f13.net

Hockey back!

Some random thoughs:

For long suffering Ceryse, I actually think Edmonton will crawl out of the basement this year. I don't know if to a playoff spot, but in the hunt. I still think their management is retarded (that Pouliot contract...), but they have managed to finally assemble a competent enough vet backed D corps. Also starting the season with a good goalie. The Islanders should have a good year too, basically have done the same thing. Tne Metro division is going to be very tight, the Pens should still win it (too good of a regular season team), but you will have 4 other spots up for grabners. I think everyone but the Canes will be in that mix.

Atlantic division, I think Boston will fall down a bit off their great regular season. Between losing Iginla & Boychuck, plus the vets being a bit older, doubt Tuuka can put up that Vezina %. All these little hits add up to I don't think they will run away with the Presidents trophy. They'll still challenge for 1st but not a lock. Tampa is being hyped as the team of the hour, but I am very skeptical of Bishop's health. His body fell apart last season after they road him way too hard, I don't think he's ready to get back to heavy trucking. Also we'll find out how much the loss of Marty St Louis cuts, I think it's being underrated, he really is a unique, phenominal player. Really dig Montreal's changes on D, nice rebalancing. No more Murray & Bouillon, both should have retired 2 years ago. So the 3rd pairing is better with Weaver + Rookie (Beaulieau starting) Changing Gorges for Gilbert adds better speed & playmaking, and balances the LD/RD. Emelin was really struggling on his off-side. Bit of homerism but I think they take the division. I think Florida improved, Luongo is still a legit goalie, good pickup with Bolland, they should be in the hunt. Out of it will Toronto, they are just so awful top to bottom besides that 1st line. Bernier won't be as good to save them.

Western conf I don't follow as closely but the top 8 seem pretty good still and will be very tough to dethrone...I like Vancouver acquiring Miller, and Sedins/Burrows should bounce back. I also like Nashville, great blueline, Rinne back. I also mentioned Edmonton improving, Phoenix is solid... but all these teams carry flaws, usually in offensive depth, and knocking off one of the current top 8 is no easy feat especially the way Dallas improved. Maybe Minnesota is in trouble with their goaltending issues.

I expect nothing from the Canucks, so if they can cobble together some sort of decent season it will be a nice surprise. I do think the new coach will help. I actually like Torts, but he was absolutely the wrong fit for that team. I just don't know where the secondary scoring is going to come from. Miller will have to have an MVP season to make them a contender unless some of the young kids break out in a big way.

I will still watch basically every game though.

Toronto bought up like every hockey stats numbers guy on the interwebs, apparently they are finally going to pay attention to that now. Almost like they've predicted Toronto's utter collapse every year for the past decade or whatever.  :why_so_serious:

Also expect the coach and GM to be fired before the new year.


Otherwise it will be business as usual, plan the parade to celebrate that 9th place spot.

They can get all the advice in the world, but when the coach is too fucking stupid/stubborn/ignorant to use it, what difference does it make?

Baby steps, at least they acknowledge it finally.  :why_so_serious:

They were still giving up like 40 shots against per game in the pre-season, not much has changed. Any regression from Bernier's .930 the first half of last season will be painful (like it was in 2nd half). Just something wrong to the core with that team, they just can't play any kind of D system properly...

Flyers are going to be mediocre at best - with Timonen done, their defense has regressed. I'm expecting a lot of blown leads late in games and pond hockey because loldefense.

I cannot wait for some of their prospects to mature a bit - for once they'll have a strong home-grown defense, for the first time in at least 20 years.

Yes, the organization is fundamentally broken, from the ground up. Has been for years and years now.

They literally set up their defensive system to do the exact opposite of what all the stats (and common sense) show you should do. I don't know if they are still using it this year (I don't watch the preseason), but previous years their goal was to allow as many shots as the opposing team wanted, as long as they were 'low quality' shots. While the Leafs themselves would wait for the proper opportunity to counter attack with a 'high quality' scoring chance. Their whole plan was let the other team tire itself out by shooting too much and then using that window to get their own offense going.


Results speak for themselves in how effective this genius plan was.  :oh_i_see:

At least Giroux should be fun to watch... Looks like he will crack 100 pts this season if him & the team don't have that weird season starting slump again.

Oh, boy... hockey.

The Oilers should improve this year (I have them pegged for ~87 points, in 9th or 10th spot -- but having meaningful games past November would be an improvement...) and the Pouliot contract isn't as bad as you, and others, claim, not with the inflation in contracts. Then again, people actually blame the Oilers for inflating contracts around the league using Hall's contract as an example (Hall's contract being one of the best in the league, but whatever). The off-season acquisitions were pretty solid, including the assistant coach and Dellow (who did some fantastic work ups last year on how the Oilers were fucking the dog in player usage and strategies). That said... starting the year by dropping one of your top 4 d-men (Marincin) to the minors so you could give time to Nurse and Klefbom (neither of which is as good as Marincin is right now, though Nurse will be better in another year or two, and Klefbom is more chaotic, especially defensively and has an injury history a mile long) is par for the course in Edmonton. Should have been Klefbom sent down with Nurse staying up for his nine games.. or however many until Nikitin is back.

