborik has absolutely no idea what real media coverage is, coming from the icy backwater of Minnesota. For me, it's not just the injuries; I have always questioned Gaborik's work ethic, and will be surprised if he gets more than 60 points after signing a fat long term contract.

Rob Scuderi in LA is getting way too much, and might be considered a bust just because of his fat contract.

"Take off, eh?" - Bob and Doug
Guest8241 Posted - 07/09/2009 : 05:22:19
What about Alexander Daigle??? Anywhere he goes he's a bust! lol
brentrock2 Posted - 07/08/2009 : 16:40:49
Yeah one of a big free agent bust was Handzus for Los Angeles. It was pretty bad when he injured hinself with a knee injury and the year with Chicago he started out really good.

HABS RULE!!
brentrock2
Rambo2305 Posted - 07/08/2009 : 11:33:44
quote:
Originally posted by Matt_Roberts85

Michael Handzus in LA. He has been invisible.

Lindros was quite the bust in Toronto, even though he only made like a mil that year... hardly qualifies as a bust though, aI dont think anyone expected much out of Eric...

There is no "I" in team, but there is an "M" and an "E".



I thought he was retired lol..

But I do remember the hey-days of the Blues, a starting line of...

Keith Tkachuck, Michael Handzus and Pavel Demitra up front, Chris Pronger and Al McCinnis on D, and Roman Turek in net.

When those guys were in their prime respectively, what a lineup...

"Most people spend time and energy going around problems, rather than trying to solve them" - Henry Ford
Matt_Roberts85 Posted - 07/08/2009 : 11:17:09
Michael Handzus in LA. He has been invisible.

Lindros was quite the bust in Toronto, even though he only made like a mil that year... hardly qualifies as a bust though, aI dont think anyone expected much out of Eric...

There is no "I" in team, but there is an "M" and an "E".
Guest9838 Posted - 07/08/2009 : 10:29:50
JFJ signings all seem to come to mind too (not biggest busts but definately not worth the money):

McCabe's contract
Tucker's contract (that was bought out)
Toskala's contract
Blake's contract
Domi's last contract
Raycroft's contract

From the super large contracts I can't say that Campbell, Vanek or even Drury are busts, their production has been fairly consistent, they're not busts just overpaid. Gomez's production actually went up 10 pts after getting signed but went back to 58 pts this year (only 2 less than the year he signed with NYR), so even here NY was getting what they paid for, they just paid to much.

Briere has only been a bust in 08-09 due to injuries, in 07-08 his first year of the contract he had 72 pts in 78 games, definately less than the 95 pts in 81 he had in the year he signed, so I'd say this is the closest to a bust of the biggie's. Loss of production from signing year and injury problems.

In the past Havlat would have been considered a bust until this year. Missed half of his games in the 1st 2 years of his contract for Chicago.

So Far DiPietro is a bust based on time on the IR, Same with Patrice Bergeron. Pominville is moving into the bust category, but it's early days on his contract.

Lastly I'd go with Nylander's washington contract and Naslund's Ranger's contract.

Guest9262 Posted - 07/08/2009 : 09:39:50
Thomas Vanek is a different story. He was a RFA with the Buffalo Sabres and the Oilers gave him a 10 million offer. So to keep their futur star player Buffalo had to equal the Oilers offer.

Kevin Lowe did the same thing with Dustin Penner and Brian Burke wouldn't equal the offer because it was a rediculous contract for a guy like Penner. No wonder they don't like Kevin Lowe for doing that. That was such a bad move by Lowe because he got a highly overpaid underachieving second liner, but he also lost his first round draft pick the next year to Anaheim for conditionnal draft pick.

As for the Topic in recent years bust Daniel Brière, Wade Reden, Scott Gomez and Chris Drury all comes in mind. Alexei Yashin was a while ago but also really bad, The Islanders are still paying over his contract.

