Originally posted by Alex@Jul 4 2012, 11:42 AM

panthers made the playoffs last year.
they werent a cup contender.

Originally posted by Alex@Jul 4 2012, 12:42 PM

panthers made the playoffs last year.
they werent a cup contender.

They made the playoffs, that's all it takes. Get a couple of breaks to go your way and the cup could be yours.

Originally posted by HockeyGod@Jul 4 2012, 12:42 PM


With a 3M cap space.

You speak as if that'll be the case for the entire time.

They're definitely going to win the cup with a guy like this

Originally posted by Sponges@Jul 4 2012, 11:43 AM


They made the playoffs, that's all it takes. Get a couple of breaks to go your way and the cup could be yours.

So more than half the league are cup contenders? Nah I don't see it that way

Originally posted by Sponges@Jul 4 2012, 11:43 AM


They made the playoffs, that's all it takes. Get a couple of breaks to go your way and the cup could be yours.

the way i define a cup contender is a team that has a very solid chance of winning the cup.
not a team that needs all the breaks to go their way.

Originally posted by HockeyGod@Jul 4 2012, 11:42 AM




Koivu isn't a superstar, Setoguchi is the type of player that needs his team to be good to be good. Compare him with SJ and now with MIN

He went from scoring clutch, big goals to falling on his butt on a penalty shot.

.....Setoguchi is a comfortable 2nd line winger with 1st line upside when hes hot, but he can be streaky. Heatley is the same, but with 1st line skill and with the right linemates, can be unreal.

And Koivu is a superstar in my eyes. MIN's forward depth is solid, high scoring players in the top 6, physical gritty guys in the bottom six. Defense is bad but Suter will be playing 30 mins. Not to mention they have Backstrom and also Harding resigned, a beast goalie tandem which will back that weak D up big time. Conference finals potential IMO.

Originally posted by Sponges@Jul 4 2012, 11:43 AM


You speak as if that'll be the case for the entire time.

Not for the entire time, but I'd say they'd have to trade either Heatly/Koivu to free up some space but, I don't think Heatly is worth as much as he was two seasons ago and Koivu well I don't think he's leaving until they win a cup.

Originally posted by Phil.B@Jul 4 2012, 12:44 PM


So more than half the league are cup contenders? Nah I don't see it that way

Yep. 16 teams wind up with a chance to win the cup. You get a hot goalie and some good offense + defense work and you can win a cup. Based on your view, neither NJ or LA would've been cup contenders, yet both made the finals.

Originally posted by Alex@Jul 4 2012, 12:45 PM

the way i define a cup contender is a team that has a very solid chance of winning the cup.
not a team that needs all the breaks to go their way.

Would you have called LA a cup contender entering the playoffs?

These guys already had one the brightest futres in the NHL with Granlund,Coyle,Dumba etc coming through the system. They might not be legit contenders this season but they will be for years to come

I predict they finish 5th or 6th face the Blackhawks or Stars and lose in the first round.

Every single year I look at the teams that cracked 100+ points as the cup contenders, very seldomly does a team go on a miracle run as a bottom two seed and win the cup like the Kings did.

RYAN RIELEY | LW | NEW ENGLAND WOLFPACK | 546 TPE
NAME: RYAN RIELEY
NATIONALITY: USA
HEIGHT: 6'4"
WEIGHT: 210 LBS
NUMBER: 89
———————————————————————————————————
SMJHL CAREER STATS
S53 CAR: GP: 11, G: 2, A: 2, P: 4, +/-: -3, H: 16, CF: 34.9%, CF Rel: -5.1%
S54 COL: GP: 50, G: 8, A: 5, P: 13, +/-: -10, H: 99, CF: 49.8%, CF Rel: -8.9%
S55 QUE: GP: 50, G: 12, A: 7, P: 19, +/-: -17, H: 109, CF: 41.7%, CF Rel: +5.6%
———————————————————————————————————
SHL CAREER STATS

