BattleTech - The Board Game of Armored Combat
Off Topic and Technical Support => Off Topic => Topic started by: Firesprocket on 02 July 2019, 01:39:48
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with free agency started today, figured I should start up the new thread.
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It has that new thread smell in here still.
Speaking of offer sheets, if Mitch Marner is tendered a legit offer, what if the Leafs just let it ride and took the four first rounders? Some of the click bait rumuors I've read hint at just such a situation. Including their own picks, that's 8 first round picks in four years. I know Toronto isn't really rebuilding, but first round picks are still a valuable commodity. Just some food for hockey thought.
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It has that new thread smell in here still.
better than that hockey gear duffel bag smell...
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better than that hockey gear duffel bag smell...
There's not much WORSE than that one. I'm pretty sure my parents' old garage from when I was in high school is still a superfund site from having had my pads in it.
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some of the guys on my football team did hockey as their winter sport and used the SAME BAG for both sports. the locker room was one of the most heinous places i've ever been... and i've been on a tour of a sewage processing facility.
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Hopefully a year one game more successful than last
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There's not much WORSE than that one. I'm pretty sure my parents' old garage from when I was in high school is still a superfund site from having had my pads in it.
Climbing shoes. Particularly ones belonging to a teenager. No amount of Lysol and Febreeze can make that stench go away.
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While in the Army I threw out a pair of boots that were in otherwise decent shape because of a stench nothing could tame.
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As a Caps fan, I'm concerned about the portents your thread title portends.
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A Cap Beating could be a 5 to 1 Capitals victory. >:D
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Speaking of offer sheets, if Mitch Marner is tendered a legit offer, what if the Leafs just let it ride and took the four first rounders? Some of the click bait rumuors I've read hint at just such a situation. Including their own picks, that's 8 first round picks in four years. I know Toronto isn't really rebuilding, but first round picks are still a valuable commodity. Just some food for hockey thought.
So with Kadri getting traded to the Avs and Barrie coming back in return the Leafs free up some salary and can afford to match the offer sheet that anyone might toss out there unless it is absurd. If another team offered to sign him to a 10+ mil contract though I'd let the other team have him and take the picks. There is no questions that Marner is an above average player, but I don't know that he is going to we worth that cash AND you have two other guys tying up 22.6 million. Do you really want to have 3 guys taking up 40% of you cap space? The answer is no.
4 1st rounders is just printing money at this point, I'd take it in a heart beat. Even if you don't need the players to stock your team they have value when some other team decides to scrap its playoff ambitions and rebuild as trade bait. The Wild immediately come to mind and with the expansion draft happening in a few years that's also bait to convince Seattle not to take someone off of the Toronto roster. I read today, though I can't remember where, that Montreal's offer to Aho has considerable front loaded bonus money. I can't wait to see what that poison pill is and would be interested to see if any other wealthy team tries the same tactic in the future.
As a Caps fan, I'm concerned about the portents your thread title portends.
The first sign of worry was when they signed Richard Panik for 4 years ;) I think the plan you get the Panik out now and worry about what happens next year when we have to re-sign Holtby and Backstrom. I'm certain the Caps can't afford to sign both at what is going to be a market value that is significantly higher than what they make now. I expect they lose one or both. If they keep both of them expect that someone else gets traded to clear salary.
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Carolina tried the same with Detroit when they offered Sergei Fedorov a heavily front loaded offersheet complete with a $10 million signing bonus, 7 million for the first two years and only two mil a year after that. All that for the first-ever offersheet. We matched it, of course. And Sergei went on to be a cornerstone for three Cups.
It was a different era but same sort of deal. Now that tactic has come home to roost.
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The 'Canes have matched the Habs' offer for Ago, so he is going nowhere and Carolina is now on the hook for 21 million over the first two years. So like I said, not too rich for Tom Dundon's blood. But with the 'Canes having matched so quickly, it frees Bergevin up to try again.
Cheers, Gabe
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I think we are done with the offer sheets for this year. There are only 3 guys worth offer sheets left and with the exception of Marner the other two would match without question. Montreal can't afford to give Toronto 4 first round picks.
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And Aho's annual salary is......$700-750k with an 11.3 million signing bonus for this year and a stagnating signing bonus that is worth no less than 5.2 million. That's fairly absurd, but at least Aho won't be in any rush to bolt back to the ice when the NHL next locks out the players because he will still get paid.
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And Aho's annual salary is......$700-750k with an 11.3 million signing bonus for this year and a stagnating signing bonus that is worth no less than 5.2 million. That's fairly absurd, but at least Aho won't be in any rush to bolt back to the ice when the NHL next locks out the players because he will still get paid.
That ridiculous amount of front-loading is what was supposed to make Carolina balk at re-signing Aho. But it was something that they proved able to (or were at least willing to) swallow. How it impacts the rest of their budgeting for signing other players remains to be seen.
In any event, the winners are:
Aho
Gerry Johannssen (his agent)
the 'Canes (at least in the very short term)
The losers, once again, are Marc Bergevin and the Habs.
cheers,
Gabe
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I really want the Devils or Blue Jackets to offer sheet Marner just to see how crazy things can get.
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I keep checking the internet hoping the same thing. It's quiet right now and boring. Someone should offer sheet Marner just to stir things up.
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The Canucks just got Luongo for just $3 mil per season. :thumbsup:
Wait, WTF?
xp
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Right? He treats retirement lthe same way Ozzy does.
Edit: Looks like a $3 mil cap penalty of some sort for Vancouver.
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Cap recapture. Explained here in more detail:
https://www.reddit.com/r/hockey/comments/3ctmu2/the_cap_recapture_penalty_what_it_is_and_why_it/ (https://www.reddit.com/r/hockey/comments/3ctmu2/the_cap_recapture_penalty_what_it_is_and_why_it/)
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According to rumour, Brayden Point of Tampa Bay turned down an offer sheet from Montreal. Seems Bergevin isn't letting it get him down.
Other rumours have Montreal looking at Patrik Laine of the Jets next.
Yet more rumuors have Marner being the possible target of an offer sheet by the Isles, who lost out on the Panarin sweepstakes.
It's rumourville, but rumour sometimes portends the future.
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If any of those rumors happen I will be thoroughly entertained. Marcus Johansson to the Sabres. While they haven't done much flashy this off season if Kruger can somehow keep the team competitive through the season, that would be a win. If it doesn't work out almost half the team will be out the door on UFA contracts.
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Cap recapture. Explained here in more detail:
https://www.reddit.com/r/hockey/comments/3ctmu2/the_cap_recapture_penalty_what_it_is_and_why_it/ (https://www.reddit.com/r/hockey/comments/3ctmu2/the_cap_recapture_penalty_what_it_is_and_why_it/)
Otherwise known as the "Roberto Luongo rule" >:( :(
Nice of the league to apply it retroactively to punish teams for following the rules that existed at the time.
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If any of those rumors happen I will be thoroughly entertained. Marcus Johansson to the Sabres. While they haven't done much flashy this off season if Kruger can somehow keep the team competitive through the season, that would be a win. If it doesn't work out almost half the team will be out the door on UFA contracts.
Johansson was great in Playoffs hooked up with Coyle very well but didn't fancy staying I'm guessing personal more than financial
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I don't know that Boston was going to be able to give him the cash he got in Buffalo. Mcavoy and Carlo need new contracts and while I don't think they will both make 5 mil a year, you have to keep that in mind until they are signed which means less potential money for Johansson later. The fact that Buffalo gave him a 10 team MNTC probably is something Boston wasn't willing to give him. They gave it to Backes, which was a horrible idea, and probably didn't need the same headache if Johansson's play went south.
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Hehe.
Valtteri Filppula's return to Detroit for two years is the kind of move for which Ken Holland would have been demolished, but for which Yzerman gets a "because he's Steve Yzerman" pass.
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I was kind of confused by the move too, but hadn't thought of it like that.
True though.
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Holland would have signed him for five years. A two year deal isn't so bad. Were still living with a lot of Holland's long-term deals.
I'm surprised the Wings didn't buy out one or two of those deals, namely Jonathan Ericsson.
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This move is so mediocre and so Holland I forgot that Yzerman is the GM and that Holland is in Edmonton. Since there isn't a whole lot of signings going on I give you one of the best non booze, food filling ideas for the cup:
https://twitter.com/StLouisBlues/status/1148387200561795072/photo/1 (https://twitter.com/StLouisBlues/status/1148387200561795072/photo/1)
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Michael Ferland was signed by the Canucks. I thought he'd go to a contending team. Can't really fault the Vancouver on this signing. 3.5 million is a solid market rate. He gets a NMC, NTC which probably made it the most attractive.
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With Matt Cullen retiring that leaves Zedeno Chara, age 42, as the oldest active player going into next season.
Ryan Miller is the next oldest at 39 years, depending if Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau can find homes or not. May be a tough order since both want to sign with the Sharks, and right now it looks like the Sharks have moved on to younger bodies.
What kills me is I'm older than all these people at age 43.
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What kills me is I'm older than all these people at age 43.
*high five*
I remember when Chara was still an Islander and didn't think the guy was going to be around the league for longer than a few years as anything other than a tough guy. Jumbo Joe was also was a Bruin playing with Ray Bourque. Also another 'yes I'm old' reminder, a recent publicity photo for the Caps alumni game showed Bondra wearing a number 15, which made no sense because he wore number 12. Turns out it was his son.
So as we approach 70 we will have been blessed to see 2 of Keith Tkachuk's sons have long careers and perhaps have multiple sons that within a generation or two will displace the the Sutter clan in NHL family saturation.
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I remember when Peter Bondra was playing for the short-lived Detroit Vipers of the IHL before he was a Cap. I remember Sergei Samsonov too, before the Bruins.
I remember talking to a coworker about Chara and how the league was changing, and everyone was going to have to get mountains on skates for their defense. Ha! Now it's Goalies who are the big men on their team.
Turning this thread into a Back in the Day trainwreck. Lol...
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I remember when Peter Bondra was playing for the short-lived Detroit Vipers of the IHL before he was a Cap.
That was the year that he signed late due to a contract dispute. I thought he had two runs through the Vipers, but what I can find only shows one.
[/quote]
Current day news, Dzingel signed in Carolina.
And because we were lacking moves of substance I invite you to check in on Gritty https://www.nhl.com/news/philadelphia-flyers-mascot-gritty-visits-jersey-shore/c-308254856?tid=281396148[/b]]https://www.nhl.com/news/philadelphia-flyers-mascot-gritty-visits-jersey-shore/c-308254856?tid=281396148 (http://[b)
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Jordan Binnington agreed to a 2 year contract with the Blues for $4.4 mil per year.
Not much else going on despite how many unsigned players are available.
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Jordan Binnington agreed to a 2 year contract with the Blues for $4.4 mil per year.
Not much else going on despite how many unsigned players are available.
Honestly I think we aren't going to see to much movement the rest of the month due to the fact the cap didn't go up nearly as much as was expected. On top of that one would expect most teams to have an average of 22 player contracts signed and playing in the NHL by the beginning of the season. At this point 2/3rds of the league is already at that number so only a handful of teams are trying actively fill spots. That plays, mostly, to the remaining teams' advantage when trying to negotiate a contract.
The only team that has less than 20 players and has to really worry about it is the Florida Panthers who have 17 guys signed to contracts. On the one hand they have 4 RFAs who made 700-900k last season and each of those guys qualifying offers are offered at least 5% raise which has already been rejected by a player. Assuming they all get 1.25m then that more or less settles the issue for this season.
Other teams below 20 players signed are Minnesota, Carolina, New Jersey, and Winnipeg. Winnipeg has to deal with what to pay Liane and Connor. Once that's finally accounted for then you could expect them to do a little shopping. The Devils have RFAs to sign and nothing that is going to break the bank. Minnesota is having an identity crisis and I don't think they have any idea what they are doing (hint: it should have involved trading assets). Carolina with get there paying their few remaining RFAs and then potentially bargain shop.
Bottom line with all of this is expect only a handful of the quality UFAs to sign once it becomes apparent if they don't they are going to get absolute chump change.
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Blackhawks dealt Artem Anisimov to the Sens for Zack Smith today.
And Michael Del Zotto signed with the Ducks of Anaheim.
Scraping the bottom of the barrel here. I sure do miss hockey.
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Scraping the bottom of the barrel here.
Sure seems like it. Re: Anisimov, I think the Sens win this trade heads up. It just gets them closer to the cap. If the 'Hawks think Smith will do anything positive for them on the ice, well, I think they are insane.
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The hockey barrel filled back up today.
Edmonton dealt Milan Lucic to the Flames for James Neal. Calgary also gets a conditional third rounder, and the Oilers will pay 12.5% of Lucic's contract.
Then today Jacob Trouba signed a 7 year $56 million dollar deal with the Rangers, avoiding a scheduled arbitration hearing.
And yesterday, Ron Francis was named the first GM of Seattle's still unnamed hockey team.
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Edmonton dealt Milan Lucic to the Flames for James Neal.
A Flames-Oilers trade....my oh my how times have changed. :))
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A Flames-Oilers trade....my oh my how times have changed. :))
I was thinking the same thing.
Edit: and until further notice, I'll be calling Seattle's new team The Grunge. Only because it makes me happy to do so.
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Anyone trading for Lucic for less than extortion is insane. The Flames desperately wanted to get rid of James Neal that they took on a contract with a bigger point pill with a conditional pick. Even if that pick pans out because Neal is successful A) it's only a 3rd rounder which on its own is okay, but I'd have held out for another pick and B) trading within the division is no bueno.
Today the Maple Leafs traded for David Clarkson so they can put him on LTIR at the beginning of the season to open up cap space after trading him away a few years ago. The whole idea being that they can sign Marner. Garrett Sparks became a casualty as well. Vegas is now finally below the cap.
Francis was a good enough hire. I don't think he's going to draft a team that is going to make the playoffs the first year, but I think year 2 or 3 will be possible.
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So, which team was screwed harder by this off season, the Blue Jackets or the Jets?
On the surface it looks like Columbus got jacked the hardest, what with Panarin, Duchene, Dzingle and Bobrovski leaving. Their saving grace is a young core with lots of highly rated prospects in the pipeline.
On the other side is Winnipeg. Never undetestimate a team that bleeds defencemen like the Jets did this off season. They may actually be worse off than the Blue Jackets.
What do you think, noble reader?
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I'll take Winnipeg. Columbus' management knew what was coming, knew they had to eat a turd sandwich in the offseason, but made a very, VERY bold move to set themselves up for one big playoff push before the cap monster destroyed what they had. (And to their credit, it wasn't the worst gamble, on paper. In practice, they gave up a pretty serious haul of picks and prospects to get slapped around by Boston in the second round- easy to say it wasn't worth it now, but if they'd made it past the Bruins- a real possibility, remember- then it might have looked a little different). The Jackets made the best of a bad situation, but that bad situation was never in doubt.
The Jets though? This has been weird, and there doesn't really seem to be any real pattern or plan behind it- just all of a sudden their defensive corps is scattering into the night. (I've even seen noise about Byfuglien being on the block next!). Their cap wasn't ideal, but I didn't think they'd implode quite like this.
Both teams are in pain compared to the past couple of years, but the surprise factor puts the Jets over the top for me- it's worse to suddenly become a crap roster than to see it coming and at least mentally prepare for it.
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So, which team was screwed harder by this off season, the Blue Jackets or the Jets?
To this point I think it's a coin toss. If the CBJ doesn't sign another goal tender to compete for the starting job then I'll say Columbus.
Caps signed Stepenson and Djoos and are now over the cap. And now I shall sit back and wait to see who the victim of the cap ends up being traded or demoted.
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Don't forget the Blue Jackets had never won a playoff series or even won a playoff game by more than 1 goal, both of which they accomplished this year. I'd say the gamble paid off somewhat for them. Not the way everyone hoped, but more than the past.
Not having a defense can be bad, but going from a Vezina winner to having no goalie is tougher in the NHL I think.
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Minnesota is having an identity crisis and I don't think they have any idea what they are doing (hint: it should have involved trading assets).
Well said, Firesprocket. Ownership agrees to a point, and fired Paul Fenton on Tuesday, after just over one year on the job. Owner Leipold played down the trades and claimed it was many little things that caused the firing, but all of it points toward high level incompetence.
And in other news of significance, Tampa Bay signed Vasilievski to an extension worth $9.5 mil per season, locking him in for the greater part of the next decade.
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The sad part? Fenton was a moron, and most of his moves show it (I'll at least give him a little credit on the Coyle/Donato trade, because I think long-term Donato was a good pickup even at the tough price paid). The problem, however, goes far above his head.