As for this year signing I think Alexei Kovalev (5 millions way too much), Marian Hossa (12 years way too long), Marian Gaborik (7.5 for a injury prone player, this could turn out like Brière)and Martin Havlat (also injury prone player) will all be bust.
Rambo2305 Posted - 07/08/2009 : 08:51:06
Daniel Briere....oops, "Danny" Briere, as he goes by now lol

"Most people spend time and energy going around problems, rather than trying to solve them" - Henry Ford
Rambo2305 Posted - 07/07/2009 : 10:06:14
quote:
Originally posted by PhillyFan12

I think the biggest FA buster is Thomas Vanek,Buffalo.




PhillyFan12
Philly Rules!!!




I don't think Vanek's a bust, he's just overpaid...not worth $10 Million. Don't blame him for that, blame the GM for giving it to him.

He can score, alot, only problem is, he can't pass the puck lol

"Most people spend time and energy going around problems, rather than trying to solve them" - Henry Ford
PhillyFan12 Posted - 07/07/2009 : 09:40:18
I think the biggest FA buster is Thomas Vanek,Buffalo.




PhillyFan12
Philly Rules!!!
Rambo2305 Posted - 07/07/2009 : 05:28:19
Can I put my vote in for Kovalev next season? :)

"Most people spend time and energy going around problems, rather than trying to solve them" - Henry Ford
Guest9235 Posted - 07/07/2009 : 00:35:47
Brentrock, your sources are old. Souray played more than 6 games this year. He was one of the best Oilers, and had the most goals on the team(sadly). He is not a bust. Neither is Vanek
Alex116 Posted - 07/06/2009 : 22:36:58
While i don't consider him a complete "bust", i do think Campbell is over rated. While he did put up nearly a point a game in his 20 games in SJ, he's never been close to that pace over a full season. He's getting Lidstrom-like money and is not nearly in his class.

Penner gets my vote. Simply will never be an impact player and relied heavily on Getzlaf and Perry.
Guest4803 Posted - 07/06/2009 : 22:21:44
quote:
Originally posted by Axey

8 mill for Campbell is pretty insane, he was great on the Sharks though. In Chicago he just isn't needed as much with the other great defensemen they have there.



Really wasnt a shark for to long, but he was pretty good when he played for Buffalo
hockster Posted - 07/06/2009 : 21:54:52
Penner Souray Campbell Briere Gomez

Iginla for 2010 team captain.
Flames for cup...eventually.
Guest0459 Posted - 07/06/2009 : 14:52:19
saying souray is a bust is just plain jealously
Axey Posted - 07/06/2009 : 13:49:22
8 mill for Campbell is pretty insane, he was great on the Sharks though. In Chicago he just isn't needed as much with the other great defensemen they have there.
Guest5382 Posted - 07/06/2009 : 13:18:01
quote:
Originally posted by Guest5382

Briere: He will never be moved. Killing his team with the cap issue.
Gomez: See Briere. At least he is a 1st line centre. Just got to be more productive.
Drury: See Briere. Yeah he's clutch at times but 7.5M clutch? Didn't think so.
Campbell: ~8M for a second line defensemen? Ouch. Length of that deal is going to hurt.
Redden: What is Sather thinking? 3 monster contracts. At least he was able to move one of them.
Handzus: I like the guy when he was in Philly. But 4M for a 3r liner? At least it put the Kings over the lower cap limit.
Torres: Again 4M for a 3rd liner. But again put them over the lower cap limit.
Penner: Lots of the 4M players here.
Havlat: The only time he was worth his salary was when he was playing for a new one.
Khabibulin: See Havlat.



Ooh forgot Ryan Smyth. ~6M per for a 35 yr old for 5 yrs. At least he has gone to the cap space purgatory called the Kings. I can't believe the Kings gave up that much to get Smyth and doing the Avalanche a favour.
Matt_Roberts85 Posted - 07/06/2009 : 12:31:48
I remember when Drury, Briere and Gomez all signed a couple years ago and they all got like 7-9 million dollar deals and I was thinking "every single one of those teams are going to regret signing these guys to big money deals, when they are only 2nd tier players."

That particular July 1 stands out for me. Just terrible.

Wade Redden gets honourable mention.... I can't beleive Sather still has a hob.