———————————————————————————————————
IIHF CAREER STATS
S54 SWE-JR: GP: 12, G: 1, A: 5, P: 6, +/-: +4, H: 29, CF: 50.6%, CF Rel: +8.9%
S55 USA-JR: GP: 12, G: 1, A: 0, P: 1, +/-: -3, H: 11, CF: 54.1%, CF Rel: -5.0%
———————————————————————————————————
SMJHL PLAYOFF STATS
S53 CAR: GP: 4, G: 0, A: 1, P: 1, +/-: E, H: 8, CF: 28.7%, CF Rel: -11.1%
S54 COL: GP: 5, G: 1, A: 1, P: 2, +/-: -1, H: 11, CF: 43.5%, CF Rel: -7.2%
S55 QUE: GP: 10, G: 2, A: 1, P: 3, +/-: -5, H: 20, CF: 42.9%, CF Rel: +7.5%
———————————————————————————————————
SHL PLAYOFF STATS

———————————————————————————————————
IIHF MEDAL ROUND STATS
S54 SWE-JR: GP: 1, G: 0, A: 1, P: 1, +/-: +1, H: 4, CF: 42.9%, CF Rel: -9.4%
———————————————————————————————————
AWARDS:

———————————————————————————————————
TRANSACTIONS:
S53: SIGNED DFA CONTRACT WITH THE CAROLINA KRAKEN
S54: DRAFTED 34TH OVERALL BY THE COLORADO RAPTORS IN THE SMJHL DRAFT
S54: LOANED FROM USA TO SWEDEN FOR THE WORLD JUNIORS
S55: DRAFTED 15TH OVERALL BY THE NEW ENGLAND WOLFPACK IN THE SHL DRAFT
S55: SIGNED A 1-YEAR, $3.0M ELC WITH NEW ENGLAND
S55: DRAFTED 7TH OVERALL BY QUEBEC CITY IN THE SMJHL EXPANSION DRAFT
S56: SIGNED A 2-YEAR, $6.0M EXTENSION WITH NEW ENGLAND


NICO GRØSS | RW | RETIRED
NAME: NICO GRØSS
NATIONALITY: SWITZERLAND
IIHF AFFILIATION: CZECHOSLOVAKIA
HEIGHT: 6'0"
WEIGHT: 198 LBS
NUMBER: 8
———————————————————————————————————
SMJHL CAREER STATS
S37 COL: GP: 50, G: 11, A: 15, P: 26, +/-: -1, H: 93
S38 COL: GP: 50, G: 7, A: 25, P: 32, +/-: -5, H: 134
S39 COL: GP: 50, G: 2, A: 26, P: 28, +/-: +8, H: 85
———————————————————————————————————
SHL CAREER STATS
S40 BUF: GP: 50, G: 1, A: 11, P: 12, +/-: -14, H: 148
S41 BUF: GP: 50, G: 1, A: 11, P: 12, +/-: -13, H: 146
S42 BUF: GP: 0, G: 0, A: 0, P: 0, +/-: E, H: 0
———————————————————————————————————
IIHF CAREER STATS
S38 CZE: GP: 10, G: 0, A: 0, P: 0, +/-: -2, H: 22
S39 CZE: GP: 10, G: 0, A: 0, P: 0, +/-: -4, H: 18
S40 CZE: GP: 10, G: 0, A: 3, P: 3, +/-: -1, H: 23
———————————————————————————————————
WJC CAREER STATS
S38 EU-C: GP: 5, G: 0, A: 1, P: 1, +/-: -6, H: 13
S39 EU-E: GP: 7, G: 0, A: 2, P: 2, +/-: -1, H: 17
———————————————————————————————————
SMJHL PLAYOFF STATS
S37 COL: GP: 7, G: 0, A: 3, P: 3, +/-: +1, H: 15
S38 COL: N/A
S39 COL: GP: 5, G: 1, A: 3, P: 4, +/-: +1, H: 11
———————————————————————————————————
SHL PLAYOFF STATS
S40 BUF: N/A
S41 BUF: GP: 7, G: 0, A: 1, P: 1, +/-: +1, H: 23
S42 BUF: TBD
———————————————————————————————————
IIHF MEDAL ROUND STATS
S38 CZE: N/A
S39 CZE: N/A
S40 CZE: N/A
———————————————————————————————————
AWARDS:

———————————————————————————————————
TRANSACTIONS:
S37: DRAFTED 3RD OVERALL IN THE SMJHL DRAFT BY COLORADO
S37: SIGNED 1 YEAR/$3.0M JUNIOR CONTRACT WITH COLORADO
S38: DRAFTED 6TH OVERALL IN THE SHL DRAFT BY BUFFALO
S38: SIGNED 2 YEAR/$5.0M ELC WITH BUFFALO
S38: TRANSFERRED IIHF AFFILIATION TO CZECHOSLOVAKIA
S38: NAMED TO TEAM EUROPE - CENTRAL FOR THE WORLD JUNIORS
S39: NAMED TO TEAM EUROPE - WEST FOR THE WORLD JUNIORS
S39: SIGNED 2 YEAR/$8.0M EXTENSION WITH BUFFALO
S41: SIGNED 3 YEAR/$12.0M EXTENSION WITH BUFFALO


CASEY HOLMES | G | RETIRED
NAME: CASEY HOLMES
NATIONALITY: USA
HEIGHT: 6'3"
WEIGHT: 185 LBS
NUMBER: 30
———————————————————————————————————
SMJHL CAREER STATS
S28 STL: 42GP, 18W, 3.21GAA, .872SV%, 4SO
S29 STL: 44GP, 26W, 2.70GAA, .890SV%, 2SO
———————————————————————————————————
SHL CAREER STATS
S30 BUF: 32GP, 10W, 3.43GAA, .894SV%, 1SO
S31 BUF: 44GP, 15W, 2.95GAA, .904SV%, 3SO
S32 BUF: 41GP, 17W, 2.87GAA, .907SV%, 3SO
S33 BUF: 44GP, 21W, 2.85GAA, .907SV%, 3SO
S34 BUF: 44GP, 16W, 3.29GAA, .902SV%, 2SO
S35 BUF: 44GP, 18W, 2.69GAA, .909SV%, 3SO
S36 BUF: 44GP, 27W, 2.81GAA, .908SV%, 2SO
S37 BUF: 45GP, 23W, 2.86GAA, .909SV%, 3SO
———————————————————————————————————
IIHF CAREER STATS
S34 USA: 10GP, 5W, 2.50GAA, .912SV%, 0SO
S35 USA: 10GP, 7W, 3.30GAA, .881SV%, 0SO
S36 USA: 10GP, 4W, 3.65GAA, .884SV%, 0SO
———————————————————————————————————
SMJHL PLAYOFF STATS
S28 STL: 5GP, 1W, 3.54GAA, .864SV%, 0SO
S29 STL: 16GP, 12W, 2.37GAA, .902SV%, 1SO
———————————————————————————————————
SHL PLAYOFF STATS
S30 BUF: N/A
S31 BUF: N/A
S32 BUF: N/A
S33 BUF: 5GP, 1W, 3.78GAA, .895SV%, 0SO
S34 BUF: N/A
S35 BUF: 3GP, 0W, 4.02GAA, .896SV%, 0SO
S36 BUF: 7GP, 3W, 2.50GAA, .903SV%, 1SO
S37 BUF: 7GP, 3W, 2.15GAA, .936SV%, 0SO
———————————————————————————————————
IIHF MEDAL ROUND STATS
S34 USA: 3GP, 3W, 1.33GAA, .946SV%, 2SO
S35 USA: 1GP, 0W, 3.19GAA, .902SV%, 0SO
S36 USA: N/A
———————————————————————————————————
AWARDS:
S29 FOUR STAR CUP CHAMPION (STL)
S29 JERMAINE TENNYSON AWARD (BEST SMJHL GOALTENDER)
S34 IIHF GOLD MEDALIST (USA)
———————————————————————————————————
TRANSACTIONS:
S28: SELECTED 3RD OVERALL (1ST ROUND) BY STL IN SMJHL DRAFT
S29: JOINED THE BUFFALO STAMPEDE
S29: SIGNED 1 YEAR/$1.000M ELC WITH BUF
S30: SIGNED 3 YEAR/$3.000M EXTENSION WITH BUF
S33: SIGNED 1 YEAR/$3.000M EXTENSION WITH BUF
S34: SIGNED 3 YEAR/$6.000M EXTENSION WITH BUF
S37: SIGNED 1 YEAR/$2.000M EXTENSION WITH BUF
S37: RETIRED