After all, Fenton hasn't done much over the past few weeks to make things worse, has he? It's been quiet since the draft. So why now? What prompted them to make this call right now, rather than, say, during the spring? The team missed the playoffs, they were lunch meat at the deadline (again, Donato aside), all the problems Fenton had caused were at a head at that point... so why the hell would you keep him to run your draft, then fire him a month after THAT?
Yeah, Fenton didn't do too great. Which means he was a great match for the Wild's ownership that let him in the door to begin with... and booted him at an absurd point in time. Nothing about this makes sense- and it'll be interesting to see if anyone comes in to fix this mess and risk working for this poorly-run group, or if they have to find another B-list name to do the job.
...oh god, they're going to hire Chiarelli, aren't they? Please say it is so, for I need to be able to laugh today...
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Yeah, Fenton didn't do too great. Which means he was a great match for the Wild's ownership that let him in the door to begin with... and booted him at an absurd point in time. Nothing about this makes sense- and it'll be interesting to see if anyone comes in to fix this mess and risk working for this poorly-run group, or if they have to find another B-list name to do the job.
...oh god, they're going to hire Chiarelli, aren't they? Please say it is so, for I need to be able to laugh today...
For a team in such a horrible quagmire there is only one solution, Ron Hextall. According to the Star Tribune they have been granted permission to speak to him about the vacancy too.
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Rangers bought out the last two years on Shattenkirk's contract yesterday, giving them some much-needed cap room.
Now if only the Red Wings would buy out Jonathan Ericsson...
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Rangers bought out the last two years on Shattenkirk's contract yesterday, giving them some much-needed cap room.
Now if only the Red Wings would buy out Jonathan Ericsson...
And straight to Tampa to give is full 70% every night for them!
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It's a low cost move for the Bolts. If they have to bury him because he can't play then it won't cost them much. Tampa must have a quota that they have to have at least one former NY Ranger on their team at anytime.
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It's a low cost move for the Bolts. If they have to bury him because he can't play then it won't cost them much. Tampa must have a quota that they have to have at least one former NY Ranger on their team at anytime.
To satisfy all the NY snowbirds in their fanbase.
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To satisfy all the NY snowbirds in their fanbase.
I completely forgot last night that Mcdonagh was still on their team so its more of a former 2 Ranger minimum.
Interesting article today about contracts buy outs and player performance the season after. Most of the results weren't to surprising. What I did find surprising is that only about 1/3 of the players bought out have no further NHL play. I'd have thought that number to be higher. The article is here: https://sports.yahoo.com/when-are-boughtout-players-a-good-bet-in-the-nhl-145250734.html (https://sports.yahoo.com/when-are-boughtout-players-a-good-bet-in-the-nhl-145250734.html)
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Nassau Co. has given preliminary approval for a development plan that will allow the Islanders to build a stadium on Long Island. While there are still hurdles to clear it appears that Islanders will have a new arena that doesn't have them splitting time between two arenas by 2021 or 2022.
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The Wild hired Bill Guerin to be there to GM. He's been the AGM in Pittsburgh so he has some experience at the top end of the food change. The Islanders signed Derick Brassard to a 1 year deal at 1.2 mil.
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Niklas Kronwall retired after15 seasons with the Red Wings. Not a huge surprise to be certain. He will be missed by fans and teammates.
But it opens up space for our prospects to step up and fill.
And there's always Ericsson. He won't be bought out, but at least he only has a year left on his deal.
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Good on Kronwall for calling it a career. Nothing left for him to do and well deserved. I saw Cam Ward signed a one day and retired and Justin Williams has more or less hung his skates up as well. Ward hung on probably longer than he should, but had a decent enough career. I won't be surprised at all if he finds his way into Carolina office in some capacity in the future.
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Yeah, Kronwall has already been picked up by the Wings for the front office. He's an advisor to the GM. So he's still around, he just won't be on ice throwing hip checks.
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Not so sure on Williams- I'm guessing he's done, but it seems weird that he's not actually retiring, just kind of putting himself in limbo. I'm wondering if he plans to kind of take a few months off and rejoin the Canes later in the season to keep himself fresh for the playoffs. No way to know for sure yet, but if he was truly done I would think he'd just do the paperwork (as Kornwall just did) rather than leave the door open.
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Looks like the Jake Gardiner sweepstakes are over, and the 'Canes are the winners. Leafs fans figure he can be the goat for some other team now.
cheers,
Gabe
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I'm assuming the Gardiner signing makes the 'Canes' chances of signing Williams non-existent unless it is later in the season. I assume that is either his plan or he hasn't received offers he considers worth it to play for a contender for something other than peanuts. He can simply wait until later in the season for a when the 'Canes have more salary available as the cap pro-rate progresses through the season.
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Ovechkin talks about catching Gretzky in the goal scoring race. Do you even think it's possible? He played in a different time with an all-star team around him in the Oilers of the 80's.
Is it talk, or is there substance to it? Does Ovi have a chance at catching the Great One?
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcSCxYjxiyCRvQOGZEx-dDgGM1DbxhIPI0QBcJnwy6PwQzouTUBD)
I tried to post my Gretzky Rangers jersey, but it won't let me post off of fb.
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Honestly... no. It's POSSIBLE, but unlikely. Father Time comes for every athlete eventually, and when he does the effects are permanent. Ovechkin still is a top talent for now, but I don't know that he has enough time left at that peak to make up enough ground on the record.
Now, that said, if anyone COULD, he'd be my pick to get there. It's been a pleasure to be in DC for most of his career and see him firsthand. I've only seen someone who single-handedly changes a game the way be does once in my time watching the NHL- Peter Forsberg. I don't know how to give higher praise than that.
I'll say this- if he hadn't had his slump a few years ago during the Hunter/Oates years, where he looked merely good rather than superhuman, he might have had a better shot at this.
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I think Ovechkin can do it. He doesn't have that otherworldly dazzle he had when he was in his mid 20s. Now more than ever his production is going to be dependent on his line mates to keep up a 40-50 goal pace. Backstrom is a UFA after this season and he is driver on the PP that Ovechkin benefits from. It would be weird to see Backstrom elsewhere, but I can certainly see it happen.
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The Marner watch is over. He signed with the Leafs for 65+ million over six years.
The word is all the other unsigned RFAs were waiting for "the first domino to fall", and this was it. Let's see if that's true. Maybe another offersheet gets tendered. If were lucky.
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The Marner watch is over. He signed with the Leafs for 65+ million over six years.
The word is all the other unsigned RFAs were waiting for "the first domino to fall", and this was it. Let's see if that's true. Maybe another offersheet gets tendered. If were lucky.
I feel sorry for the Avs. Now they are going to have to pay Rantanen close to that much and I don't know if they have the space to do it.
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I feel sorry for the Avs. Now they are going to have to pay Rantanen close to that much and I don't know if they have the space to do it.
Tampa Bay will have the same issue with Point. Then Winnipeg will have to find a way to pay both Laine and Connor.
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I feel sorry for the Avs. Now they are going to have to pay Rantanen close to that much and I don't know if they have the space to do it.
They have 15.6 million in cap space this season and over double that available before making offers to free agents for next season. They have no UFAs of any consequence they will have to sign next year. The only way this doesn't get done is the Avs penny pinch and that really shouldn't happen, but it will because Colorado isn't team known to spend to the cap ceiling.
Tampa Bay will have the same issue with Point. Then Winnipeg will have to find a way to pay both Laine and Connor.
IMO, Tampa's outstanding issue with signing Point boil down to making an ill advised contract for Yanni Gourde for the 5.16 mil he makes a year and the recent Shattenkirk contract, which carries a NTC. The missing cash they need is right there. They also seemingly aggravated the issue by trading for Mike Condon in bury him. That combination of events and the fact that Point likely isn't willing to take the Florida 'income tax' discount makes it likely he won't be on ice opening night unless the trade someone or have this plan where someone goes on LTIR.
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What with all the high end forward RFAs out there, the D men are seeming underated. The Bruins sealed the deal with McAvoy today, $14.7 mil for three years.
What a steal! McAvoy is sick and only going to get better. Bruins bucks go a long way.
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Man, my ESPN feed is so old it showed a hockey score when I looked at it this morning.
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Lightning signed Brayden Point to a three year deal worth just over $20 million. Seems the dominos are all falling into place. And Lightning bucks are worth as much as Bruin bucks.
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Point is apparently coming off surgery too. He will still be an RFA when the contract matures, however, with that back loaded contract and lack of a NTC, TB might have a more difficult time extending him in 3 years.
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Carolina traded Justin Faulk to St. Louis today, in exchange for Joel Edmundson, a prospect, and a 7th rounder. Looks like the champs are only getting better.
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I suspect that with Faulk traded to St. Louis that this will be Pietrangelo last year in town. Pietrangelo is the better defenseman, but they just gave Faulk an extension for the same cash AAV. Pound for pound Pietrangelo is the better player, but cost certainty always trumps the guy who they will have to give a modest raise to next year.
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Plus one year with both seems like a good platform to hunt for a repeat
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Tkachuk signed a three year deal with Calgary today worth $7 mil per year.
Now its down to Rantanen, a deal that will get done. And Winnipeg with Laine and Connor. Winnipeg's woes are now extending to Byfuglien's future, which is in doubt. It seems the Peg is well-nigh fubared.
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There isn't much incentive for Rantanen to sign a deal anytime soon. He can hold out for at least 8-9 mil a year and he has a good case to still hold out for Marner money. Laine and Connor should get 7 million a year, however, Winnipeg probably is a bit leery in giving Laine that cash because he had a down season. They shouldn't be with him being 21 years old. Tkachuk's contract looks to be a good comparison, though both have produced as much or more in the a similar amount of games played. If anything that should drive their price up.
The Jets have just enough 2 line talent that they could start out well enough that they don't feel a need to rush negotiations either. They don't start playing teams with considerably more depth outside of Pittsburgh until November. I see a possibility that they go 8-5-1 or 9-4 in October and then it all goes into a tailspin leading into Thanksgiving after they start playing Vegas, San Jose, Colorado, and Nashville and get ripped to shreds.
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Rantanen can hold out for Marner, but I don't think the Avs can afford it, especially when McKinnon comes due for his next contract.
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Laine signed effectively a bridge contract for 3 years. Plenty of cash left to sign Connor.
Rantanen can hold out for Marner, but I don't think the Avs can afford it, especially when McKinnon comes due for his next contract.
That is idea. However that really isn't Ratanen's concern and can't be his motivation. McKinnon's contract is a bargain for the Avs and anyone they might trade him to in the future.
While escalating salary is certainly a concern of their cap, if they aren't going to pay him then they should trade him for assets. He is due to be paid more than what laine, tkachuk, or Connor gets paid. If he gets paid less than 8 mil then it is because ratanen and his agent waivered.
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I guess that down year did hurt Laine a little, but he has a chance to cash big in a couple years of solid production.
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I think it was a combination of his down season when weighted against what Tkachuk received in compensation. Not to much to leverage left as a a more favorable comparison.
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Well Mikko is signed by the AVs for 6 years, $55.5 million ($9,25 million AAV). It's more than I would like.
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Yeah, a bit more than preferred, but MAN it's good to ha e him on the opening night roster. This is going to be a fun season.
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Yeah, a bit more than preferred, but MAN it's good to ha e him on the opening night roster. This is going to be a fun season.
especially between the pipes/ We'll see if Grubauer can make it thru the year as the #1 goalie.
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Connor signed a 7 year deal with the Jets worth $7.14 mil per season.
With him and Rantanen signed today, that wraps up most if not all the high end RFAs we had floating around this summer.
And in other news, the Wings got smacked around pretty good by the Leafs tonight to end the preseason. One of my takeaways from this preseason is the Wings will do fine against lesser competition, but will struggle against good and elite clubs though they shouldn't be counted out off hand. My other takeaway is the captain situation. We will be having no captain again. That tells me that the few good players we have who would be considered for the captaincy are possibly open to be traded. Not unusual for a team that is in full rebuild mode as we are. Larkin would be captain already if he didn't lead the team in penalty minites last season. Maturity, that's my feeling on ot. But if he performs as well as he did last year on the scoresheet, he could be worth a lot of high level picks. Who knows... We're a team in flux.
How's your team check out as the season begins? :)
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The Caps are pretty much in the same place they were last year. A year older and the window for another long Cup run closing. A few dubious contracts that are on the books for a few years that they felt compelled to offer to retain or attract talent. At the end of the day though I'm settling in for what is likely the last season of Holtby, Backstrom, or both in a Caps uniform.
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I know nothing about Lausanne HC, but it can't be a good sign for the Flyers that lost to them in an exhibition with Lausanne scoring 4 goals before the Flyers touched the score sheet. I only caught the highlights of the game, but man does Philadelphia look lethargic.
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Evander Kane's season steps off on the wrong foot. He gets a three game suspension for pushing back on a linesman who was breaking up a scuffle between him and another player during San Jose's last preseason game against Vegas. I didn't see it myself, but from fan reactions, Kane has a history of this. Are the fan reactions BS, or does Kane simply "play with an edge", as other players are praised for?
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I found the replay on sportsnet. It certainly isn't the worst thing I've ever seen, but he's lucky he didn't get 10 games. He was aiming for a Knight's player, but ended up hitting the ref. Had this event played out, say, 15 or 20 years ago he might not have gotten a suspension. Kane's contention that the ref did anything but his job, when he took '5 strides' toward him after the play was dead is more or less accurate. 15 or 20 years ago the ref doesn't get between the players and a fight happens. In the more civilized era of the NHL though the ref does his job and people don't fight. The later is what transpired.
At the end the day, Kane goes 'half Wilson' (you never go half Wilson!) and earns a few days off. Just as the powers that be intended it; my boys the Chelyabinsk Kartel's Kane vs. Ben Rome's Error 404 Kuznetsov sitting for 3 games to start the season.
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Other reason swinging sticks at people is done, Kane is suspended for 3 games against divisional opponents. This includes 2 games against Vegas that actually count for something in the standings.
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The replays I saw lacked both sound & context, but it looked to me like the linesman made some mistakes that Kane then compounded.
The TSN guys seemed to agree: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKNl9p7y3GE
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I've read a few takes on it, and most agree the refs should not jump in so quickly and let scuffles play out before intervention. A lot of fans still don't mind fighting. I happen to agree.
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Blackhawks sign Alex DeBrinncat to a three year contract extension, taking care of business one full year before his current deal expires. He'll be getting $6.4 million per year starting next season, and forgoing the waiting games we watched play out this summer.
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Avs win and Mikko gets 2 goals to celebrate his new contract. Donskoi gets 2 as well.
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Brayden Schenn wont be becoming an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season anymore. The Blues signed him today to an eight year extension worth $6.5 million per season.
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Wings win in Nashville 5 to 3. Tyler Bertuzzi with two goals. Big night for the underdogs.
Elsewhere... Zibanejad with the hat trick for NYR. Panerin had a goal and an assist, too. Rangers are rollin.
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Mantha scored four goals for the Wings in their 4 to 3 win over the stars. I was at my watering hole in my Konstantinov jersey when it happened. I will have to keep doing that...
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The Habs won a wild one over the Leafs in T.O. Saturday night. Down 4-1 in the third, they looked out of it and set to lose, when they scored two quick goals to get within 1, and then Leafs winger Kasperi Kapanen did THIS (see video):
https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/maple-leafs-lack-composure-proves-costly-collapse-canadiens/ (https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/maple-leafs-lack-composure-proves-costly-collapse-canadiens/)
After some deliberation to determine who was able (by the rulebook) to take the penalty shot, it was decided that Jeff Petry had to do it...and he made it count.
Habs end up winning 6-5 in the shootout. It was the second straight game where they went to SO (the season opener being a loss to the newly-archrival 'Canes); while it was nice to see them battle back from deficits both times, I wouldn't call this a recipe for long-term success. They had better figure out how to build a lead and hold it during regulation.
cheers,
Gabe
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@rebs, now the Red Wings just need 3 other lines
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Thats what we brought in Yzerman to do. It may be a while for three more lines.........
Edit. And yeah, the D scores once tonight, so it's not just a one line effort. Maybe next game....... And I wore my Konstantinov jersey at the same watering hole and everything............
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And after all the nothing, Patrick Marleau signs with the Sharks. Must have been that bum start. They need leadership.
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I get the plague and everything in San Jose goes to hell. By the end of the week they will have signed Evgeni Nabokov to play in goal ;D
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Get over the plague soon, Firesprocket! The league of uncouth hockey fanatics needs your hockey brain intact.