There is no "I" in team, but there is an "M" and an "E".
brentrock2 Posted - 07/06/2009 : 11:59:54
quote:
Originally posted by admin

quote:
Originally posted by Alex

quote:
Originally posted by brentrock2

Some biggest FA busts that I can remember ove the years are:


1. Thomas Vanek, Buffalo: This is bit of a stretch because Vanek was in Buffalo last season, but since the Sabres had matched an offer sheet to keep him, he qualifies as a free agent for our purposes. And a seriously overpaid one at this stage. Vanek was one of the NHL's best young snipers last season when he earned $475,000, and now he's getting $10 million this season and $50 million over the next seven years. But he's on pace to score about 20 goals, or fewer than half the 43 he had a year ago.

2. Dustin Penner, Edmonton: The Oilers, in case you forgot, made the offer sheet to Vanek and, when that didn't work, tried the same trick on Penner, the punishing young winger who was an important contributor to Anaheim's Stanley Cup last season. Penner got a 10-fold raise from the $425,000 he made last season, but he lost key Ducks linemates Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry in the process. It has showed. Penner only has three goals.

3. Sheldon Souray, Edmonton: While Penner hasn't played well, Souray has hardly played at all, much to the chagrin of the Oilers brass. The Alberta native overestimated the price teams would pay in the free-agent market for a one-dimensional offense defenseman and then finally found a taker when he signed for a "hometown" discount of $5.4 million annually. Problem is Souray has played only six games because he hurt his shoulder -- in a fight.

4. Todd Bertuzzi, Anaheim: Does it seem like he's a regular on this list in the past few years? He was a bust last season with Florida and to a lesser extent with Detroit, but Ducks GM Brian Burke goes back with him several years to their days in Vancouver and stunned everyone by giving Bertuzzi a two-year, $8 million free-agent deal. Last season, he hardly played because of back problems, and this year, he suited up seven times for Anaheim before sustaining a concussion.

5. Sergei Samsonov, Chicago: The Canadiens were so anxious to get rid of Samsonov and his $3.5 million salary, they packaged him off in a trade to the Blackhawks for players they had dumped as soon as the deal was complete. Samsonov's change of scenery hasn't helped him get out of a coach's doghouse, which may have something to do with the fact he has no goals and is minus-5 in 14 games.

6. Manny Fernandez, Boston: The bright side for the Bruins is that they didn't give up much in the trade to get Fernandez from Minnesota. But when you're paying a guy $4.3 million, you expect him to be your starting goalie. Fernandez wasn't even before he hurt his knee. He played in just four games and had a miserable .832 save percentage and 3.93 GAA. Worse, the guy Boston already had, Tim Thomas, has played like a Vezina candidate, and he only makes $1.1 million.

7. Scott Hartnell, Philadelphia: The Flyers pilfered his rights away from Nashville during the Predators' fire sale in June and then signed the pending free agent to a six-year deal worth $25.2 million. It seemed like a good value because Hartnell is only 25 and scored 47 goals over the past two seasons, but unlike the other young newcomers in Philadelphia, he has really struggled. Hartnell has only one goal and is on pace for his worst career season.

8. Michal Handzus, Los Angeles: Handzus is a towering and powerful two-way center who is very tough to play against when he is at his best. He was off to a great start last season in Chicago before he blew out his knee and just hasn't been able to get back on track with the Kings, who signed him to a four-year deal for $16 million. Handzus has only one goal and three assists, and he is a minus 7.

9. Tom Poti, Washington: The ugly giveaway pass that cost his team a game in Florida on Thursday is not the only reason we're including him here. That's because Poti is a defenseman who is all about offense, something the Capitals desperately need and the reason they signed him last summer for $14 million over four years. He has missed six games with a groin problem, but he has only four assists, and his quarterbacking skills have not prevented Washington from having one of the league's worst power plays.

10. Jason Blake, Toronto: With all due consideration of the rare form of leukemia Blake was diagnosed with earlier this season, remember that it has not prevented him from playing in all 20 Maple Leafs games. And his 14 points in those contests aren't a horrible total, but Toronto signed Blake to a five-year, $20 million contract last summer because he was a 40-goal scorer. At least he was last season. This time around he only has two, and that's not what the Leafs counted on.

