1) We are constantly reminded why we continue to visit "HockeyBuzz", Eklund's free/pay rumor site. Its for the constant laughs each visit guarantees. However, even for him(and that's saying something) his latest Ryan Smyth rumor has to be one of the dumbest(we can't think of a better adjective) rumors to ever emanate from his site. We realize that he has to write something to placate the paying customers, but this is beyond ridiculous
2) He actually wrote that 'sources'(from within his vacuous head no doubt) have told him that its very possible there could be a "sign and trade" of Ryan Smyth by the Islanders. To review for our readers who are not up to speed; Ryan Smyth will be an UNRESTRICTED Free Agent(UFA) as of July 1st. He can sign anywhere he wants! Until July only the Isles can negotiate with him, BUT Smyth has no legal obligation to sign with them, or even talk with them if he so chooses.
3) Why on Earth would he sign with the Islanders only to be immediately dealt to another team? He could skip the trade step and simply sign with the team of HIS choosing. Yes, it would be a very magnanimous gesture by Smyth to help his soon to be former team, but why???? Under the CBA he can't be 'paid off' for this. He's due a huge raise anyway, so it wouldn't be for the money. The answer is, its just another dumb Eklund concocted rumor. Many are silly/inane, but this one certainly takes the award as the dumbest so far this year.
4)By the way, if you talk with Eklund, be sure to ask him where Jason Allison is heading. Last season he had him rumored to about 20 different teams. We're still waiting. LOL Thanks for all the laughs Ek!
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
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9 comments:
He has no clue whats going to happen. I watched a story they did about him last spring. H loos like some geek who has an agent friend who feeds him a bunch of crap and i bet he makes the rest up. I will give him credit though for making a lot of people believe in him.
By he way the person or persons who run this blog are no better at making stuff up either!
I think you are oversimplifying Eks rumor. You are correct about Smyth not doing the Isles any favours, why would he? But the sign and trade can be reasonable in two ways:
1. The Isles could sign Smyth without letting him know their intentions and then trade him away. Try to recoup some of their losses.
2. As for Ryan Smyth this could be a way for him to lure a No Trade Clause into his contract. This past season we saw several teams handcuffed by players not waiving their NTC. Tampa is in a situation because of several NTC's. Smyth could negotiate a contract with the Isles including an NTC and then waive it to be traded.
3. I do agree this is all a bit far fetched, but not unrealistic. Smyth is one of the premier free agents this off season and likely is one of the players that could negotiate and receive a NTC from another team along with his hefty raise.
4. According to The Fourth Period radio show this sort of thing is not common but happens once every 4-5 years.
5. Perhaps Ek is connected to Smyth's agent and this is a way to let other teams know that a NTC could sway the deal?
My feel on rumours is they are typically based on things someone just makes up. I am sure if you count all the rumours laid out there there is likely a miniscule percentage of them that are correct.
1) Smyth is among the top 1-2 free agents available this summer. He can and will be able to 'write his own ticket' including a 'no trade clause' if he so chooses. Without having to rely on the Isles to acquire one.
2) Just wondering when was the last 'sign and trade' of an impending UFA star? We can't recall any in recent memory. Perhaps Shuck can illustrate his point by sharing what players he/"The 4th Period" were alluding to.
1) Victor: We have also heard that he has a possible minor contact or two. It was obvious during the lockout that he and some others(Fischler) were used by Bettman/the owners to get their message(propaganda) out there
2) We don't believe that is still the case. Now that the CBA is settled he is no longer a 'useful idiot' for them. As his track record indicates, his % is not much above random chance. If he had real 'sources' he should be correct a MUCH higher % of the time
3) He tries to improve his record by publishing MANY rumors on the same player( See our Allison comment) Like a stopped clock, he has to get one right eventually. LOL
4) As for taking a swipe at this site, our track record is BETTER than many of the pay sites like Eklund. As some of our long time readers can attest, we're far from 100%, but no Earthly based site is! ; )
I think faux has this one right. Why in heck would smyth need to sign with the Islanders to get a no trade clause? He'll get whatever he wants. I think I've read about 10 teams that are gonna be trying to get this guy. He might even go back to Edmonton. but he doesn't owe the islanders any favors.
I do have to say that i enjoy reading eklund, faux and the other rumor guys. its a long off season so it makes for fun discussion
Eklund is Eklund. Its entertainment pure and simple. One would be mistaken to think he is some kind of insider.
I haven't read any published articles that back up anything he mentioned in that Smyth piece.
I've read worse than that, and with another 6 weeks until the free agency period begins I'd bet we'll hear many more soon!
1) We can't disagree with Staal and Lyle. If Eklund and other rumor sites are read for what they are(entertainment) then that's fine.
2) Eklund and his kind who professed to know something others didn't(insiders) were the original impetus to this blog's creation last summer
faux, unfortunately my hockey history is about as rusty as my slapshot. But at least I am not alone, even the boys on the 4th Period couldn't recall one, but all recalled it happening before.
Obviously the salary cap conditions in the NHL are not the same as the NBA making the sign and trade less intriguing for NHL Players.
As for Smyth, I agree that it is very unlikely he would get into a sign and trade. There just does not seem to be enough in it for him. I keep wondering why he would want to be traded to a team he could simply sign with? Why would he want to deplete the talent (present or future in form of draft picks) of a team that he is going to play for when he could simply sign there and not cost his new team anything.
The only question I have is...Mr. Rumors, where do you hear Smyth going?
1) We didn't recall ANY 'sign and trade' of an impending UFA either. Thats why we wrote that this 'rumor' was "one of the dumbest rumors to ever emanate from his site."
2) We're working on a rumors post as we speak/write. Things are very fluid, and will probably be that way through most of June. Lots of teams with cap space/potential RFA/UFA to sign
3) The intersting thing that we may see( and we'll get into this shortly) is the possibility of seeing the 'offer sheet' tool used more than ever this summer.
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