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I get the plague and everything in San Jose goes to hell. By the end of the week they will have signed Evgeni Nabokov to play in goal ;D
He must have heard you. Marleau got 2 goals and helped the Sharks win their first of the season.
Hope you feel better soon.
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As do I. I'm going to Hawaii next week with my parents. Last thing I need is to kick this crud and then contract something else on the way to or on the way back. I may have to call the doctors office and make another appointment if it doesn't clear up by the end of the week. I was able to overlook the Caps thrashing yesterday due to the fact I was at work and the Nats' thrashing of the Cardinals. While it's well to early to etch it into stone, my gut tells me that Samsonov will be the starter by the end of the season.
Burakovsky also is off to a good start with Avalanche. I hate to see a guy who was stuck in the mud here go off and do wonderful things elsewhere. In his case they are ramping up a little more play time for him and I think it's paying off.
Marcus Johansson also is off to a solid start with Buffalo too. Hopefully he won't have to many injuries and can build up is stock again.
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It only took him 127 NHL games, but diminutive Habs defenceman Victor Mete finally scored his first NHL goal tonight against the Wild in a 4-0 Habs win. Rookie Nick Suzuki, acquired in the trade that sent Max Pacioretty to Vegas, also got his first NHL goal...and it took him fewer than 10 games.
cheers,
Gabe
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The Red Wings are MIA at this moment. Somewhere in the wild Canadian west.
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It only took him 127 NHL games, but diminutive Habs defenceman Victor Mete finally scored his first NHL goal tonight against the Wild in a 4-0 Habs win. Rookie Nick Suzuki, acquired in the trade that sent Max Pacioretty to Vegas, also got his first NHL goal...and it took him fewer than 10 games.
A goal is a goal. You take your first in a professional setting whenever and however long it takes.
I'm curious since we don't get much state side coverage here on Canadian teams, what's your opinion of
Joel Armia start this year? Simply a hot start or do you think he can hit a 20+ goal clip this year?
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A goal is a goal. You take your first in a professional setting whenever and however long it takes.
Point taken, but he was not so goal-challenged in junior--he had 15 goals his last season in London (Ontario). The transition to pro has been harder for him than for many others--he didn't rack up many points even in his AHL stints. The Habs hang on to him primarily because of his skating ability and puck-moving capability, qualities for which he's the polar opposite of his usual partner, Shea Weber.
I'm curious since we don't get much state side coverage here on Canadian teams, what's your opinion of
Joel Armia start this year? Simply a hot start or do you think he can hit a 20+ goal clip this year?
I will have to reserve judgment on that until I actually see him in a few more games. The main knock many Habs fans had against him last year was that he was the kind of player on whose stick offense went to die--good at carrying the puck but lacking at translating that into offense (his own or others'). He does indeed seem somewhat more proactive this season, but his last goal against the Wild came on a 5-on-3 where he was left unguarded at the side of the net. (He was scratched for the Saturday matinee against the Blues--a 5-2 Habs win.)
cheers,
Gabe
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So we are now 8 games deep inside into the season and the Avs have yet to lose in regulation. Looking at their schedule for the remainder of October I can see them going 4-1 or 3-0-2 and finish the month with 25 standings points. Meanwhile given player comments it looks like the first coach to be fired may be the Wild's Boudreau
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Wings lost again tonight. That's five in a row. We're a young team and it's showing right now.
And.... We just got younger today. Yzerman put Jonathan Ericsson on waivers. Many a fan will rejoice in that. I like the team's commitment to a youth movement. It will be a long road, but fans have to be patient, just as Yzerman said when he took the GM position. Its a game of years not periods. Until then... Here's to being a die-hard fan who gets to watch it all.
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Great game between Bruins and Leafs last night leafs do not like playing defence especially behind net 4-2 to the B's
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Hey, let's wait until we're behind by six before we change goaltenders.
That'll work! :ugly_stupid:
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Hey, let's wait until we're behind by six before we change goaltenders.
That'll work! :ugly_stupid:
I'm glad you weren't talking about the Wings. When I saw this post I had to go check. They were winning, but with the way they've been playing, you never know...
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I have returned from my Hawaii vacation and I see I get to play the Hellbie Bruin juggernaut next week. Me thinks for 4 games for the Bruins against mostly bottom feeders this going to be a long week :'(
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Well, reassessing my thoughts about the Red Wings, it's going to be a long and brutal season. Detroit sports are in the doldrums. Patience, which is key for a rebuilding team, will be sorely tested if it keeps going like this.
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I have returned from my Hawaii vacation and I see I get to play the Hellbie Bruin juggernaut next week. Me thinks for 4 games for the Bruins against mostly bottom feeders this going to be a long week :'(
Gee, those bottom feeders can sometimes do the darndest things, eh?
HABS WIN 5-4!!! :P ;D
cheers,
Gabe
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We're setting ourselves up for the lottery. That's my only excuse for Bad Hockey going on in Detroit right now.
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Well Robby Fabri's debut at least went well.
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Yeah, I didn't want to jinx it. But I was happy with the result. Now to get that Perlini kid off to a good start as well. Yzerman has made some moves, let's see where it leads...
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Fabri looks to be a good solid pick up and has more upside over De La Rosa. Perlini is looking more and more like he might end up being a project. Both were a squeeze on their prior teams because there was plenty of depth above them. With the Red Wings now entrenched in full rebuild mode they should throw him to the wolves to see what they have.
There isn't a whole lot that can be done otherwise. To many NTC players that shouldn't have had them in the first place taking up roster spots. If Green is healthy at the trade deadline he should be traded for a pick or a young buried player on some other team's roster. Trading Howard, should he have any remaining value, should also be done for assets too. I haven't seen a Red Wings game yet this season though it seems the best you can hope for is a good effort and hope they continue to tank enough to get the best shot at the lottery balls.
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The proliferation of NTC was thanks to Holland. Theres not a lot of market demand for the over-inflated contracts, either. Yzerman will be doing things differently. Or, I can only hope he will.
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The end of another era in Canadian hockey broadcasting has come, and not in a very pleasant way:
https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/don-cherry-fired-coaches-corner-1.5355764 (https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/don-cherry-fired-coaches-corner-1.5355764)
Personally, I think it's about high time.
cheers,
Gabe
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Personally, I think it's about high time.
Agreed.
Don and dinosaurs like him have been holding this league back for far too long.
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It was his time to go. The game has too much speed and finesse for his tastes.
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He should have been gone years ago. I am surprised it took the network this long to act, but I have seen it elsewhere implied that he got axed and McLean didn't because McLean apologized.
If that is true it reflects poorly on the network as it seems implies they would likely not have taken action had Cherry retracted his statement and apologized. That said I do not think I will be making any further comments about this subject.
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It was his time to go. The game has too much speed and finesse for his tastes.
Agreed.
Don and dinosaurs like him have been holding this league back for far too long.
I'm no moderator, but the attempt to keep the discussion within forum rules is appreciated.
That said, the fact remains that the comments that got Cherry canned concerned issues that are far outside (and bigger than) the game itself, so any further discussion should go to PMs.
cheers,
Gabe
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Marginalization of anyone hurts us all whether or not aggressors realize it. No one has the right to that kind of behavior. I have nothing more to say accept this general statement.
On a brighter note, the Red Wings have suddenly won three in a row through solid team efforts. I don't want to jinx them by talking about it but I can't help it, we were playing such bad hockey for quite a stretch.
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If you start the 3rd period with a 4-goal lead over a team that hasn't been all that good all season, you can be forgiven for maybe letting your guard down and giving up a bad opportunity or two- maybe even a goal. It happens. I've done it, after all.
If you let that team dominate you,score FOUR, and then win in a shootout, it's time to take a very good look in the mirror and ask what cosmic-level incompetence sneaked into your locker room all of a sudden, because Cup-caliber teams like Boston shouldn't be letting FLORIDA do that.
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Didn't they nearly blow another one almost the exact same way the other week?
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Didn't they nearly blow another one almost the exact same way the other week?
Yup not a good run after a great start multiple injuries but no excuse
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In Boston's defense, that isn't the first time the Panthers have played like crap for 40 minutes and then turned it on to get to OT. It happened to the Avs a few weeks ago.
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Caught the Caps v. Bruins game on the radio and watched the highlights and I have to say, if we can get a conference final with these two at the end of the year I'm all for it. I also caught the highlights of the Avs v. Canucks and despite the fact that the Av's star players are currently injured, the rest of the team is still damn exciting to watch. The Canucks looked damn good with the speed and skill they have too. Tonight they wore their throwbacks and I have to say I miss those jerseys.
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This is and is not kind of a shocker. Did the Leafs' brass pull the trigger too soon?
https://www.tsn.ca/toronto-maple-leafs-fire-head-coach-babcock-1.1401009 (https://www.tsn.ca/toronto-maple-leafs-fire-head-coach-babcock-1.1401009)
cheers,
Gabe
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This is and is not kind of a shocker. Did the Leafs' brass pull the trigger too soon?
The only way to say for certain to answer this is still at least a few months down the road when the current season ends and Sheldon Keefe's season comes to an eventual close. If the Maple Leafs make it out of the first round and beyond, then you have to say that it was a right step to take. Most any other team in the league would have accepted the success that the Leafs and Babcock had the last few years, but this is Toronto and further success expected. I'd have to go back and watch the presser from when he was hired, but I believe the window they expected to be competitive year in and out was 5-6 years. Babcock managed to making them competitive in 2-3 years.
Babcock's replacement, Sheldon Keefe, is a Dubas hire (which Babcock wasn't) so the clock for Dubas tenure is now ticking. Keefe has a fairly respectable minor league coaching career with both the Marlies and the junior team that Dubas and he worked for at the same time. Ultimately I think Keefe will do a good job, but whether he does it well enough to keep Dubas employed is another matter.
The Maple Leafs have to effectively win now, because they are going to be in somewhat of a cap hell the next starting next year when the have to replace 5 UFA players on defense. Right now that same defense stinks and they don't have a good back up goaltender. Unless the offense starts scoring 5 goals a game every night, they are going to find it difficult to gain any traction in the division. Florida and Bob seem to give up a lot of goals, but they sure as hell seem capable of scoring 5 goals again with players less talent.
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That's an expensive firing. Babs was owed a lot of money per year to coach. It seems like they listen to the fans too much in Toronto. Their team will never get it right doing that.
But on another hand, this serves as notice for lots of other coaches, namely Jeff Blashill of my Wings. I know he sweats it that we keep losing. He seems to be safe though, under the auspices of a team in full rebuild mode. The team is not making it very attractive to other coaches with the way they've been playing, anyway.
That said, I don't imagine Babs will be on the market for very long. This firing may cause a chain reaction of fires and hires at the coaches position.
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Bruins got lucky tonight Rask was amazing even letting in two and the forwards took the chances that counted
I think Marshand could have another 100pt season and Pasta is taking those chances in his stride
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This is and is not kind of a shocker. Did the Leafs' brass pull the trigger too soon?
https://www.tsn.ca/toronto-maple-leafs-fire-head-coach-babcock-1.1401009 (https://www.tsn.ca/toronto-maple-leafs-fire-head-coach-babcock-1.1401009)
cheers,
Gabe
They won with the new coach last night. It could be a step in the right direction. Babcock is/was not an offensive minded coach. There's too much offensive talent on the Leafs that they shouldn't be held back by a offensive dunderhead. It appears the new guy will open it up a bit.
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That's an expensive firing. Babs was owed a lot of money per year to coach. It seems like they listen to the fans too much in Toronto. Their team will never get it right doing that.
According to an article I read on the Canadian Yahoo portal, there was thought of releving him his duties over the summer. While it is expensive to pay a 6 million to not coach the team annually, it was probably foolish to give Babcock that contract in first place. Dubas wasn't GM though so you can't link that contract directly to him.
Bab's is the 'best' coach money can buy and he wasn't getting results. Toronto isn't going to be able to make a trade that is suddenly going to reverse course in season until at least the trade deadline. Thus the coach is the most flexible piece to jettison since he doesn't count against the cap. Toronto isn't cashed strapped and it won't effect their cash flow next season against the cap. The division standings also dictated the change. While everyone in that division is within a couple points of each other, except the Bruins, it still gives Keefe plenty of chance to make a run on nearly equal footing. Keefe is Dubas' guy and he's said as much.
But on another hand, this serves as notice for lots of other coaches, namely Jeff Blashill of my Wings. I know he sweats it that we keep losing. He seems to be safe though, under the auspices of a team in full rebuild mode. The team is not making it very attractive to other coaches with the way they've been playing, anyway.
Firing Blashill would be dumb. The Red Wings aren't going to sniff the playoffs this year or next. Let him play out his contract and worry about the net guy up then.
That said, I don't imagine Babs will be on the market for very long. This firing may cause a chain reaction of fires and hires at the coaches position.
I don't honestly think there will be a chain reaction. I think there are two clubs right now that could possibly get canned before the end of the season and an outside chance of a third that might consider Babcock. In order from top down: Nashville, San Jose, Calgary. The first two because their cup window is closing and Calgary as a bit of a knee jerk reaction to how poorly they have been playing in the last month. Nashville though is leaps and bounds above the other two.
They won with the new coach last night. It could be a step in the right direction. Babcock is/was not an offensive minded coach. There's too much offensive talent on the Leafs that they shouldn't be held back by a offensive dunderhead. It appears the new guy will open it up a bit.
I expected them to win last night. Phoenix is a decent team this year, but Toronto should stomp them. They won, but not overwhelming fashion. Babcock never used his players to their best strengths. His defense has always been awful. While he still would have likely never made it out of the second round with what he had, focusing on the offense first probably would have extended his tenure. This version of the Leafs could easily be the equal of Caps 'Young Guns' from the last decade.
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Anyone got any good hockey vibes to share? The news cycle is filled with coaches that appear to be awful human beings and little else.
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Anyone got any good hockey vibes to share? The news cycle is filled with coaches that appear to be awful human beings and little else.
How about one where the coach is seemingly a very kindly, level-headed guy who can't seem to get his team to win anymore?
Oh wait...you said GOOD vibes...
Cheers, Gabe
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...Well, Jaroslav Halak hits 500 career games tonight, that's a positive, right?
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...Well, Jaroslav Halak hits 500 career games tonight, that's a positive, right?
Very cool hopefully he and the team are on A game for it
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...Well, Jaroslav Halak hits 500 career games tonight, that's a positive, right?
I have this love hate relationship with Halak. I love it when he gets my fantasy a W. At all other times I still curse his existence. No sir, I don't hold a grudge at all ::)
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The Stars seem to have fired their coach for being a creep or something.
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Another one bites the dust...
I wonder if Babcock will consider Dallas as a landing spot.
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Another one bites the dust...
I wonder if Babcock will consider Dallas as a landing spot.
I would be generally surprised if Babcock is hired by anyone at the moment considering the press he has received recently as an awful human being via Chris Chelios and others who played for him in Detroit.
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I would be generally surprised if Babcock is hired by anyone at the moment considering the press he has received recently as an awful human being via Chris Chelios and others who played for him in Detroit.
He let Chelly play until SS payments started kicking in. And that's how he's repaid?
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Below is an item from the Detroit Free press from last week. I saw it posted elsewhere, but he wasn't a fan of being benched in a home coming game. He definitely doesn't like the man.
In another article elsewhere, which I would have to locate, he described in brief detail an episode between Babcock and Johan Franzen which caused the later to have a mental breakdown. Chelios is also on record as stating while Babcock is great at Xs and Os he is now way a decent person.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.freep.com/amp/4353301002 (https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.freep.com/amp/4353301002)
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Sharks fired Deboer yesterday evening and replaced him with Bob Bougher, previously head coach of the Florida Panthers. My take is it is going to get worse before it gets any better. Nabakov was also hires as the tending coach. I have no idea what his coaching credentials are and whether this will actually help anyone.
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At work today and came across a headline today on TMZ sports, which is somehow not blocked at work when every other sports site is, about Tim Thomas. Read it over it I was somewhat shocked at the contents. Thomas is known to be a bit of an eccentric, but the contents weren't what I was initially expected. He was recently inducted into the US Hockey Hall of fame and spoke publicly for the first time in several years. Apparently a concussion sustained in 2013 caused severe and permanent damage. Article is here for anyone that wants to read it https://sports.yahoo.com/tim-thomas-details-brain-damage-222720074.html (https://sports.yahoo.com/tim-thomas-details-brain-damage-222720074.html). It is truly awful what he's gone through in the last several years and sadly also understandable why he' had fallen off the grid.
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The Red Wings win....locally they are promoting it like they just won the Stanley Cup. I just hope it doesn't reset the loss streak again.
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Wings won two in a row. Let's see them hit three now.