HABS RULE!!
brentrock2



Nice bentrock. Apparently you and Wes Goldstein from CBS Sports have the exact same opinion on FA busts. Word for word in fact. How uncanny!
Original source: http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/story/10477940

Sorry to call you out on it man but cite your sources next time.



I thought Brentrock's post was a little off considering that Bertuzzi didn't play in Anaheim this past year.

Brentrock...plagiarism? Defined at Dictionary dot com as; a) "Literary theft. Plagiarism occurs when a writer duplicates another writer's language or ideas and then calls the work his or her own. Copyright laws protect writers' words as their legal property. To avoid the charge of plagiarism, writers take care to credit those from whom they borrow and quote." b) "The act of taking the writings of another person and passing them off as one's own. The fraudulence is closely related to forgery and piracy-practices generally in violation of copyright laws."

Not exactly what you want to be known for. Be sure to cite your sources when you are quoting.



I just wanted to show these users of some FA busts so I just copyied and pasted. I will never do it again....sorry.


HABS RULE!!
brentrock2
Rambo2305 Posted - 07/06/2009 : 10:29:21
Wait....Handzus is still playing?

"Most people spend time and energy going around problems, rather than trying to solve them" - Henry Ford
Guest5382 Posted - 07/06/2009 : 10:24:29
quote:
Originally posted by Alex
Nice bentrock. Apparently you and Wes Goldstein from CBS Sports have the exact same opinion on FA busts. Word for word in fact. How uncanny!
Original source: http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/story/10477940

Sorry to call you out on it man but cite your sources next time.


Nice one. Goodbye Brentrock credibility.

I'll give you an original list though no write up as extensive as Wes Goldstein's. In no particular order.

Briere: He will never be moved. Killing his team with the cap issue.
Gomez: See Briere. At least he is a 1st line centre. Just got to be more productive.
Drury: See Briere. Yeah he's clutch at times but 7.5M clutch? Didn't think so.
Campbell: ~8M for a second line defensemen? Ouch. Length of that deal is going to hurt.
Redden: What is Sather thinking? 3 monster contracts. At least he was able to move one of them.
Handzus: I like the guy when he was in Philly. But 4M for a 3r liner? At least it put the Kings over the lower cap limit.
Torres: Again 4M for a 3rd liner. But again put them over the lower cap limit.
Penner: Lots of the 4M players here.
Havlat: The only time he was worth his salary was when he was playing for a new one.
Khabibulin: See Havlat.

---

Vanek? How is it that this is worse than any of the other ones above.
He is a young kid who will dial it up. As long as he gets to play with Roy, he'll be worth his contract.

admin Posted - 07/06/2009 : 10:19:05
quote:
Originally posted by Alex

quote:
Originally posted by brentrock2

Some biggest FA busts that I can remember ove the years are:


1. Thomas Vanek, Buffalo: This is bit of a stretch because Vanek was in Buffalo last season, but since the Sabres had matched an offer sheet to keep him, he qualifies as a free agent for our purposes. And a seriously overpaid one at this stage. Vanek was one of the NHL's best young snipers last season when he earned $475,000, and now he's getting $10 million this season and $50 million over the next seven years. But he's on pace to score about 20 goals, or fewer than half the 43 he had a year ago.

2. Dustin Penner, Edmonton: The Oilers, in case you forgot, made the offer sheet to Vanek and, when that didn't work, tried the same trick on Penner, the punishing young winger who was an important contributor to Anaheim's Stanley Cup last season. Penner got a 10-fold raise from the $425,000 he made last season, but he lost key Ducks linemates Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry in the process. It has showed. Penner only has three goals.

3. Sheldon Souray, Edmonton: While Penner hasn't played well, Souray has hardly played at all, much to the chagrin of the Oilers brass. The Alberta native overestimated the price teams would pay in the free-agent market for a one-dimensional offense defenseman and then finally found a taker when he signed for a "hometown" discount of $5.4 million annually. Problem is Souray has played only six games because he hurt his shoulder -- in a fight.