ADRIAN THOMAZ | C | RETIRED
NAME: ADRIAN THOMAZ
NATIONALITY: FINLAND
HEIGHT: 6'4"
WEIGHT: 220 LBS
NUMBER: 15
———————————————————————————————————
SMJHL CAREER STATS
S19 STL: GP: 40, G: 7, A: 11, P: 18, +/-: +6
S20 STL: GP: 40, G: 11, A: 16, P: 27, +-: -6
———————————————————————————————————
SHL CAREER STATS
S21 LAP: GP: 52, G: 11, A: 31, P: 42, +/-: E, H: 11
S22 LAP: GP: 52, G: 18, A: 25, P: 43, +/-: +9, H: 30
S23 LAP: GP: 52, G: 13, A: 25, P: 38, +/-: +2, H: 10
S24 LAP: GP: 52, G: 9, A: 30, P: 39, +/-: +17, H: 41
S25 BUF: GP: 50, G: 14, A: 28, P: 42, +/-: -3, H: 65
S26 BUF: GP: 50, G: 15, A: 26, P: 41, +/-: -8, H: 132
S27 BUF: GP: 50, G: 20, A: 23, P: 43, +/-: +7, H: 213
S28 BUF/WKP: GP: 49, G: 15, A: 28, P: 43, +/-: -2, H: 99
———————————————————————————————————
SMJHL PLAYOFF STATS
S19 STL: GP: 15, G: 1, A: 4, P: 5, +/-: +3
S20 STL: GP: 19, G: 6, A: 10, P: 16, +/-: +7
———————————————————————————————————
SHL PLAYOFF STATS
S21 LAP: GP: 5, G: 0, A: 3, P: 3, +/-: -1
S22 LAP: GP: 18, G: 4, A: 8, P: 12, +/-: +1
S23 LAP: GP: 7, G: 3, A: 2, P: 5, +/-: -1
S24 LAP: GP: 18, G: 8, A: 15, P: 23, +/-: +14
S25 BUF: N/A
S26 BUF: N/A
S27 BUF: N/A
S28 WKP: GP: 14, G: 5, A: 3, P: 8, +/-: +3
———————————————————————————————————
AWARDS:
S20 FOUR STAR CUP CHAMPION (STL)
S21 POTOCZNY AWARD WINNER (LAP TEAM AWARD)
S27 JEFF DAR TROPHY NOMINEE
———————————————————————————————————
TRANSACTIONS:
S19: SELECTED 24TH OVERALL (4TH ROUND) BY STL IN SMJHL DRAFT
S20: SELECTED 14TH OVERALL (2ND ROUND) BY LAP IN SHL DRAFT
S20: SIGNED 3 YEAR/$6.000M ELC WITH LAP
S21: NAMED ALTERNATE CAPTAIN FOR LAP
S22: SIGNED 6 YEAR/$26.000M EXTENSION WITH LAP
S25: JOINED THE BUFFALO STAMPEDE VIA EXPANSION
S26: RESTRUCTURED CONTRACT TO 3 YEARS/$9.000M WITH BUF
S28: TRADED FROM BUFFALO TO WEST KENDALL
S28: RETIRED