Hell, let's just see them take shorter slides. It's unlike the St. Louis situation last year. We're at the bottom going into the mid season, but there is nothing to light the way, no stacked roster to ignite. Red Wings are hurtling to the under realm of the standings. Just a couple more wins here and there to make this rebuilding process slightly more palatable.
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Best thing you can hope for, knowing that the Wings aren't going to be playing for the wild card this year is that they play well enough to be entertaining/inspring. While it took them a few years after Ovechkin got drafted and they found the right coach to steer the ship, the Caps looked motivated even if there was nothing else exciting about them to cheer for. Even if Blashill deserves to be canned, there isn't a coach out there that is going to right the ship this season.
Within the next two years the Wings should have some of those horrible contracts that Holland saddled them with off the books. Yzerman's goal over the next couple years aside from setting up for the expansion drafts, should be to keep the team costs under control and build up a pool of picks. The picks part is something that is going to be more difficult with all the NTCs Holland liberally gave out, but Yzerman's shown to be good at his job. Come off season, throw some money at some UFAs that are looking to rebound from horrible year and pitch them for picks should their value increase. Alex Galchenyuk immediately comes to mind as a guy who's value has tanked the last two years that might be forced into some sort of 'show me' contract offer if he doesn't get traded and find stable footing elsewhere this season.
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Taylor hall to the Coyotes looks pretty good in the short term. Even better if they can convince him to re-sign.
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Red Wings shut out the Sharks to end the year with a tiny flicker of what could have been. Oh well...
Tyler Bertuzzi made the all star vote. Glad we had at least one.
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Is a one game winning streak a thing? Lol...
42 games in and the Red Wings are setting up for the 2020 draft lottery quite well.
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Corey Perry suspended for 5 games after elbowing Nashville's Ryan Ellis in the head during the Winter Classic. Many believe he should have been suspended for much more.
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Corey Perry suspended for 5 games after elbowing Nashville's Ryan Ellis in the head during the Winter Classic. Many believe he should have been suspended for much more.
The DoPS is just so inconsistent with what they dole out to who that it's hard to take them seriously at all.
I heard something a couple of days ago on TSN 690 (Montreal's English sports radio station) that Perry's Winter Classic jersey, which he wore for all of 38 seconds before getting tossed, sold for over $3000 on Ebay. Is that actually true?
cheers,
Gabe
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Surprised nobody commented on this yet...
This past weekend, the Habs signed Ilya Kovalchuk to a 1-year, 2-way, $700K contract (or $70K if he gets sent to the AHL). He didn't play on Saturday in the Habs' 3-2 loss to the Pens, but will make his debut in a Habs uniform tonight against the Jets.
Personally, I think this is an absolute desperation move by Marc Bergevin to try and compensate for the loss of so many key forwards that have basically stripped the team of its identity. I expect it'll work out as well as the Mark Streit and Karl Alzner fiascos.
cheers,
Gabe
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Red Wings shut out the Sharks to end the year with a tiny flicker of what could have been. Oh well...
Tyler Bertuzzi made the all star vote. Glad we had at least one.
Well you always get at least one. None the less, Bertuzzi has had a relatively good season and deserves the honor. As for the Sharks, based off how the last minute of the game yesterday, it's safe to assume they have thrown in the towel for the year. Personally I'm sad to say that I missed the comeback yesterday because I decide it was a lost cause after the Sharks scored an empty netter and decided to take a bathroom break.
Corey Perry suspended for 5 games after elbowing Nashville's Ryan Ellis in the head during the Winter Classic. Many believe he should have been suspended for much more.
I'd disagree with more than 5 games. It was a stupid and reckless action on Perry's part, but wasn't intentionally malicious. If you go back and look at his hit on Jason Zucker from 2013 when he was last suspended that hit was worse and that net him 4 games.
The DoPS is just so inconsistent with what they dole out to who that it's hard to take them seriously at all.
I heard something a couple of days ago on TSN 690 (Montreal's English sports radio station) that Perry's Winter Classic jersey, which he wore for all of 38 seconds before getting tossed, sold for over $3000 on Ebay. Is that actually true?
Hard to judge the DoPS this season given this is only their second suspension. In general over the past couple years the number of suspensions seems down. When you get something as blatant as the Perry elbow though you have to take action. The other suspension this season was Evander Kane for his abuse of officials and I was generally surprised that was only 3 games long.
As for the auction part, it isn't on ebay. It's up for sale, as is the case most Winter classic gear year after year, on the NHL auctions site. The 3k bid is also the most current.
Surprised nobody commented on this yet...
This past weekend, the Habs signed Ilya Kovalchuk to a 1-year, 2-way, $700K contract (or $70K if he gets sent to the AHL). He didn't play on Saturday in the Habs' 3-2 loss to the Pens, but will make his debut in a Habs uniform tonight against the Jets.
Personally, I think this is an absolute desperation move by Marc Bergevin to try and compensate for the loss of so many key forwards that have basically stripped the team of its identity. I expect it'll work out as well as the Mark Streit and Karl Alzner fiascos.
I haven't been paying as much attention to the forums recently. Now with the holidays complete and caught up on Mandoloran, Episode 9, and season 2 of ST Discovery, I'll probably be active again. As far as judging his signing vs. Streit and Alzner, it is a low risk contract. If he comes in and performs and gets them a playoff slot then it was money well spent. If he produces, but the rest of the team is a failure, then he's produced a tradible assest. If he completely fails to impress then he gets dumped in the minors for loose change. None of this is anything close to Streit and Alzner who were both in their downsides.
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Nashville fired Peter Laviolette and replaced him with John Hynes. Not certain this will pan out any better, but there is definitely more talent there that Hynes didn't have in Jersey.
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As for the auction part, it isn't on ebay. It's up for sale, as is the case most Winter classic gear year after year, on the NHL auctions site. The 3k bid is also the most current.
I haven't been paying as much attention to the forums recently. Now with the holidays complete and caught up on Mandoloran, Episode 9, and season 2 of ST Discovery, I'll probably be active again. As far as judging his signing vs. Streit and Alzner, it is a low risk contract. If he comes in and performs and gets them a playoff slot then it was money well spent. If he produces, but the rest of the team is a failure, then he's produced a tradible assest. If he completely fails to impress then he gets dumped in the minors for loose change. None of this is anything close to Streit and Alzner who were both in their downsides.
Actually, Kovy has looked fairly good in his 2 games so far, picking up 3 assists, laying on the body, and retrieving pucks to try and feed others. Hasn't helped the Habs win though.
When you blow 2 leads against the worst team in the league (by a wide margin) and lose the game, then who's actually the worst team?
The Wings have won only 10 games to date, but 3 of those wins have come against the Habs.
At this point, the Habs should probably follow the Wings' lead and aim for the lottery. They just can't win with what they've got now and need to look to the future...including some turnover behind the bench and in the front office.
And if I'm Carey Price, I've realized by now that I'm never going to win the Cup with this outfit and ought to be thinking about a move to someplace with a more promising short term, NMC be damned. (Can't believe I just said that but I did.)
cheers,
Gabe
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When you blow 2 leads against the worst team in the league (by a wide margin) and lose the game, then who's actually the worst team?
The Wings have won only 10 games to date, but 3 of those wins have come against the Habs.
At this point, the Habs should probably follow the Wings' lead and aim for the lottery. They just can't win with what they've got now and need to look to the future...including some turnover behind the bench and in the front office.
Yeah, I didn't want to say anything about this win and sound like I'm rubbing it in. Like you pointed out, it's just our tenth win out of 43 games or so.
Besides, at this point, the losses are necessary to try to get good positioning for the draft lottery. Still, with our luck we'll end up with the 6th pick again. Knock on wood against that happening.
The bright spot is seeing Zadina produce. He still needs time to develop, but hopefully he will be a good one for us.
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So this week I'm in Las Vegas! Got to say I see a lot of Golden Knights swag and the logo pasted on windows and painted on walls everywhere.
Just makes me happy to see people supporting their hockey team. I was in Florida near Tampa back in September, and didn't see anything for the Lightning, or for the Panthers, anywhere.
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To be expected in LV, the Knights are the only major sports team in town (until the Raiders start playing) so they are going to get a lot of love. It also helps that they are being successful. If they were a bad team, they wouldn't be gerring as much love.
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It was nice to see Pekka Rinne get his first goal after over a decade in the NHL.
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It was nice to see Pekka Rinne get his first goal after over a decade in the NHL.
Yep and it was the first goal by a goalie since 2013 as well. May not be the most important stat for a goalie, but it does round them out nicely.
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Rask and Halak came close for Bruins last year I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often with empty net situations
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Crosby looked rusty as hell in his return. Only a goal and three assists.
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Rask and Halak came close for Bruins last year I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often with empty net situations
I think the major reason that it doesn't is due to fact many teams play a conservative approach late game and the idea of a goalie going for it is only going to be green lit if the team is already up by 2 goals. Even then you have to get some pretty good air on the puck so that some guy doesn't swat the puck out of the air. The lift that Rinne got on that shot was pretty damn sweet.
Crosby looked rusty as hell in his return. Only a goal and three assists.
Brad Marchand would like a word with you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo1TmtjzjgY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo1TmtjzjgY)
At least if you are going to botch, you do it in a game that doesn't matter in the regular season rather than playoffs.
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Brad Marchand would like a word with you.
At least he didn't lick anybody.
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Detroit got licked 8 to 2 tonight, that's welcome back home to Detroit.
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Gallant is sacked in Vegas and replaced by De Boer. Can't say I saw that coming.
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Detroit got licked 8 to 2 tonight, that's welcome back home to Detroit.
How is this actually an improvement for the Knights?
Cheers, Gabe
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How is this actually an improvement for the Knights?
It's not. Gallant is a good coach and someone will pick him right up.
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Gallant has tied to Yzerman and could replace Blashill. I don't think he would necessarily want the job when better situation may present itself in the off season. Better question is whether he will be at the All Star game since he was slated to be the Pacific head coach.
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How is this actually an improvement for the Knights?
Cheers, Gabe
Sorry, quoted wrong message there.
Cheers, Gabe
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Sorry, quoted wrong message there.
Cheers, Gabe
I knew what you meant, no prob.
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Gallant has tied to Yzerman and could replace Blashill. I don't think he would necessarily want the job when better situation may present itself in the off season. Better question is whether he will be at the All Star game since he was slated to be the Pacific head coach.
Gallant will be replaced by Rick Tocchet at the ASG. :(
Gallant also has ties to Marc Bergevin and could come back to the Habs in some capacity. However, despite his French name, I don't know if his command of the language is sufficient to be considered a possible replacement for Claude Julien.
cheers,
Gabe
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Gallant will be replaced by Rick Tocchet at the ASG. :(
Makes sense since his team was second at the time.
Gallant also has ties to Marc Bergevin and could come back to the Habs in some capacity. However, despite his French name, I don't know if his command of the language is sufficient to be considered a possible replacement for Claude Julien.
A quick google states that as of 2017 he wasn't fluent in French. With any luck though Bergevin is finally identified as the root problem and he isn't the one picking the next coach ;). On the plus side, signing Kovalchuk seems to be working out well. Now he just has to get a good return on him when he trades him at the deadline next month.
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Almost forgot to mention Ovechkin passed Lemieux on the lifetime goal leaders list with this awesome goal. It's not as awesome as 'the goal', but it still pretty snazzy.
https://twitter.com/NHL/status/1218628100042428417/video/1 (https://twitter.com/NHL/status/1218628100042428417/video/1)
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Makes sense since his team was second at the time.
A quick google states that as of 2017 he wasn't fluent in French. With any luck though Bergevin is finally identified as the root problem and he isn't the one picking the next coach ;). On the plus side, signing Kovalchuk seems to be working out well. Now he just has to get a good return on him when he trades him at the deadline next month.
Well, that's too bad, it would've been nice to see Gallant back in the organization--he could still be an assistant, but not a head coach who has to face the francophone media. Anyway, if Julien does get canned, there's a ready-made replacement in Dominique Ducharme--who, if memory serves, has no NHL-level head coaching experience.
Kovy has looked pretty good so far, hasn't he? Just about a PPG pace. The Habs haven't had an impact player like that in a long time. If this is Bergevin's last season as GM, maybe he might want to atone for his past missteps with Markov and Radulov and try to convince Kovy to stay for a couple of years (but not more than that at his age).
cheers,
Gabe
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Anyway, if Julien does get canned, there's a ready-made replacement in Dominique Ducharme--who, if memory serves, has no NHL-level head coaching experience.
Hey, Blash had no NHL experience either, and look how great that has worked out for the Red Wings. :D
Seriously, though... I hoped the best for him, but it's clearly not working out here. He's great with young players, has a Calder Cup to show for it, and USA hockey likes him. The situation Holland put us in did not help. He will have work, but in all likelihood, it will be a while before he coaches at the NHL level after he's done here.
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I knew something was off about that Gritty character:
https://www.tsn.ca/philadelphia-police-gritty-under-investigation-1.1431416 (https://www.tsn.ca/philadelphia-police-gritty-under-investigation-1.1431416)
Cheers, Gabe
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Philly never takes a day off from being Philly.
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Finally at the All-Star break! This season is just crawling along. But on the brighter side, Zadina got two more goals tonight. Good to see his development moving along nicely.
Now the Wings just need Green to be healthy at the trade deadline. He may be worth half a roll of tape and a 6th rounder. But we'll take them.
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We will give Jensen back for Green!
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Jensen and a half a roll of tape? :drool:
At least he's on a good team or those 3 assists and -5 rating would be much worse... on the Toledo Walleye!
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Auston Matthews is declining his All-Star appearance, and will not be recieving a suspension. What's up with that?
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Auston Matthews is declining his All-Star appearance, and will not be recieving a suspension. What's up with that?
Receiving treatment for an on-going wrist ailment. He's not playing, but b/c he's still attending all the All-Star festivities he doesn't get a 1-game suspension.
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Receiving treatment for an on-going wrist ailment. He's not playing, but b/c he's still attending all the All-Star festivities he doesn't get a 1-game suspension.
Oh, yeah that'll do it. Thanks.
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I will give the whole roll of tape in the color of your choice. I don't really want Green so much as his salary relief when he goes on IR. But Green and caps fans will at least get nostalgic feels.
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I bet there's still some Green jerseys at a Caps game. At Wings games you still see the occasional Chelios, Fedorov, and a stubborn Wendel Clark Jersey that refuses to die.
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I bet there's still some Green jerseys at a Caps game.
Most definitely. If I ever make it back to a game I would be one of them. I held off on buying a jersey the past few years waiting to see who would re-sign. I'm probably safe to by a new one, if I had money. Leaning toward Vrana or Samsonov.
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Yes, team finery is not cheap. Luckily my Yzerman Jersey is timeless, and Konstantinov is a well-remembered fan favorite. I really don't need another one. And in the rebuild, who knows who is safe to stay on the roster. Anyone could be traded for more picks.
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Yes, team finery is not cheap. Luckily my Yzerman Jersey is timeless, and Konstantinov is a well-remembered fan favorite. I really don't need another one. And in the rebuild, who knows who is safe to stay on the roster. Anyone could be traded for more picks.
I've got a Datsyuk, a Lidstrom & a Larkin. Hope the new guy works out. (Two of them were gifts, #13 I got myself)
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Larkin is a good one to get. I hope he survives the build, he should. One just never knows. I have a Datsyuk too, I just don't count it because it's the all white one from the Chicago Winter Classic. It's pristine white with the big D on the front, and it will take some tailoring for it to fit right especially the arms. I picked it up for a song.
I suppose I should want a Tyler Bertuzzi jersey too, after his performance last night in the skills competition. He does the city proud!
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I really like Detroit's 2009 Winter Classic jersey (Chicago... not so much)
My Lidstrom is from the 2014 WC which I don't like nearly as much, but like I said it was a gift (and I try not to make fun of my friend who got it because Lidstrom didn't even play in the 2014 WC)
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2009 was a good one... thats mine, like I said I just have to get the arms tailored up so it's not flapping over my hands, lol! And it's so pristine white, I fear a pizza or spaghetti accident. I tried to upload a pic, but the files too big and I don't know how to downsize it on my phone.
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I've got a few Caps jerseys. A 2011 replica Ovechkin, A Mike Green in Red, Kolzig in the old home whites, and a Bondra Black and Gold third.
Non jersey news/link for the day, they mic'd up Brett Hull at the All Star game. A good solid 75 time waste of the day:
https://twitter.com/NHL/status/1222204246986313730 (https://twitter.com/NHL/status/1222204246986313730)
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Lol, good thing Brett inherited hockey talent, lol... I hope he was kidding about Germany bombing Pearl Harbor, but he's Brett Hull, so I have reservations.