4. Todd Bertuzzi, Anaheim: Does it seem like he's a regular on this list in the past few years? He was a bust last season with Florida and to a lesser extent with Detroit, but Ducks GM Brian Burke goes back with him several years to their days in Vancouver and stunned everyone by giving Bertuzzi a two-year, $8 million free-agent deal. Last season, he hardly played because of back problems, and this year, he suited up seven times for Anaheim before sustaining a concussion.

5. Sergei Samsonov, Chicago: The Canadiens were so anxious to get rid of Samsonov and his $3.5 million salary, they packaged him off in a trade to the Blackhawks for players they had dumped as soon as the deal was complete. Samsonov's change of scenery hasn't helped him get out of a coach's doghouse, which may have something to do with the fact he has no goals and is minus-5 in 14 games.

6. Manny Fernandez, Boston: The bright side for the Bruins is that they didn't give up much in the trade to get Fernandez from Minnesota. But when you're paying a guy $4.3 million, you expect him to be your starting goalie. Fernandez wasn't even before he hurt his knee. He played in just four games and had a miserable .832 save percentage and 3.93 GAA. Worse, the guy Boston already had, Tim Thomas, has played like a Vezina candidate, and he only makes $1.1 million.

7. Scott Hartnell, Philadelphia: The Flyers pilfered his rights away from Nashville during the Predators' fire sale in June and then signed the pending free agent to a six-year deal worth $25.2 million. It seemed like a good value because Hartnell is only 25 and scored 47 goals over the past two seasons, but unlike the other young newcomers in Philadelphia, he has really struggled. Hartnell has only one goal and is on pace for his worst career season.

8. Michal Handzus, Los Angeles: Handzus is a towering and powerful two-way center who is very tough to play against when he is at his best. He was off to a great start last season in Chicago before he blew out his knee and just hasn't been able to get back on track with the Kings, who signed him to a four-year deal for $16 million. Handzus has only one goal and three assists, and he is a minus 7.

9. Tom Poti, Washington: The ugly giveaway pass that cost his team a game in Florida on Thursday is not the only reason we're including him here. That's because Poti is a defenseman who is all about offense, something the Capitals desperately need and the reason they signed him last summer for $14 million over four years. He has missed six games with a groin problem, but he has only four assists, and his quarterbacking skills have not prevented Washington from having one of the league's worst power plays.

10. Jason Blake, Toronto: With all due consideration of the rare form of leukemia Blake was diagnosed with earlier this season, remember that it has not prevented him from playing in all 20 Maple Leafs games. And his 14 points in those contests aren't a horrible total, but Toronto signed Blake to a five-year, $20 million contract last summer because he was a 40-goal scorer. At least he was last season. This time around he only has two, and that's not what the Leafs counted on.

HABS RULE!!
brentrock2



Nice bentrock. Apparently you and Wes Goldstein from CBS Sports have the exact same opinion on FA busts. Word for word in fact. How uncanny!
Original source: http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/story/10477940

Sorry to call you out on it man but cite your sources next time.



I thought Brentrock's post was a little off considering that Bertuzzi didn't play in Anaheim this past year.

Brentrock...plagiarism? Defined at Dictionary dot com as; a) "Literary theft. Plagiarism occurs when a writer duplicates another writer's language or ideas and then calls the work his or her own. Copyright laws protect writers' words as their legal property. To avoid the charge of plagiarism, writers take care to credit those from whom they borrow and quote." b) "The act of taking the writings of another person and passing them off as one's own. The fraudulence is closely related to forgery and piracy-practices generally in violation of copyright laws."

Not exactly what you want to be known for. Be sure to cite your sources when you are quoting.
Alex Posted - 07/06/2009 : 10:00:26
quote:
Originally posted by brentrock2

Some biggest FA busts that I can remember ove the years are:


1. Thomas Vanek, Buffalo: This is bit of a stretch because Vanek was in Buffalo last season, but since the Sabres had matched an offer sheet to keep him, he qualifies as a free agent for our purposes. And a seriously overpaid one at this stage. Vanek was one of the NHL's best young snipers last season when he earned $475,000, and now he's getting $10 million this season and $50 million over the next seven years. But he's on pace to score about 20 goals, or fewer than half the 43 he had a year ago.

