Ok, now that the free agent flurry is basically over let’s talk. Hossa, Ruutu, Malone, Roberts, Hall and Conklin are gone. I hate to see Ruutu go, but he is replaceable. Malone? Well, never discount how much people will overpay for a guy who had one pretty good season playing on a line with the second best talent in the league (think Michelle Ouellet).

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Always leave it to the fans in Philadelphia to try and divert attention away from the fact that they have been outplayed in the Eastern Conference Finals. The scene in Philly featured a plethora of signs denoting what fans thought the real problems with their now 3-0 deficit are. Important issues like, you know, claiming that Sidney Crosby is a “diver” and a “flopper” who actually goes down sometimes when he gets hit and held.

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Certain officials in the National Hockey League don’t seem to like Penguins winger Jarkko Ruutu all that much. Ruutu gets hacked – he must have done something to deserve it, so Jarkko gets 2:00 minutes in the box. Ruutu gets tripped – he must have dived so throw him in the box for 2:00 minutes. Ruutu gets blasted from behind by Marty Biron – Jarkko must have done something “unsportsmanlike” so slap him with a matching penalty.

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Murray is in the hot seat as people expect his Senators to actually do something in the playoffs for a change. I guess anything to distract from that pressure eh?

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Gary Roberts has a reputation for planting himself in front of the opponent’s net and putting in the garbage goals. And when he isn’t going that, he is crashing the net in a straight line hunting for a pass or a deflection. But anyone that watched Roberts handle the puck on his way to scoring a goal against the Senators Thursday night will see that the man has more than his share of talent.

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