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Yes, team finery is not cheap. Luckily my Yzerman Jersey is timeless, and Konstantinov is a well-remembered fan favorite. I really don't need another one. And in the rebuild, who knows who is safe to stay on the roster. Anyone could be traded for more picks.
For the current team, you could get a Yzerman polo shirt....
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With matching Polo frames for my glasses. And a golf bag...
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Hey, Crazy Eddie (https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/28591031/hall-fame-goalie-ed-belfour-arrested-hotel) got arrested again. At least he didn't offer any 10 figure bribe attempts....
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Lol, good thing Brett inherited hockey talent, lol... I hope he was kidding about Germany bombing Pearl Harbor, but he's Brett Hull, so I have reservations.
You & a bunch of people in that Twitter thread need to watch Animal House: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8lT1o0sDwI
But Brett did look like was having a few before the game
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Hey, Crazy Eddie (https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/28591031/hall-fame-goalie-ed-belfour-arrested-hotel) got arrested again. At least he didn't offer any 10 figure bribe attempts....
But Brett did look like was having a few before the game
I bet Brett and Eddie have had some epic drinking battles. Not against each other, but them versus the rest of the world.
Ahhhhhh, to be relatively rich and with only responsibility a game.
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I bet Brett and Eddie have had some epic drinking battles. Not against each other, but them versus the rest of the world.
Was there any champagne left for the rest of the Stars in 1999?
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Was there any champagne left for the rest of the Stars in 1999?
Boxes of the stuff were drank from that cup before anyone else had a chance I imagine.
In other news, it is strongly rumored that Seattle's new team will be called the Kraken. Most reports seem to key on "RELEASE THE KRAKEN" as the obvious battle cry. Can't wait to see the new uniform.
Of course, the team denies it, but the rumor is persisting. The other name in speculation is the Sockeyes. The decision will be made official likely in late February or early March.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/seattle-nhl-franchise-responds-to-rumors-about-selecting-kraken-as-team-name/amp/ (https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/seattle-nhl-franchise-responds-to-rumors-about-selecting-kraken-as-team-name/amp/)
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I loathe the Kraken name. I would rather have them be the Sockeyes or something else more associated with the Seattle area like the Sounders or Orcas (yes Vancouver use killer whatles in their logo, but they're still the Canucks.
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Another name in the running is the Metropolitans, which is the name of their original hockey team from long, long ago that folded.
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What about the Supersonics?
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What about the Supersonics?
I believe that is reserved for a future NBA coming back to the city. They will need to build a new arena to do that, though.
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Was there any champagne left for the rest of the Stars in 1999?
On that note, if you didn't see Yzerman's congratulatory message to Ovechkin on the occasion of passing him on the career goals list: Stevie Y asked to be invited to the party if Ovi ever catches Gretzky after seeing the Caps Stanley Cup celebration.
As for Seattle, I like Steelheads over Sockeyes but I'm ok with Metropolitans or Kraken too
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The NBA owns the Super Sonic's name so that won't happen. Sockeyes is also a fictional reference and the owner of it has stated unless he is officially approached to use the name he will defend his IP. I don't think the NHL wants to deal with naming problems a la Golden Knights and will avoid using Sockeyes.
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The Wings have the formula down: lose at all costs.
I wonder though, besides Bertuzzi, is anyone on this team tradeable? We're really bad this year, so bad that it can't help but affect the value of our players. Makes me shake my head, but even then I have to stop before I get dizzy. We're that bad.
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I wonder though, besides Bertuzzi, is anyone on this team tradeable?
Dylan Larkin. He's having a down year, but at 6.1 million for 3 years controlled that should be worth something of value in picks and or prospects. It probably won't happen, but I'm not certain this team is going to be competing for a playoff spot in 3 years. Frans Nielsen might also be also be a candidate for a pick if the Wings are willing to eat say half his salary if some team is willing to take a shot at him rejuvenating himself elsewhere.
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I don't think the Wings would get good value on Larkin, I'm looking to flip Helm or Glendening but there isn't much trade value on that roster
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This isn't a good year for anything, except tanking. But we'll see what the trade deadline brings.
One thing we can count on is Yzerman won't make a trade just to do it. We'll have to get value back, or we'll sit on what we have.
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I don't think the Wings would get good value on Larkin, I'm looking to flip Helm or Glendening but there isn't much trade value on that roster
You'll get like a 5th or 6th rounder for Glendening to play 4th line on a team that needs PK help. Good luck on anyone taking Helm though unless salary is retained. His NTC isn't apparently ironclad and is tied into his TOI played, which he isn't anywhere near meeting. So there is always a chance he can be re-homed!
One thing we can count on is Yzerman won't make a trade just to do it. We'll have to get value back, or we'll sit on what we have.
Agreed. There is no sense in making a deal just to make a deal.
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https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/latest-battle-alberta-shows-intensified-hatred-oilers-flames/ (https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/latest-battle-alberta-shows-intensified-hatred-oilers-flames/)
Go about 2/3 of the way through the video and watch the throwdown between Mike Smith and Cam Talbot. Doesn't last long but quite amusing nonetheless--especially the way Smith sets himself up for the fight.
Cheers, Gabe
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The Wings have the formula down: lose at all costs.
I wonder though, besides Bertuzzi, is anyone on this team tradeable? We're really bad this year, so bad that it can't help but affect the value of our players. Makes me shake my head, but even then I have to stop before I get dizzy. We're that bad.
https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/buffalo-sabres-fans-ready-snap-cant-blame/ (https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/buffalo-sabres-fans-ready-snap-cant-blame/)
Listen to the embedded audio clip from a Buffalo call-in radio program. This Sabres fan is beside himself with frustration and desperation.
Hey [bold]rebs[/bold], are the call-in shows around Detroit like this too?
Cheers, Gabe
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https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/buffalo-sabres-fans-ready-snap-cant-blame/ (https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/buffalo-sabres-fans-ready-snap-cant-blame/)
Listen to the embedded audio clip from a Buffalo call-in radio program. This Sabres fan is beside himself with frustration and desperation.
Hey [bold]rebs[/bold], are the call-in shows around Detroit like this too?
Cheers, Gabe
Sometimes. People are surprisingly calm and understanding about us being in a rebuilding faze. Even the comments online are fairly reasonable for the most part. Yzerman being in charge has a cooling effect I suspect. But there are outliers, and I even heard one guy say "fire Yzerman" already. Calls to fire Blashill are high.
The ownership is pretty good about not listening to irate fans, though. When we get frustrated, ownership just keeps plugging along with their plan. And we do get frustrated. Before the Wings won The Cups, there was a lot of fan vitriol and it could get ugly. I remember it, fans saying their Grandma could coach better than Scotty Bowman, or wanting to run Mike Vernon out of town. Especially when we lost to the New Jersey Devils in the Finals. Frustration hit a fever pitch.
Thing is I have to go way back to then, the early and mid 90s, to get back to frustration as bad as the caller in your link. There's a little here and there, but most people are trusting Yzerman with the process.
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From the outside looking in the Sabres management is extremely hit or miss on their signings. Mostly miss on the large budget deals. They most definitely overspent on on Skinner, but that may rectify itself next year as he has traditionally yo-yo'd scoring from year to year. This year is likely going to be his worst offensive output as a pro and that has to be a bit of a worry. He's 27 now and if you are going to spend big money you do it at this point in his career, what should be his prime. Next year if he doesn't hit 40 points, then its going to be time to hit the panic button.
You can't say this team hasn't tried to bring in talent, they brought in Okposo and Moulson when they were at their peak which is when you try and lure talent away. Sheary was nabbed in a trade as a complementary player that you figure he puts in reasonably good numbers with Eichel, but that hasn't happened. Kruger signing was a wise one, but his choice is probably going to be construed as poor as the results have been marginal. The Sabres are on an 82 point pace which is 3 more wins than last year and a goal differential of -24. They were -45 last year.
The good news for Buffalo is they aren't as cap maligned as some other teams. They can rectify the team's roster deficiencies sooner rather than later if they can overcome that 'Buffalo sucks' stigma and get UFAs to sign with them. Buffalo has 6 UFAs right now on their roster and they should look at moving any and all of them at the deadline that they can for assets. If they can move Hutton who is a UFA after this season they should as well. Hutton as a majority starter has been a failure, but as an experienced back up and a price tag under 3 million with 1 year left on his contract should net a pick.
This off season is going to have plenty of talent available in the UFA market, Hall, Hoffman, Krug, Pietrangelo, Dadonov, Kreider, JG Pageau, Toffoli, Barrie, with Holtby and Lehner leading the goalie market. While I don't think they should sign a goalie, all of the rest are guys that can improve the team. What they can't do is just throw money away. Hall's probably not going to sign there unless you throw excess amounts of cash at him, but pretty much any of the other skaters I could see in a Buffalo uniform.
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I am starting to believe that Leafs aren't going to make the post season.
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On that note, if you didn't see Yzerman's congratulatory message to Ovechkin on the occasion of passing him on the career goals list: Stevie Y asked to be invited to the party if Ovi ever catches Gretzky after seeing the Caps Stanley Cup celebration.
As for Seattle, I like Steelheads over Sockeyes but I'm ok with Metropolitans or Kraken too
I say no to Metropolitans just b/c there is a division with the same name.
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Apparently the Leafs thought losing was a big enough issue too. They traded for Jack Campbell and Kyle Clifford. So that solves one hole they have had all year by acquiring a decent back up.
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Firesprocket Roosterboyed me. ;D
I guess we'll see as the season nears the end of the line what fate the Leafs will suffer. As of now, I agree, it doesn't look good. But maybe Campbell will make a difference.
Edit:
As for Detroit, that mysterious "upper body" injury that has plagued Anthony Mantha ever since he was body slammed by Jake Muzzin turns out to be a punctured lung. It may be a while before he steps on the ice again. Not that it matters for our season, but I do like it when we actually score some goals... And Mantha would help.
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Jay Bouwmeester collapsed on the Blues bench during their game against the Blues. The rest of the game has been postponed and they stretchered him out. No other updates available. His teammates immediately recognized something was wrong and flagged for medical attention. Hopefully whatever happened it isn't life threatening.
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I caught video of that and read the article about it. I felt bad for his father, who rushed out of the tunnel to his side right away. Not a great moment, but still touching to see.
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Bouwmeestar was responsive before they left the arena which is a good sign. Apparently this transpired on their Blues annual Dad's trip.
https://www.stltoday.com/sports/hockey/professional/bouwmeester-alert-and-undergoing-tests-after-suffering-cardiac-episode-and/article_e121798d-f74e-57dc-8180-477dd4518e43.html (https://www.stltoday.com/sports/hockey/professional/bouwmeester-alert-and-undergoing-tests-after-suffering-cardiac-episode-and/article_e121798d-f74e-57dc-8180-477dd4518e43.html)
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Just heard on the radio, Bruce boudreau has been relieved of his coaching duties by the Wild. I didn't catch who will be his replacement.
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GM Bill Guerin named Dean Evason as Wild interim head coach.
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San Jose D-man Erik Karlsson is out for the season with a broken thumb that will require surgery. The Sharks, who are already missing Hertl and Couture, will be hard pressed to make up the loss of so much
concentrated salary talent. Karlsson is San Jose's leading scorer this season.
Edit: In the same game as Karlsson's injury, Evandor Kane elbowed Neal Pionk in the head against the glass, earning a three game suspension.
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I am involved in a competitive fantasy match this week and have both pionk and Kane. Losing Kane this late in the week stinks. I am losing right now to a short handed point and Kane plays the PK :(
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Just heard on the radio, Bruce boudreau has been relieved of his coaching duties by the Wild. I didn't catch who will be his replacement.
Wonder if they notified him in his Valentines card?
"Roses are red, violets are blue, guess who's fired? You!"
"I'm Wild about you! too bad you're not Wild anymore!"
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NJ is getting a jump on the trade deadline and selling early. Andy Greene traded to the Islanders for David Quenville and a 2nd round pick. The larger deal was trading off Blake Coleman who's excellent on the PK was tied for most goals on the Devils with 21. In exchange the Devils get a member of the Foote Clan, Nolan and a 1st rounder.
Coleman's somewhat of a late bloomer and costs only 1.8 million and still has a year on his contract after this. Assuming Foote is as good or better than his father, this should be one of those trades that works out well for both teams weather the Bolts win the cup or get dumped in the first round.
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Presenting the 5 stages of Shea Weber injury grief sponsored by the Montreal Canadiens:
1-He's hurt and we aren't certain how bad. Waiting for the swelling to go down.
2-Swelling hasn't gone down, we have no idea bad he's hurt. Once the swelling goes down we will let everyone know
3-He may be out for weeks or the season. Still waiting to find out.
4-The injury is in the same leg as his previous injury. He facing the end of his career. Nashville fans everywhere panic as they might be facing a future cap recapture penalty.
5-Shea Weber is practicing and might play Tuesday. Every Nashville fans can't now stop hyperventilating.
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Tyler Toffoli, who will be a free agent at the end of this season, is now a Vancouver Canuck. LA traded him for Tim Schaller, a prospect, and a conditional second round pick. Vancouver is stacked up front now, and LA is living for the future.
https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2020/02/canucks-to-acquire-tyler-toffoli.html (https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2020/02/canucks-to-acquire-tyler-toffoli.html)
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Ondrej Kase was traded by the Ducks to the Boston Bruins for David Backes, prospect Axel Andersson and a first round pick in 2020.
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Ondrej Kase was traded by the Ducks to the Boston Bruins for David Backes, prospect Axel Andersson and a first round pick in 2020.
I like this trade for the Bruins I like Backes I hope he does well there and doesn't get hurt
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Good trade for both teams and probably has gher upside for the Bruins. I am going to take a guess at this point and say Krieder will still be a Ranger after the trade deadline. The Bruins were the team.that had the biggest need and interest. Aquiring Kase make it financial difficult though to bring Krieder aboard.
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The Leafs just lost 6-3 to a ’Canes team being backstopped by a 42-year old emergency backup goalie who is normally THE ZAMBONI DRIVER FOR THE LEAFS’ AHL TEAM.
YOU CANNOT MAKE THIS S——- UP PEOPLE!!!
cheers,
Gabe
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I'm happy for the guy, but his effort may in fact result in me loosing my fantasy match this week simply by keeping the Leafs in check for only 2 goals.
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Steve Dangle's reaction is awesome and worth 6 minutes of you time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=QFnQ0dcaBUI&feature=emb_logo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=QFnQ0dcaBUI&feature=emb_logo)
The second link is a victory speech in the locker room
https://twitter.com/Canes/status/1231423595735396354 (https://twitter.com/Canes/status/1231423595735396354)
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Dreams do sometimes do come true
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Kovualchuk to the Caps for a 3rd. I'll probably hate it in a month, but for now I don't think we overpaid for him. All I really want at this point is for them to figure out a way to get rid of Panik or Jensen and even if they go nowhere in the playoffs I'll consider a good deadline.
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Speculation about where Mike Green is going to land can end for now. Green was sent to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for center Kyle Brodziak and a conditional 3rd/4th round pick.
Not sure what to make of the deal, not that familiar with Brodziak myself, but at least we got something for him. Yzerman thought it was worth it, at least Speculation and rumors had Athanasiou being eyed by Holland so this is a bit of a surprise.
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Brodziak is there for cap savings for being on ltir. He is in the last year of his contract and is unlikely to play again.
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Kreider has reported to have signed an extension so he appears to be staying in NY.
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Looks like Wild got rid of Zucker. The last of my favorite players from a few years ago that I watched come up from the Houston Aeros are now gone. I guess I can sell my signed puck collection now.
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Fairly busy day even for the NHL trade deadline. 27 trades today in total and I can't say I see to much in the way of in the way of losers though there are couple I just had to do a double take on. Top deals of the day, IMO, break down like this:
1) Pittsburgh acquired Conor Sheary and Evan Rodrigues in exchange for Dominik Kahun. Separately Patrick Marleau was obtained for a 3rd round pick. The Pens are in win now mode and on top of the Zucker trade their top 3 lines should be fairly potent. Marleau I think is going to be more of a drag on the Pens then he will be helpful, but if he's playing limited time on the 4th line and some 2nd line PP time it may shield him from costing the Pens a win or two.
2) Robin Lehner to the Golden Knights in a 3 way trade facilitated with the Maple Leafs. Fluery is obviously still the number 1 and Subban couldn't be counted on as a back up. If Fluery needs a rest of find himself in the training room Lehner should be able to pick up the slack. There really much the Knights had to do and they didn't overpay for his services.