2. Dustin Penner, Edmonton: The Oilers, in case you forgot, made the offer sheet to Vanek and, when that didn't work, tried the same trick on Penner, the punishing young winger who was an important contributor to Anaheim's Stanley Cup last season. Penner got a 10-fold raise from the $425,000 he made last season, but he lost key Ducks linemates Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry in the process. It has showed. Penner only has three goals.

3. Sheldon Souray, Edmonton: While Penner hasn't played well, Souray has hardly played at all, much to the chagrin of the Oilers brass. The Alberta native overestimated the price teams would pay in the free-agent market for a one-dimensional offense defenseman and then finally found a taker when he signed for a "hometown" discount of $5.4 million annually. Problem is Souray has played only six games because he hurt his shoulder -- in a fight.

4. Todd Bertuzzi, Anaheim: Does it seem like he's a regular on this list in the past few years? He was a bust last season with Florida and to a lesser extent with Detroit, but Ducks GM Brian Burke goes back with him several years to their days in Vancouver and stunned everyone by giving Bertuzzi a two-year, $8 million free-agent deal. Last season, he hardly played because of back problems, and this year, he suited up seven times for Anaheim before sustaining a concussion.

5. Sergei Samsonov, Chicago: The Canadiens were so anxious to get rid of Samsonov and his $3.5 million salary, they packaged him off in a trade to the Blackhawks for players they had dumped as soon as the deal was complete. Samsonov's change of scenery hasn't helped him get out of a coach's doghouse, which may have something to do with the fact he has no goals and is minus-5 in 14 games.

6. Manny Fernandez, Boston: The bright side for the Bruins is that they didn't give up much in the trade to get Fernandez from Minnesota. But when you're paying a guy $4.3 million, you expect him to be your starting goalie. Fernandez wasn't even before he hurt his knee. He played in just four games and had a miserable .832 save percentage and 3.93 GAA. Worse, the guy Boston already had, Tim Thomas, has played like a Vezina candidate, and he only makes $1.1 million.

7. Scott Hartnell, Philadelphia: The Flyers pilfered his rights away from Nashville during the Predators' fire sale in June and then signed the pending free agent to a six-year deal worth $25.2 million. It seemed like a good value because Hartnell is only 25 and scored 47 goals over the past two seasons, but unlike the other young newcomers in Philadelphia, he has really struggled. Hartnell has only one goal and is on pace for his worst career season.

8. Michal Handzus, Los Angeles: Handzus is a towering and powerful two-way center who is very tough to play against when he is at his best. He was off to a great start last season in Chicago before he blew out his knee and just hasn't been able to get back on track with the Kings, who signed him to a four-year deal for $16 million. Handzus has only one goal and three assists, and he is a minus 7.

9. Tom Poti, Washington: The ugly giveaway pass that cost his team a game in Florida on Thursday is not the only reason we're including him here. That's because Poti is a defenseman who is all about offense, something the Capitals desperately need and the reason they signed him last summer for $14 million over four years. He has missed six games with a groin problem, but he has only four assists, and his quarterbacking skills have not prevented Washington from having one of the league's worst power plays.

10. Jason Blake, Toronto: With all due consideration of the rare form of leukemia Blake was diagnosed with earlier this season, remember that it has not prevented him from playing in all 20 Maple Leafs games. And his 14 points in those contests aren't a horrible total, but Toronto signed Blake to a five-year, $20 million contract last summer because he was a 40-goal scorer. At least he was last season. This time around he only has two, and that's not what the Leafs counted on.

HABS RULE!!
brentrock2



Nice bentrock. Apparently you and Wes Goldstein from CBS Sports have the exact same opinion on FA busts. Word for word in fact. How uncanny!
Original source: http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/story/10477940

Sorry to call you out on it man but cite your sources next time.
brentrock2 Posted - 07/06/2009 : 09:14:39
Some biggest FA busts that I can remember ove the years are:


1. Thomas Vanek, Buffalo: This is bit of a stretch because Vanek was in Buffalo last season, but since the Sabres had matched an offer sheet to keep him, he qualifies as a free agent for our purposes. And a seriously overpaid one at this stage. Vanek was one of the NHL's best young snipers last season when he earned $475,000, and now he's getting $10 million this season and $50 million over the next seven years. But he's on pace to score about 20 goals, or fewer than half the 43 he had a year ago.