ANTERO SALMELAINEN | LW | RETIRED
NAME: ANTERO SALMELAINEN
NATIONALITY: FINLAND
HEIGHT: 6'5"
WEIGHT: 215 LBS
NUMBER: 32
———————————————————————————————————
NWJHL CAREER STATS
S7 VAN: GP: 37, G: 26, A: 25, P: 51
———————————————————————————————————
SHL CAREER STATS
S8-S19: GP: 600, G: 175, A: 204, P: 379
———————————————————————————————————
NWJHL PLAYOFF STATS
S7 VAN: GP: 7, G: 5, A: 9, P: 14
———————————————————————————————————
SHL PLAYOFF STATS
STATS LOST
———————————————————————————————————
AWARDS:
S17 CHALLENGE CUP CHAMPION (LAP)
———————————————————————————————————
TRANSACTIONS:
S7: DRAFTED 1ST OVERALL BY VANCOUVER IN NWJHL
S7: NAMED CAPTAIN OF WHALERS
S8: DRAFTED 1ST OVERALL BY EDMONTON IN SHL
S8: SIGNED 3-YEAR ELC WITH EDMONTON
S8: TRADED FROM EDMONTON TO WEST KENDALL
S11: SIGNED 5-YEAR, $15.000 M DEAL WITH WEST KENDALL
S12: TRADED FROM WEST KENDALL TO TEXAS
S12: TRADED FROM TEXAS TO CALGARY
S15: TRADED FROM CALGARY TO LOS ANGELES
S18: TRADED FROM LOS ANGELES TO NEW ENGLAND


BRANDON HOLMES | RW | HALL OF FAME | STAMPEDE FOUNDER
NAME: BRANDON HOLMES
NATIONALITY: USA
HEIGHT: 6'2"
WEIGHT: 208 LBS
NUMBER: 17
———————————————————————————————————
NWJHL CAREER STATS
PGF: GP: 20, G: 12, A: 10, P: 22
———————————————————————————————————
SHL CAREER STATS
WKP: GP: 220, G: 82, A: 97, P: 179
———————————————————————————————————
NWJHL PLAYOFF STATS
PGF: GP: 10, G: 7, A: 7, P: 14
———————————————————————————————————
SHL PLAYOFF STATISTICS
WKP: GP: 45, G: 18, A: 20, P: 38
———————————————————————————————————
AWARDS:
S1 BRANDON HOLMES AWARD WINNER
S1 FOUR STAR CUP CHAMPION (PGF)
S2 CHALLENGE CUP CHAMPION/(WKP)
S3 ALL-STAR GAME MVP
S3 MATHIAS CHOUINARD AWARD WINNER
S4 IHF TOURNAMENT GOLD MEDALIST (USA)
S5 CHALLENGE CUP CHAMPION (WKP)
INDUCTED INTO SHL HALL OF FAME
———————————————————————————————————
TRANSACTIONS:
DRAFTED 4TH OVERALL BY WEST KENDALL IN THE S2 DRAFT
SIGNED 3-YR/$7.5MIL DEAL WITH WEST KENDALL
NAMED ALTERNATE CAPTAIN OF THE PLATOON FOR S3
SIGNED 3-YR/$6 MIL EXTENSION WITH WEST KENDALL

Originally posted by Phil.B@Jul 4 2012, 11:44 AM


So more than half the league are cup contenders? Nah I don't see it that way

Potential Cup Contenders ya. Did anyone expect NJ to go all the way? Nope, LA weren't even favourites, anything can happen so everyone has the potential to be cup contenders, some have more potential than others.

Where does Semin go? And Doan, I say Doan goes to the 'Peg.