3) In separate trades the Hurricanes obtained Vincent Trocheck, Brady Skjei, and Sami Vatanen. The Trocheck trade is somewhat of a head scratcher. While Trocheck has been trending downward since his return of injury last year his performance hasn't been horrendous. Compounded with the fact that Florida's return could be considered questionable with a 3rd liner in Lucas Wallmark, Erik Huala, and a couple prospects this could be one of the worst decisions the franchise has made. Oh and Florida is direct combination with Carolina for a Wild Card spot makes this sort of a head scratcher. I'd have ranked their day a greater success if they obtained a goalie, which is what they needed most right now and didn't manage to trade for one.
4) The Edmonton Oilers actually had a decent deadline. They picked up Mike Green to make a token effort to bolster their blue line offense and they also obtained Athanasiou in a separate trade with the Red Wings. The Wings absolutely sold low on Athanasiou, but shed salary and netted a couple 2nd rounders and Sam Gagner to be a warm body. Red Wings needed more cap space and more picks and received both. Whether this was a good trade won't be known for at least 3 year.
5) Colorado obtained Vladislav Namestnikov for a 4th rounder to the Sens in 2021. Despite the injuries the Av's made a shrewd trade and didn't bust bank on higher profile offense talent. They could have really used another goal tender to back up Francouz and Hutchinson isn't the answer.
Honorable mention: JG Pageau to the Islanders for a 1st 2020, 2nd 2020 , and 3rd 2022. I'm fairly certain the Islander's overpaid in all aspects of this trade and extension. None the less, it kept Pageau off a team that would have a better shot at actually playing for the Cup.
Sneaky good pick up: Nick Ritchie for Danton Heinen. It could very well end up a move that ends up saving some salary, but I think Ritchie is going to be a solid contributor with the Bruins. Developed talent isn't something that the Ducks had in abundance. With the Bruins he isn't going to be expected to play a top 6 and could easily get some decent match ups playing on the 3rd line or occasional second line duty. He has 8 goals now and I'd be willing to bet he scores another 6 by the end of the regular season.
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I always like your reviews, Firesprocket, so I sat back today and waited for you to handle it so as not to crowd you.
I have faith in Yzerman and his ability to draft (Seider is doing great things for the Grand Rapids Griffins) so the picks we got back are good.
Including one of the second rounders from Edmonton, and a pick from Washington, the Red Wings will have three second round picks this summer. We'll be able to see Yzerman's plan unfold a bit more.
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https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/04/us/johnny-boychuk-islanders-eye-stitches-spt-trnd/index.html
/YIKES./ I've seen the video of Malarchuk's incident...talk about CLOSE.
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Yes, there's some great dangers with hockey, and skate blades are one of the worst.
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Henri Richard, known as "The Pocket Rocket", has died at age 84. With 11 Stanley Cup rings, he takes a lot of bling with him. He joins his older brother in that great rink in the sky.
https://www.nhl.com/news/henri-richard-dies/c-315927688 (https://www.nhl.com/news/henri-richard-dies/c-315927688)
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Henri Richard, known as "The Pocket Rocket", has died at age 84.
When I heard the news I thought he had previously passed, but then I realized after you mentioned it was his brother I was thinking of.
In lighter news, Robert Luongo's number was retired by the Panther's tonight. You can find the speech on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38boTk-HZhQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38boTk-HZhQ). Class act and will likely be voted into the HoF once he is eligible.
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I see sports teams are starting to announce they will play without fans due to the Coronavirus. The Redwings have been ahead of the curve, playing without them all year....
:D
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Oh, you heard about Detroit's buy one get ten deal on tickets, ehhh?
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Thursday's game in Columbus will be played in an empty arena due to the Ohio Governor's ban on mass gatherings.
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Who's placing bets on whether the season will be suspended tomorrow?
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The NHL isn't a league known to be all that proactive about shutting down outside of labor disputes. I'd say unless there is circumstance that a person in government tells them to cease they won't do it. After all they should have probably shut down a few years ago when the mumps was an issue.
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We are officially on hold.
https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-coronavirus-status/c-316155530 (https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-coronavirus-status/c-316155530)
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Damn.
From the statement, we are at least only "paused", and hopefully and with luck, we'll be able to see it's continuation at some later point.
But that's my positive, hope-filled side. My rational side is decidedly negative, and thinks this is all we will see of this season, and we will be lucky to have next season start on time, if at all...
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I think It'll start again either finish season no playoffs or straight into playoffs
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I hope you are right, Dragon Cat.
And I really was looking forward to tonight's Red Wings/Capitals game. I thought it would have been a good test of adversity for the kids.
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Yeah these last few games would be good for most teams especially those out of playoff contention to figure out what they needed for next year
I think the worse thing they could do would be "VOID" the season most of it has been played. If there is no time for playoffs theres no conference/division or Stanley Cup. I'd assume they'll call the league as is for prize money and pics next year
I personally would love to see the end of the league or straight into play offs if it were one or the other but it'll be down to time left
I'm also hoping theres little effect in next season as I'm planning to go to next season opener in Prague
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Hockey withdrawals royally suck. We're missing out on some good desperation hockey right now. It may be for the best as far as the virus is concerned, but it still sucks.
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I'm not holding out for the continuation of the season. Ultimately, I believe, this season is going to be cancelled. It's the prudent thing to do.
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I'm not holding out for the continuation of the season. Ultimately, I believe, this season is going to be cancelled. It's the prudent thing to do.
I think there's a decent chance of some form of restart. South Korea is restarting it's professional basketball league.
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I think there's a decent chance of some form of restart. South Korea is restarting it's professional basketball league.
Which doesn't really mean anything to us here in the U.S. or Canada. Both countries are well behind what health and safety protocols South Korea and Japan put into place. Even assuming that we were, there are multiple NHL teams that share a building with other tenants (NBA) or host other events and the calendar of those events is booked months in advance. If they don't have a plan in place, assuming it is safe to do so, by say early May I'm fairly certain the season will be a wash. It will also hurt the NHL significantly more than any other sport because the revenue the league makes are largely driven my the gate attendance which is non existent.
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Which doesn't really mean anything to us here in the U.S. or Canada. Both countries are well behind what health and safety protocols South Korea and Japan put into place. Even assuming that we were, there are multiple NHL teams that share a building with other tenants (NBA) or host other events and the calendar of those events is booked months in advance. If they don't have a plan in place, assuming it is safe to do so, by say early May I'm fairly certain the season will be a wash. It will also hurt the NHL significantly more than any other sport because the revenue the league makes are largely driven my the gate attendance which is non existent.
True, but in the past events are moved or cancelled due to changes in the NHL/NBA schedule so it's not unprecedented and likely written into contracts for other folks using the venues.
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True, but in the past events are moved or cancelled due to changes in the NHL/NBA schedule so it's not unprecedented and likely written into contracts for other folks using the venues.
I'm quite certain that there are. It is all revenue driven at the end of the day, but the situation is largely uncharted territory. If there is a game outside of a teams' home arena(s), it is usually preset ahead of time with some sort of shared gates going to both teams for an overseas game. When you are talking about hockey and going back to the fact revenue is gate driven, there are going to be other rinks, but what amount of money can they make if say team X can't play in their own barn because the NBA took the date?
Do they play in a AHL barn that can only hold 5000-6000 people and make less significantly less gate money because those teams don't own or share in the revenue like they make in their home arena. Then again we are talking about a league that couldn't wait to schedule a home playoff game 2 extra days because the owner of the arena booked the space for circus.
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Oh and I almost forgot, the new deadline day to make any future decision on when to return to the ice has been pushed back to April 6th.
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We should be discussing last nights playoff games right now. :'(
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We should be discussing last nights playoff games right now. :'(
It still could happen in some form. Read last night somewhere (I think it was a link on yahoo) that the NHL is considering neutral site games. The idea is that team fly into an area and all remaining game, however they happen, would be held at an empty arena. I still don't think that really solves anything logistically and medically you have to have quite a bit of resources to pull it off. But they are discussing it and so are other leagues as well.
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I read in an article the good old state of North Dakota could be the possible site for playoffs. I'm still guarded about it, but I would love some playoff hockey right about now.
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As long as they quarantine them all for two weeks prior to the game(s) and also all staff that will be involved, I see no issues. No practicing together prior to that either. They are best to cancel the season. It is the responsible thing to do.
Or do true all star game where you pull players together from each division and let them practice together and play for the cup.
Aren't the Senators still dealing with COVID running through the team?
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The Avs and Sens are the only two teams that have disclosed a positive test.
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Season cancelled?!?! Dang and this was the season that I really expected the Wild to take it all!
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Season cancelled?!?!
Say's who? ???
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NHL presser is over. Regular season is done, top 12 teams by winning pts. %. Video is on NHL.com and is 15 minutes long. It's definitely not perfect, far from it as a matter of fact. Top 4 teams in each conference are playing a round robin for seeding, I don't like that and doubt any Bruins fan will either. The WC needs this more than the EC which is why they likely went this route.
The next 8 teams in each conference are seeded to play each other to fill out each of the other 4 slots for each conference. That means every one with a pts. pct. over 50% is in. Most of these match-ups in that seeding pool are meh to me, but it does mean you get a Rangers v. Carolina preliminary which when the season froze sounds pretty damn good. Also somewhat intriguing, is Edmonton v. Chicago if only for the possibility that Edmonton losses that series. Habs vs. Pittsburgh in the preliminary also makes for an interesting catastrophe in the making. More thoughts later after I digest the rest of the match ups. Oh yeah, almost forgot, Buffalo misses the cut and had 2 games in hand on that last spot that Montreal has. Yet another moment angst for the sports fans of Buffalo.
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Unfortunately it will feel like watching preseason games due to lack of coherent practicing. No thanks. Maybe teams will have gelled again by the final round but I really don't think it will be enjoyable watching.
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I've been watching too much classic hockey, as have many of us. It will look really strange seeing our stars of today if they struggle to play well.
But I'm also glad to see finality to this interrupted season.
Either way, I got no skin in the game as they say. My Red Wings were absolutely pathetic. Hope for next season is tenuous. I'm more excited about the draft, to be honest. Lol...
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Unfortunately it will feel like watching preseason games due to lack of coherent practicing. No thanks. Maybe teams will have gelled again by the final round but I really don't think it will be enjoyable watching.
No crowd either will make things weird
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I've been watching too much classic hockey, as have many of us. It will look really strange seeing our stars of today if they struggle to play well.
But I'm also glad to see finality to this interrupted season.
Either way, I got no skin in the game as they say. My Red Wings were absolutely pathetic. Hope for next season is tenuous. I'm more excited about the draft, to be honest. Lol...
If I were a Detroit fan I'd be cautious. Looking at the odds, it looks like Detroit has a decent chance to end up picking 4th. Ottawa (by virtue of their & SJ's 1st picks) is most likely to get the top pick, followed with one of the 8 qualifying round losers picking 2nd, another one picking 3rd, and Det 4th.
https://twitter.com/IneffectiveMath/status/1265403385576067073
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I realize that. Ottawa has the advantage for the top pick, but Detroit still has lots of picks of their own. Either way, I'm excited, whether we pick at #1 or 3, or even 6.
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Glad to see Hockey back.
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Unfortunately it will feel like watching preseason games due to lack of coherent practicing. No thanks. Maybe teams will have gelled again by the final round but I really don't think it will be enjoyable watching.
I don't think it is going to look like preseason hockey, more like early season hockey. That's my main objection to the 5-12 qualifiers. After further thought I like how they are planning on doing the 1-4 slots round robin. Baring injuries, it should give some advantage to teams that qualified to get a few games under their belt. While the games matter, the fact that most games will be neutral site isn't going to really give a team a home advantage (if there really is such a thing) and a solid team is just as likely to win being in the 4th seed as they would be in the first position.
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glad we have any sport back..
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I realize that. Ottawa has the advantage for the top pick, but Detroit still has lots of picks of their own. Either way, I'm excited, whether we pick at #1 or 3, or even 6.
I can't wait for one of the high seeds (5, 6, or 7) in the East or West to lose in the qualifier round and then win a top 3 draft pick.
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I can't wait for one of the high seeds (5, 6, or 7) in the East or West to lose in the qualifier round and then win a top 3 draft pick.
Yeah, I can totally wait for that, to be honest. Lol... Judging by how long the guys have been off, I guess I should expect it, though. The rust monster will drag somebody down.
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Heaps of time to go before the puck drops, but it'll be nice to get Chris Kreider and Igor Shestyorkin back on the ice for the Blueshirts.
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Either way, I got no skin in the game as they say. My Red Wings were absolutely pathetic. Hope for next season is tenuous. I'm more excited about the draft, to be honest. Lol...
In some ways, that's better than knowing your team is in only because of the peculiar circumstances, and didn't really deserve to be there either.
Especially when they were swept in the season series by the nominally most pathetic team.
cheers,
Gabe
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Hey, I wish my team did at least as well as the Habs. It just wasn't in the cards this year. Oh well.
I'll just have to console myself with watching everyone else when we finally start up again.
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Saw a rumor over the past week, that stretching out this season as planned might mean next season's first actual game is the Winter Classic. If so, it'd be kind of weird to wait that long and see what kind of a shortened schedule they come up with.
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Saw a rumor over the past week, that stretching out this season as planned might mean next season's first actual game is the Winter Classic. If so, it'd be kind of weird to wait that long and see what kind of a shortened schedule they come up with.
It could be the case, though not by design. Heard on a radio update that multiple Lightning personnel test positive for COVID. Didn't get their source though.
and the Pegulas/Sabres are doing Sabres like things and canned Jason Botterill. I thought when and if that happened that they'd do that they would add the GM title to Ralph Kruger, but apparently it is Keyvan Adams job now. I can't see the Sabres getting any better from this particular move.
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Reports are Auston Matthews has even tested positive for Covid. If more players keep testing positive, it could jeopardize the planned playoffs.
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slight OT, but related fact, that college football programs are reporting large spikes of players isn't coming as a surprise and should give every sport pause about restarting games. None the less I await and see like the rest of you if we have an pro sports anytime this year.
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I think it'll be difficult for any restart if you have any more occurrences like Tampa Bay Lightning theyve closed training facilities after several players and coaches test positive
That happens during playoffs at a team dueling for the next round or even the Cup what happens then? 2 or 3 players a couch or two are positive oh we'll hold off for two weeks? I think not
It'll stain the cup and the victory especially if those players end up in hospital or take it home. It pains me to say it but its not worth it pay the fees for not completing the season and look towards next year
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I agree. Even though just attempting to hold a playoff is a triumph of sorts, it is not worth the price of further spreading covid.
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To use a comparison, in Aussie Rules football we've had the first player test positive in the national comp. It didn't force another postponement of the season, but the team's next match has been postponed indefinitely. In addition, all players who have had close contact with the player are required to isolate for a fortnight. If the team has enough players fit to play, they must play the next week's match. I think these are reasonable expectations for the NHL to use. It's not the end of the world with a single positive case.
But... The NHL can't postpone any of the playoff games. Nor could they permit a team to lose half their list to quarantine for fourteen days. It's an assured loss. I think the NHL is banking on no positive cases, because the alternative is the end of the playoffs.
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I think the outstanding issue Nibs, without hopefully crossing forum rules, is largely a societal and money. The reason, for example German FB and that you folks can safely bank on games is because of the largely a coordinated response and a flattened curve. There's a large inconsistency depending on jurisdiction for both here state side. I haven't taken a look at Canada's numbers as a whole, but I read an article on Sportsnet touting the benefits of different Canadian cities for playoff hubs.
Vancouver, for example, has one of the lower reported cases and fatalities per 100k has an excellent network that could support multiple teams. Initial rumor though has Vegas as being a hub city would would pretty much doom Vancouver based off similar time zone.
Toronto has as strong, if not better network of rinks and facilities, but has a higher amount of cases and fatalities per 100k. So while Toronto has a solid case to be a host city, health concerns exist.
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Absolutely, you are right. It's a matter of predictability, which is always better for business. Vancouver is one of the best places to be in North America in terms of low infection rates.
It's just a pity for some players who have to leave their families, especially with many newborns expected this summer, for two to three months.
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Draft lottery happened and of course the 'unthinkable' happened and we are going to get a team that gets the #1 pick that isn't the worst team by points. Granted this season has the been impacted by an event like no other in my life time, but I think I'm over the draft lottery system. Here is the results from NHL.com
"1. Placeholder team
2. Los Angeles Kings
3. Ottawa Senators (from San Jose Sharks)
4. Detroit Red Wings
5. Ottawa Senators
6. Anaheim Ducks
7. New Jersey Devils
8. Buffalo Sabres
Picks 4-8 were determined based on inverse order of regular-season points percentage.