2. Dustin Penner, Edmonton: The Oilers, in case you forgot, made the offer sheet to Vanek and, when that didn't work, tried the same trick on Penner, the punishing young winger who was an important contributor to Anaheim's Stanley Cup last season. Penner got a 10-fold raise from the $425,000 he made last season, but he lost key Ducks linemates Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry in the process. It has showed. Penner only has three goals.

3. Sheldon Souray, Edmonton: While Penner hasn't played well, Souray has hardly played at all, much to the chagrin of the Oilers brass. The Alberta native overestimated the price teams would pay in the free-agent market for a one-dimensional offense defenseman and then finally found a taker when he signed for a "hometown" discount of $5.4 million annually. Problem is Souray has played only six games because he hurt his shoulder -- in a fight.

4. Todd Bertuzzi, Anaheim: Does it seem like he's a regular on this list in the past few years? He was a bust last season with Florida and to a lesser extent with Detroit, but Ducks GM Brian Burke goes back with him several years to their days in Vancouver and stunned everyone by giving Bertuzzi a two-year, $8 million free-agent deal. Last season, he hardly played because of back problems, and this year, he suited up seven times for Anaheim before sustaining a concussion.

5. Sergei Samsonov, Chicago: The Canadiens were so anxious to get rid of Samsonov and his $3.5 million salary, they packaged him off in a trade to the Blackhawks for players they had dumped as soon as the deal was complete. Samsonov's change of scenery hasn't helped him get out of a coach's doghouse, which may have something to do with the fact he has no goals and is minus-5 in 14 games.

6. Manny Fernandez, Boston: The bright side for the Bruins is that they didn't give up much in the trade to get Fernandez from Minnesota. But when you're paying a guy $4.3 million, you expect him to be your starting goalie. Fernandez wasn't even before he hurt his knee. He played in just four games and had a miserable .832 save percentage and 3.93 GAA. Worse, the guy Boston already had, Tim Thomas, has played like a Vezina candidate, and he only makes $1.1 million.

7. Scott Hartnell, Philadelphia: The Flyers pilfered his rights away from Nashville during the Predators' fire sale in June and then signed the pending free agent to a six-year deal worth $25.2 million. It seemed like a good value because Hartnell is only 25 and scored 47 goals over the past two seasons, but unlike the other young newcomers in Philadelphia, he has really struggled. Hartnell has only one goal and is on pace for his worst career season.

8. Michal Handzus, Los Angeles: Handzus is a towering and powerful two-way center who is very tough to play against when he is at his best. He was off to a great start last season in Chicago before he blew out his knee and just hasn't been able to get back on track with the Kings, who signed him to a four-year deal for $16 million. Handzus has only one goal and three assists, and he is a minus 7.

9. Tom Poti, Washington: The ugly giveaway pass that cost his team a game in Florida on Thursday is not the only reason we're including him here. That's because Poti is a defenseman who is all about offense, something the Capitals desperately need and the reason they signed him last summer for $14 million over four years. He has missed six games with a groin problem, but he has only four assists, and his quarterbacking skills have not prevented Washington from having one of the league's worst power plays.

10. Jason Blake, Toronto: With all due consideration of the rare form of leukemia Blake was diagnosed with earlier this season, remember that it has not prevented him from playing in all 20 Maple Leafs games. And his 14 points in those contests aren't a horrible total, but Toronto signed Blake to a five-year, $20 million contract last summer because he was a 40-goal scorer. At least he was last season. This time around he only has two, and that's not what the Leafs counted on.

HABS RULE!!
brentrock2
Rambo2305 Posted - 07/06/2009 : 07:54:45
In recent years, Wade Redden was pretty damn bad for New York...or Dustin Penner in Edmonton...

"Most people spend time and energy going around problems, rather than trying to solve them" - Henry Ford

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