Picks No. 9-15 will be assigned to the other teams that lose the eight qualifier series, in inverse order of their points percentage.
Picks 16-31 will be determined by the results of the playoffs"
So if there is a modest update in the round of seeding, the #1 pick may go to a fairly decent team rather than a bottom feeder.
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The Wings once used a number 4 pick to select a certain Hall of Fame player named Steve Yzerman. So I'm comfortable with the pick. At least it's not 6th.
I'm not a great fan of the draft lottery system either, right about now. But at least it's not as bad as the NBA draft lottery. Cleveland's luck borders on the corrupted.
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I think the Blueshirts are due for a lottery win. :))
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I think the Blueshirts are due for a lottery win. :))
It could conceivably happen and would accelerate the rebuild which is already off to a pretty solid start.
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The only problem that I have is that I reckon they'll force Lundqvist out after this season finishes. Sure, it may be the logical move within the salary cap, but I'd rather the team keep the greatest Ranger of all time instead of an ignominious end to his career.
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The only problem that I have is that I reckon they'll force Lundqvist out after this season finishes. Sure, it may be the logical move within the salary cap, but I'd rather the team keep the greatest Ranger of all time instead of an ignominious end to his career.
The smart move has them move Shesterkin back to Hartford next season and going with Lundqvist and Georgiev as a platoon. The Rangers aren't going to seriously compete for the Cup and doing anything else would most certainly mess up who they can protect in the expansion draft the season after this. The best move for the Rangers and Lundqvist (should be ever choose to acknowledge and allow it) would be to trade him to team in more immediate contention. The problem is I'm not certain who that would be anymore. Holtby is going to be on the market and signed to a lucrative contract and Robin Lehner probably right behind him as option 1B. Hank's salary just make him awfully difficult to trade and cutting him at the end of the season may or may not haunt them later.
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Heard on the radio coming home that both hub cities will be in Canada due to the deteriorating covid situation here in the states.
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Draft lottery happened and of course the 'unthinkable' happened and we are going to get a team that gets the #1 pick that isn't the worst team by points. Granted this season has the been impacted by an event like no other in my life time, but I think I'm over the draft lottery system. Here is the results from NHL.com
"1. Placeholder team
2. Los Angeles Kings
3. Ottawa Senators (from San Jose Sharks)
4. Detroit Red Wings
5. Ottawa Senators
6. Anaheim Ducks
7. New Jersey Devils
8. Buffalo Sabres
Picks 4-8 were determined based on inverse order of regular-season points percentage.
Picks No. 9-15 will be assigned to the other teams that lose the eight qualifier series, in inverse order of their points percentage.
Picks 16-31 will be determined by the results of the playoffs"
So if there is a modest update in the round of seeding, the #1 pick may go to a fairly decent team rather than a bottom feeder.
But we could have had *Placeholder* get the top 3 spots! This is still acceptable unless *Placeholder* turns out to be the Pens or Oilers.
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Heard on the radio coming home that both hub cities will be in Canada due to the deteriorating covid situation here in the states.
That doesn't surprise me at all. I'm glad they seem to be going about weighting host cities based off of safety rather than a geographical convenience.
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In the last week a lot of sources have been mentioning Edmonton and Toronto.
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I wonder how many players will opt-out.
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I wonder how many players will opt-out.
I'll be curious to see who does. The NHLPA approved the plan to restart and the window to opt out is a short one. We should know sometime soon. I think within the next week at the latest? I saw an opt out deadline somewhere, but can't find it now.
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Amazing! All of the Red Wings are opting out. Now that's some kind of solidarity! :D
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Amazing! All of the Red Wings are opting out. Now that's some kind of solidarity! :D
Was the team even going to be a part of the restart?
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Was the team even going to be a part of the restart?
I jest. We're buried so deep it won't be daylight for the Wings for several seasons.
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:thumbsup:
Amazing! All of the Red Wings are opting out. Now that's some kind of solidarity! :D
:thumbsup:
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If they do finally get this thing started, it's going to be epic for us fans. At least Fifteen hours of hockey a day! Here's the qualifier round daily schedule:
12:00PM EST in Toronto
2:00PM EST in Edmonton
4:00PM EST in Toronto
6:00PM EST in Edmonton
8:00PM EST in Toronto
10:00PM EST in Edmonton
Hopefully by then the local watering holes will be open again to watch 'em the right way. :beer:
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We have a schedule!
https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-round-robin-best-of-5-series-dates-times/c-317365910 (https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-round-robin-best-of-5-series-dates-times/c-317365910)
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Hopefully by then the local watering holes will be open again to watch 'em the right way. :beer:
Given that both Toronto and Edmonton are hotspots, I would hope not.
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Given that both Toronto and Edmonton are hotspots, I would hope not.
I'm sort of surprised they picked Edmonton over Vancouver. There was always going to be a city in the EST and the choices would have been limited once you eliminated a US cities due to potentially higher exposure. Toronto is a higher exposure area than the rest of Canada, but most of the US press won't make it a story because it isn't playing out the games in the states. I'd also expect a surge in Canadian TV rating seeing as how many teams from Canada will be playing in the qualifiers and potentially beyond.
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Release the Kraken!
https://www.nhl.com/news/seattle-kraken-nickname-for-nhl-expansion-team/c-317588092 (https://www.nhl.com/news/seattle-kraken-nickname-for-nhl-expansion-team/c-317588092)
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Release the Kraken!
https://www.nhl.com/news/seattle-kraken-nickname-for-nhl-expansion-team/c-317588092 (https://www.nhl.com/news/seattle-kraken-nickname-for-nhl-expansion-team/c-317588092)
YES!
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That alternate logo is fantastic!
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That alternate logo is fantastic!
I for one love it ;D
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EdoclxTU4AAG_qu?format=png&name=4096x4096)
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I thought I had already chimed in on the Kraken jersey but I apparently forgot to hit send. I like how the Kraken is stylized into the S and the font. I had a bit of a reservation about the anchor logo for the shoulder, but after further review (larger photos) the sky needle being part of the anchor makes it work. What I don't like about the jersey are the colors of the dark (home) jerseys.
I was hoping for something that would make it stand apart from the rest of the league. The dark color makes it look like they borrowed the Jets or Blue Jackets palette. I really would have liked something in Red or Green that stands out a bit more. I give it a B+
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Watching Golden Knights vs the Coyotes right now. Man is it ever nice to see live hockey again. Even if it is exhibition.
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Watching Golden Knights vs the Coyotes right now. Man is it ever nice to see live hockey again. Even if it is exhibition.
Except when you see that your team is pretty much the same mediocre team it was before the lockdown and will probably get swept in the qualifying round.
Cheers, Gabe
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Except when you see that your team is pretty much the same mediocre team it was before the lockdown and will probably get swept in the qualifying round.
Cheers, Gabe
True! But my team, the Wings, won't even have the honor of sweeping out in the qualifiers. We could have at least had that honor. Guess it's something about a "historically bad season" or other....
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Im just glad for Hockey to be back, can't stand the other sports now
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True! But my team, the Wings, won't even have the honor of sweeping out in the qualifiers. We could have at least had that honor. Guess it's something about a "historically bad season" or other....
OK, so the Habs are NOT going to get swept out of the qualifiers. But I still don't think they'll win that series.
One thing they do have going in their favour is that every game is now a road game for them, and they were stronger on the road than at home before the lockdown.
cheers,
Gabe
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What's more impressive? The 'yotes handing the Preds a 4-3 loss, or the Blue Jackets shutting out the Leafs? Both were mighty impressive to me.
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Definitely the more impressive of the two is shutting out the Leafs. Despite their standing I believe Phoenix is the better team in that series.
Also both enjoy rooting for the underdogs and how fouled up the results of the play in games might turn out.
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Well, my Blueshirts have a long road ahead of them.
:-\
Sigh.
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Nashville had better luck tonight. They could have had a shutout, too, had it not been for the last few minutes of Arizona pushing hard to come back.
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Well, my Blueshirts have a long road ahead of them.
They are ahead of the curve I'd say on the rebuild. They just happen to get paired up against a team that is just a step or two ahead of them in that department. They still have a 12.5% chance of the number 1 pick this year.
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So the idea that a 12 seed is going to knock out a 5 seed in round robin is a reality in both cases and Columbus is one win away from knocking out the host city's Leafs. I'm going to sit back and enjoy the chaos.
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And the Arizona Coyotes are in the Playoffs. Nashville fought hard and tied the game up in the 3rd period, but OT went to the 'yotes, proving that they are in fact the better team.
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I am elated that the Pens have been eliminated. This will of course wear out once the win the number 1 pick in the entry draft.
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I am elated that the Pens have been eliminated. This will of course wear out once the win the number 1 pick in the entry draft.
AND WE HAVE AN UPSET!!! ;D :D
And this also means the Habs can kiss goodbye to any chance at Alexis Lafreniere. :(
cheers,
Gabe
EDIT: and on Crosby's birthday too! :P
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Blackhawks oust the Oilers. The upsets will continue until moral improves.
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I can’t believe the Jackets let that one get away!!!
Cheers, Gabe
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I can’t believe the Jackets let that one get away!!!
Worth saying again, methinks.
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Looks like the Wild are continuing their tradition of being ousted in the first round of the post season. Even when there is a limited post season.
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The Canucks are certainly the better team and I'd have been shocked to see the Wild beat them. I have to say though that was quite an awesome display the Wild put up in that last game. The goals they scored were fairly amazing given how little target space Markstrom was giving them to shoot at.
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The Flyers have grabbed top seed in the East by defeating the Bolts, who look like they've lost Victor Hedman in a pretty bad way. This means the Habs will face the Flyers and try to avenge their 2010 East finals loss. Not likely with this team but Habs fans can always hope.
cheers,
Gabe
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I can’t believe the Jackets let that one get away!!!
Cheers, Gabe
They made no mistake on the second go ;D Now it's my turn to be elated!
And with that, both hub city host teams are done for. Hey, at least on the golf course, it's easy to maintain social distancing!
cheers,
Gabe
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So by the time I finish we should be under 30 minutes until we know who gets the first round pick. In the meantime time to break down our first round of the playoffs starting with the Eastern Conference
1 Philadelphia Flyers vs. 8 Montreal Canadians
Privately I figured that either Tampa Bay or Philly was going to win the qualifying round. Montreal's only chance is if they shut down the then Pens and to my surprise they did. Philly is a deeper team then the Pens and picked up right where they left off when the regular season freeze occurred. I don't put whole lot of stock in Montreal knocking off the Flyers, but as long as Price is healthy then they have a chance. Picking Flyers in 5 as I don't see them being able to rip off 7 wins in a row.
2 Tampa Bay vs. 7 Columbus
The Bolts are going to get revenge for being swept last year, but not until they get a bit of a scare. Korpisalo has been rock and will need to be if the Jackets are going to pull off another upset. Bolts are minus Stamkos and probably Hedman. Tampa's depth can probably sustain them against the Jackets. Jackets will go down swinging though Tampa Bay in 6.
3 Washington vs 6 NY Islanders
Washington, sadly, seeded right where I thought they would be after the qualifiers. Either team could win this series and I wouldn't be surprised. I'm being a homer though and picking the Caps in 7. We might get one game decided by more than a 1 goal margin
4 Boston vs 5 Carolina
A replay of the ECF from last season. Boston needs to find its scoring mojo and quick. Rask is the difference maker in this one though as Boston comes up with just enough to oust the Whalercanes in 6 games.
Western conference
1 Vegas vs 8 Chicago
Chicago proved that it can pile on the goals in the qualifiers, but Vegas is a solid built team top to bottom with 2 solid tenders should one flounder. Vegas has on bad game and one close game, but otherwise dispatches Chicago. Vegas in 5.
2 Colorado vs. 7 Arizona
Colorado played a solid qualifying round and came out on the wrong side of the equation against Vegas. Arizona won't be a push over either. Colorado is top to bottom better, but Kueper will steal a couple games Colorado in 6.
3 Dallas vs Flames
I don't honestly know what to expect from this series. Both teams have floundered the past few years come playoff time. I know that Matthew Tkachuk has come to play though and that's I think has more going for it than Dallas does. Flames in 6.
4 St. Louis vs 5 Vancouver
The Blues are in the worst draw they could get with the Canucks. The Blues are going to have to grind it out if they want to get to the second round and even though they won the cup last year, Vancouver looked pretty solid in the qualifier so they are my pick. Canucks in 6.
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And that rebuild gets a nice kick in gear as the NY Rangers win the #1 pick.
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WOOOOO
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At least it wasn't the Pens.
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At least it wasn't the Pens.
I was worried it was going to be one of the Pens, Leafs, or Oilers.
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I am curious to see what happens with the Bruins v Canes tonight as the Bolts and Jackets are in their 3rd OT session.
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I am curious to see what happens with the Bruins v Canes tonight as the Bolts and Jackets are in their 3rd OT session.
they are now saying that the game won't start until at least 10pm est as they are now going for 5 OT and then need to fix the ice and clean everyone, wonder how much they are champing at the bit to play.. and how you you can keep up that energy level and not play
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So Bruins v Canes have now been pushed until 11am Weds...
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So Bruins v Canes have now been pushed until 11am Weds...
Assuming this game has an outcome by then ;D
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Assuming this game has an outcome by then ;D
5th longest hockey game in history
:thumbsup:
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5th longest hockey game in history
:thumbsup:
Somebody needs to remind the Bolts and Jackets that it's a 7-game series and they need to conserve their energy, not expend it all in the first game.
cheers,
Gabe
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Claude Julien has been taken to hospital with chest pains and will probably miss the rest of the Flyers-Habs series.
https://www.tsn.ca/with-coach-julien-in-hospital-montreal-canadiens-want-to-win-for-claude-1.1508815 (https://www.tsn.ca/with-coach-julien-in-hospital-montreal-canadiens-want-to-win-for-claude-1.1508815)
Kirk Muller will take over as head coach in the interim. No word yet on the nature of Julien's condition; obviously hoping it's not COVID.
All Habs players, brass, and fans are pulling for him.
(Yes, the Habs lost that first game, but they didn't play THAT badly...)
cheers,
Gabe
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Julien had procedure in insert a stint and is said to be recovering well. He won't return unless the Habs advance. Nice showing today thumping the Flyers.
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Julien had procedure in insert a stint and is said to be recovering well. He won't return unless the Habs advance. Nice showing today thumping the Flyers.
Now, can they reel off another 3 games like that?
On another note, Tuukka Rask has decided that these playoffs are not to his liking and has opted out of further play to return home to his family:
https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/tuukka-rask-nhl-playoffs-opt-out-1.5687970 (https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/tuukka-rask-nhl-playoffs-opt-out-1.5687970)
Jaroslav Halak will take over as starting goalie for the B's.
cheers,
Gabe
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I did hear him say that these don't feel like real playoff games because no crowds
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Now, can they reel off another 3 games like that?
On another note, Tuukka Rask has decided that these playoffs are not to his liking and has opted out of further play to return home to his family:
cheers,
Gabe
Hopefully for Rask is his contract is up this year. He burned a lot of bridges in the locker room with that sudden decision.
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Hopefully for Rask is his contract is up this year. He burned a lot of bridges in the locker room with that sudden decision.
Rask is signed through next year. As for him burning bridges with players, I doubt it. As for management, that is another story. None the less, lets say he did, there would be no lack of suitors for that one year of service.
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The Blues, who looked out of it two games ago, are right back in with a tied series against the Canucks. What a game tonight for the Blues. Vancouver whiffed on 7 power plays, not helping their own cause at all.
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Damn it!
I went to bed thinking Boston would lose. :ticked:
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Rask is signed through next year. As for him burning bridges with players, I doubt it. As for management, that is another story. None the less, lets say he did, there would be no lack of suitors for that one year of service.
He's got a young family I don't think the order players will feel less about him
Family is way more important that a game. His career will be over in a few years his family are for life to put it in a bit of context
Damn it!
I went to bed thinking Boston would lose. :ticked:
De Bursks first goal who thinks about taking a shot when your entire body if off the ground absolute nuts
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It was a bit of a throwback to Bobby Orr's goal (The Goal) from way back.
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Caps won a reprieve, they now have to win 3 more games and can't lose. It's never been done before, but then again this is not your average postseason.
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If someone is going to win out to stave off elimination, I'd much rather it be the Canes and/or Habs.
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And the Bolts have completed their revenge on the Jackets for last year.
Cheers, Gabe
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Columbus had no answers for Point or Kucherov in the last period. Columbus had a helluva year. I'd figure them to have missed the playoffs entirely and getting there went out in a whimper. Korpisalo and Elvis had a fantastic year. Should they have Anderson back healthy next year they could easily get back to the playoffs next year.
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If someone is going to win out to stave off elimination, I'd much rather it be the Canes and/or Habs.
Well it isn't going to be the Canes.
Cheers, Gabe
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Former Jets captain and star Dale Hawerchuk has passed away at age 57, having succumbed to cancer.
https://www.tsn.ca/winnipeg-jets-icon-and-hockey-hall-of-famer-dale-hawerchuk-dead-at-57-1.1510964 (https://www.tsn.ca/winnipeg-jets-icon-and-hockey-hall-of-famer-dale-hawerchuk-dead-at-57-1.1510964)
Cheers, Gabe
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The Habs are singing this right now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Vj092UgKwQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Vj092UgKwQ)
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Habs have a good chance if they keep up the fierce offensive zone play.
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(https://www.memesmonkey.com/images/memesmonkey/93/930e25b371cb9efd68b532598bc9e58b.jpeg)
The upset train keeps on chugging along.
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An end to another disappointing Caps season. That was likely Holtby's last one with the Caps. Going beyond that there simply isn't enough depth scoring on that team. Plenty of run of the mill NHL low line players that they took a gamble on to score 15 goals a year didn't pan out and they are tied to those folks for another 2-3 years. There will be a shake up, but the question is how much can they managed to do get those poor contracts off the books next year for better assets.
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Calgary was staked to a 3 goal lead and then it all fell apart. Tkachuk was unable to play the last few games and that most certainly doomed them.
All that is left at this point is to she whether or not Vancouver finishes off the Blues in game 6 or we go to the full game 7.
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Gallagher out for the Habs. Broken jaw. Hope Montreal can withstand the loss.
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Calgary was staked to a 3 goal lead and then it all fell apart.
When I went to bed, around 15 minutes into that game, I would have easily believed one team would end up with 7, but it wasn't the Stars.
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Gallagher out for the Habs. Broken jaw. Hope Montreal can withstand the loss.
Nope :'(
At the very least, if Suzuki and Kotkaniemi can keep playing the way they did in this series, the future will be bright.
Cheers, Gabe
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Not a complete upset, I'd say, but with a convincing game 6 victory the Canucks knock out the defending champs in the 1st round. Tough result for the Blues who had such a stellar regular season before the shutdown, but the Canucks have been an exciting bunch to watch. Should be a fast, exciting matchup with them against Vegas.
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So I managed to pick 6 of 8 in the first round. I'm just lousy at picking those 3 v 6 match ups.
My Round 2 picks break down as follows:
Philly in 6. They have more weapons then either or the two teams that the Islanders have beat thus far and can match them defensively.
Tampa in 7. Lets face it we've been waiting for this playoff match up for awhile and we finally get it. It should be a doozy.
Colorado in 5. It probably won't happen that way, but with Kadri scoring like a madman and Mckinnon being Mckinnon I don't see that the Stars have much of a shot in this one.
Vegas in 6. I'd rather see the Canucks win this one because a I believe a Av's vs Nucks conference finals would be wicked. None the less this should be a pretty decent series as well.
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Bolts, Isles, Avs and Knights.
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Did not expect to see what I did tonight. I was waiting for an Avalanche comeback at any minute toward the end of that one.
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It seems the upset train shows no sign of stopping this year.
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It's the long time off due to COVID. Enough guys went into off-season mode and never really made it back to shape. Throw in the fact that any momentum gained right before the shutdown completely disappeared when they restarted. I wouldn't be surprised if someone unexpected won the Cup this yeat. Not surprised at all.
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The Caps, in somewhat of a surprise, acted quickly and canned their head coach Todd Reirden. This was of course the easiest course of action to take because there is no guarantee they can get off the bad contracts they gave out the past two off seasons. GMBM is of course responsible for those, but Reirden's final pressers did him no favors when he simply couldn't put a figure on the teams woes.
I think this was the right move as I was not in favor of the Reirden hiring and thought they should have paid Trotz. I'd hope for a veteran coach as a replacement, but I'm skeptical that will happen.
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Golden Knights absolutely trounced the Canucks earlier tonight, looking well nigh unstoppable.
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The Isles looked impressive as well today. I didn't expect them to shut out the Flyers, that's for sure.
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Colorado had that game, then pissed it away.
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The Isles looked impressive as well today. I didn't expect them to shut out the Flyers, that's for sure.
Well the Habs showed that it's doable...they just couldn't do it more themselves.
cheers,
Gabe
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Golden Knights absolutely trounced the Canucks earlier tonight, looking well nigh unstoppable.
Mmm, I think that Knights/'Nucks series is going to look a lot like the Habs/Flyers series. ;)
Cheers, Gabe
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Mmm, I think that Knights/'Nucks series is going to look a lot like the Habs/Flyers series. ;)
Aye, that was a good game tonight. I'm impressed by Vancouver's ability to bounce back.
And the Bolts also evened up their series against the Bruins. It was a good evening for hockey. :)
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Holy shit, did the Lightning ever blast the doors off of the Bruins tonight. To the tune of 7 to 1.
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At least there was hockey and baseball tonite
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Another good showing by the Bolts. :thumbsup:
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All remaining games this round are all now elimination games! :popcorn:
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I'd love to be able to listen to some of the local Boston area sports talk shows today.
I imagine the fans will be blaming this all on Rask.
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They shouldn't. Blame the whole team for a lack of scoring and the inability to stop Palat and his line, among other things. TB is trying to right the wrong of last year's 1st round exit and seem to be doing a good job of it.
Go Avs!
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I know where the blame should go as well, but these are Boston fans we're talking about. ;)
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The Stars and the Avs certainly don't have a lack of scoring.
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I'd love to be able to listen to some of the local Boston area sports talk shows today.
I imagine the fans will be blaming this all on Rask.
As a Boston fan I dont blame rask defence first job stop attackers getting in forwards need to score we didn't do enough of either in this round and Ritchie is a wasted jersey like his brother
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I remember after game 7 last year Boston fans were calling to trade Rask even though it looked like the entire team didn't know there was going to be a game played that evening.
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DAMN!
I was ready to turn this game off and go to bed then the Isles tied it up.
I start at 6:00 tomorrow :'(
I'll give it one overtime.
Please go down quick Philly. :popcorn:
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:ticked: Should have went to bed! :flame:
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Be fun to see how these remaining 3-2 series play out! One would think Vegas and the Islanders *should* ( :D ) ultimately beat Vancouver and the Flyers, but what will happen for COL-DAL?!!
Some interesting goalie situations on the go....
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Blues traded Jake Allen for picks to the Canadians. I actually like this pick up. The Habs probably aren't as competitive as their successful post season, however Allen offers a solid platoon and can be flipped for better assets at next season's deadline.
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Colorado, on the verge of upsetting the upset. Just, wow.
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Everyone had this pegged as the series with the best backup tender :o
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How about the backup's backup. Hutchinson is the Avs #3 goalie. Avs are still scoring goals in large lots.
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I find it hilarious that the Avs have to pull off an upset to avoid being upset! :))
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Blues traded Jake Allen for picks to the Canadians. I actually like this pick up. The Habs probably aren't as competitive as their successful post season, however Allen offers a solid platoon and can be flipped for better assets at next season's deadline.
Here's hoping he doesn't turn out to be a bust like Keith Kinkaid did.
(At the minor league level, it also means that at least one of Charlie Lindgren and/or Michael McNiven is done with the organization.)
cheers,
Gabe
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A broken stick.
Of all things for the Isles to lose the game on, A FREAKIN' BROKEN STICK.
cheers,
Gabe
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Friday will be an exciting one with two game 7s to determine the two teams in the Western Conference final!
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So far the only thing that stinks about game 7 is I have to work while there is OT to be played :(
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Congratulations Stars!
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And at 6 minutes, and we're still 0 - 0 between the Knights and Canucks.
Just testing my jinx power by posting about it.
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Holly shiiayat.
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Dallas up 3-1....goes on to win (in seven).
Weird, very loose, series. I was surprised that Dallas took the early lead, and was surprised by the crazy momentum swings through the series and in individual games. OT in game seven to decide it...gotta love it.
Knights up 3-1...go on to win (in seven).
That performance by Demko in net for the Canucks over the last three games was absolutely INSANE. With the shots and chances Vegas had, how did they not blow out the Canucks?! Vegas is the better, more complete, team...but man - run up against a hot goalie, and wow!
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After how hard they fought the last two games, Philly wilting like wet cardboard in the game that mattered the most was a bit of a shock.
But also a treat. :thumbsup:
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Have to give props to the Islanders. It may have taken a few extra games to close out the Flyers, but top to bottom they have looked solid through the post season.
Demko looked solid for the Canucks and I'd surmise he'll be the starter next season. They are an entertaining bunch to watch. Their cap number doesn't look to bad for next season and could probably take on an additional contract or two to round out that team for a run at the cup next season before they lose some pieces to the expansion draft.
As for the conference finals:
Vegas in 6. I'm skeptical that Dallas can sustain their offenses output against a team that has a solid 1 and 1a goalie tandom.
Tampa in 7. Both teams are locked in. I think Tampa gets back to the SCF, but the Islanders aren't going to be a push over at all.
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After how hard they fought the last two games, Philly wilting like wet cardboard in the game that mattered the most was a bit of a shock.
But also a treat. :thumbsup:
Well after such a hard push, the Flyers didn't have anything left in the tank...much like the Canucks. But the Isles did stifle them pretty well in that last game.
cheers,
Gabe
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Did anyone have Stars winning game one? This Stars team defies the odds a lot.
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Then again, to say the Knights have been inconsistent these playoffs would be the understatement of the year.
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While I picked the Bolts to take this series, I expected hard fought tooth and nail games like the Isles have been giving us so far.
What the hell happened last night?! :o :yikes: :o
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Would the real Golden Knights please stand up?
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While I picked the Bolts to take this series, I expected hard fought tooth and nail games like the Isles have been giving us so far.
What the hell happened last night?! :o :yikes: :o
Either fatigue or my theory, the Bolra saw Barry Trotz on the opposite bench and went into a blood frenzy.
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Last night was much more like what I expected.
Except scoring with 9 seconds left. That was just epic!
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And the Isles do in fact have life left in them. Good game tonight.
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Some nice goals and excellent goaltending as well.
I think the outcome to game #1 was pretty understandable: Tampa with a short series against Boston and plenty of time to rest, compared to the Islanders coming off a long series with an emotional game seven win. Game 2 was up in the air with the winner a stunner in the final seconds. This time the Isles managed to pull it off. Fun game to watch -- including the rough stuff that bubbled over in the final minutes!! :thumbsup:
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Who would've thought it would be the Stars, rather than the Knights, going to this weirdest of Cup finals?
Cheers, Gabe
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Definitely a shocker in the west. I thought the Knights would run the table. Pavelski and company are on a mission.
Now for tonight's tilt. Good luck to both the Isles and the Bolts.
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Double OT in an elimination game and the Isles keep the dream alive - Dallas must be loving this!
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OT once again. And with a power play for the Bolts to start the OT session for the second game in a row, too.
Question: Who would Dallas most want to face?
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Shame someone had to lose this.
Congratulations Bolts!
The bad news is you get to face an equally pain in the ass team that refuses to die.
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Question: Who would Dallas most want to face?
The answer to that would have been the Islanders. The Bolts are solid from top to bottom. None-the-less, the Stars have everything firing on all cilanders. If you told me before this all started that Anton Khudobin would be a starting tender in the SCF I'd have died from laughter.
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I haven't posted any picks so far this strange postseason, but it's not too late just yet.
Tampa Bay over Dallas in 6. Hedman wins the Conn Smythe.
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I'll be rooting for the underdog and I think they've got bite. But my mind says Tampa finally puts their recent demons to rest and wins it in 7 games. Conn Smythe I'll take Kucherov. In the unlikely instance that Dallas wins the cup though I'll take Gurianov.
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I'm picking the Bolts as well, but the way the Stars have played this postseason I wouldn't be surprised if the upset train makes a final stop.
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I'm picking the Bolts as well, but the way the Stars have played this postseason I wouldn't be surprised if the upset train makes a final stop.
And Khudobin wins the Conn Smythe if that happens.
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Dallas continues to surprise...I guess it shouldn't be a surprise anymore? It will be interesting to see what kind of response Tampa has on Monday.
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I was sure that game would go the other way
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You and pretty much everybody else.
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Tampa's 1st period power-play was a solid response to their performance in Game #1, and then watching Dallas push the play through the second period and into the third was a lot of fun. I'm liking the skill and I'm liking the hits in these first two games of the final.
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And game 4 was really good, plenty of offense, but plenty of D, too. It's a game I'd like to see on NHL Classic Rewind or whatever real soon.
Tampa wins 5 to 4 in OT.
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Game 5 was even better than game 4, featuring a Dallas Stars win. It was a real thriller, especially for Stars fans.
Dallas over the Tampa Bay Lightning in double OT 3 to 2
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Great game to watch. The Stars are so obviously the underdogs, but are fighting the odds so tenaciously. I'm really impressed with the play of veterans Pavelski and Perry.
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Yeah, Pavelski is playing at such a high level, it's sad for the Sharks that they let this guy go.
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And so there it is, the Bolts have exorcised their demons from last year and brought home the Cup under rather unusual circumstances.
Kudos to them, and to the runners-up as well for giving it such a good shot.
(At least Steven Stamkos got to appear in one game and scored a goal.)
Sure it's not going to feel quite right, having to win it in a mostly empty arena, but when all is said and done, it's still going to be "Tampa Bay Lightning" on the championship belt.
(And I don't think there needs to be an asterisk associated with the win, since the Bolts had already qualified for the playoffs before the pandemic hit.)
cheers,
Gabe
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One of the more entertaining postseasons in recent memory is in the books.
Congratulations Bolts!
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Congrats Tampa Bay!
Now it's a quick countdown til the 2020-2021 season begins.
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Well deserved championship for Tampa! What a solid team. Dallas were outmatched, but their winning path to the cup through the Flames, Avalanche, and Golden Knights showed they belonged in the finals.
These were great playoffs to watch. I'm really glad the bubble concept worked and there were no pandemic interruptions.
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After several bumps I n the road the Bolts finally earned their well deserved prize. They won't lose a whole lot of talent to free agency and should be the favorite next year as well.
It has been reported be Larry Brooks of the NY post that Lundqvist is going to bought out of the final year of his contract.
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It has been reported be Larry Brooks of the NY post that Lundqvist is going to bought out of the final year of his contract.
It's official: https://www.nhl.com/news/henrik-lundqvist-has-contract-bought-out-by-new-york-rangers/c-319244176 (https://www.nhl.com/news/henrik-lundqvist-has-contract-bought-out-by-new-york-rangers/c-319244176)
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It has been reported be Larry Brooks of the NY post that Lundqvist is going to bought out of the final year of his contract.
The greatest Blueshirt should not be shown the door like this.
:(
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Blueshirts also sent Marc Staal and a 2nd rounder to the Red Wings for [profit].
Just kidding, they knew exactly why the did it. It cuts salary big time, freeing up space for a splash in the free agent market, as they like to do.
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I've said it before - the Staal and Henke moves are right for the team to cut salary and to build a winning team.
But it's the wrong move. Lundqvist is the greatest Ranger ever. Period. It will be blasphemy to see him in a new sweater.
The draft on Tuesday will be fun (for those of us who barrack for the Rangers). Heaps of rumours about OEL headed to Vancouver, maybe. That's an exciting young team.
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I like Vancouver, too. I also like the Avs in the west. But St. Louis is the 800 pound gorilla in the room there. They won't go away because of one disappointment of a postseason.
In the east, I like Tampa Bay to repeat. At least as EC champions, if not the Cup.
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Vegas signs Lehner to a five year deal worth 5 mill per season. Sounds like a steal. Goaltending like Lehner provides usually costs more than that.
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Vegas signs Lehner to a five year deal worth 5 mill per season. Sounds like a steal. Goaltending like Lehner provides usually costs more than that.
5 Mil a year is a steal. I think Lehner could have gotten a bit more money AAV had he tested the market, but not term. Assuming he doesn't have a total melt down going into his downside years this contract is gold. The limited NTC also shouldn't handcuff the team at the later end of the contract. I'm interested to see now if there will be any market fallout that drives down the cost of other UFA goaltenders.
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Yes, and really it should cause some ripples. Everyone thinks they are worth Vasilevskiy cash when it comes to contract time. But this changes things, a very good goalie staying on relatively cheap to help produce a winner is big.