Of course, the Oilers will just trade Petry and Marincin soon enough so it doesn't matter.

As for the rest of the West;

Kings, Blackhawks, Blues will rule again. I expect good years from the Stars and Anaheim, as well (though I think Anaheim will drop off a little from last season and Dallas will be improved -- and I'll actually be watching a lot of their games this year). I think the Sharks will drop a fair bit.. possibly even into wild card or 9th spot due to goaltending, losing Boyle and egos over the whole 'get rid of people' angle from management.

Canucks will suck. Another year older for the Sedins, new coach (albeit one that should be a better fit than Torts) one of the most over-rated goalies in the league (Miller is an average starter if you go by his NHL stats -- and I think he's on the decline) and they remain one of the most dirty, asshole-ish teams in sports. I mean, hell, they were pricks to the Oilers in a pre-season game! That's like kicking a dying dog because it licked you. Yes, I'm biased. Still, I doubt the Canucks do well this year.

Arizona could improve a bit, but who knows with them. Gagner should be a good addition there considering they're already going to do what the Oilers should have done five years ago and put him on the wing. Don't see them making the playoffs.

Biggest drop in performance will come from the Avalanche, though. Advanced stats showed them to be a dog-shit team last year bailed out by Vezina-level goaltending. Won't happen this year and they'll suffer for their attitude towards shot generation. Wildcard team at best.

I think it'll break down similar to this;

1. Chicago
2. St. Louis
3. L.A.
4. Anaheim
5. Dallas
6. Minnesota
7. San Jose
8. Colorado
9. Edmonton
10. Arizona
11. Winnipeg
12. Vancouver
13. Nashville
14. Calgary

Woot hockey's back baby!

I see the Maples Leafs will suck talk is starting early this year. Always good to see.

Now how long before Ginaz starts bitching about the Bruins. :D

Honestly don't know how good the Bs will be this year.  They'll make the playoffs but can they win multiple rounds? Not enuf scoring options up front. Defense is a little light behind the first pairing.  Carl Sodeberg is a beast though.

Game on!

Dallas wins the Cup this year!  :why_so_serious:

I don't think the Oilers scouted Pouliot at all. There was a reason he bounced through 5 eastern teams in 5 years, on 1 year, 1 million $ contracts. He played decently in the playoffs for the Rags (which is what the Oilers brain trust saw), this is the occasional brilliance he shows, and why he was a top pick, but 80% of the time he's dogshit, just a dumb loafer, and why so many teams passed on offering him even 1 million $ after getting a long look. Anyway, don't take my word for it, you're going to see soon enough like they did in 5 other cities, he is a very flawed, frustrating player.

Canucks' most realistic hope for the playoffs is that San Jose doesn't improve. If San Jose has a bad year, Vancouver could still finish third in the Pacific.  Finishing fourth probably won't get anyone in to the playoffs though with the strength of the Central.

Vancouver should be a little better than last year - Torts was a total disaster. I'm not sold on Miller, but Lack is an above average backup, so we may be ok. Defensive depth on the team is scary bad, and secondary scoring is always a worry. I actually think the Sedins are going to bounce back well - Vrbata looks like a good fit for them.

Watching them last night against Calgary - sloppy as hell. Those kind of giveaways would have buried them if they hadn't been playing an AHL team. Burrows scored though, which is good. Put him about 30 games ahead of his scoring pace last year.

Ceryse:  :awesome_for_real: I wish Edmonton well, but picking them ahead of Arizona and Nashville? Don't see it. Their defense looks a little better with some veterans added, but I don't think anyone outside of Schulz even knows where the offensive end of the rink is.

I picked Burr as the first scorer of the year on Twitter... should be in the running for a signed puck  :grin:

Agreed on the giveaways. If Edler ever pulls his head out of his ass he might be worth his contract. He is so gifted, but such a fucking dunce. At least they can still beat the Flames!

They will be happy with Miller, he actually was really good in Buffalo last year despite the horrible team, he was the one guy who wasn't the problem and their few wins were usually the result of him stealing games. In St. Louis it didn't work out, just never fit for some reason, hard to explain really, I guess he was never comfortable which is actually a big deal for NHL goalies when you are facing such great shooters, they really walk a tightrope of focus that makes or breaks them. I think, starting the season, coming in as a free agent, Vancouver will get the real all-star quality vintage Miller and can put the goaltending debacle of the past few years behind them.

Nashville is an odd team. I almost didn't know where to put them because they can be a decent, middling 8-12 team.. or an out-right bottom feeder. I'm a fan of Rinne but he hasn't looked the same since the health issues. The rest of the team just doesn't seem to have a lot of chemistry, imo. I don't see them doing well.

Arizona.. see above without the bottom-feeder part. Arizona is a team that is seemingly always close, but not quite there. I can easily see them in 8th-9th instead of the Oilers, but my bias won out.

The Preds & Yotes have such a great defensive culture, and solid goaltending really makes them tough to play against so they hang in there. They just don't have the offensive pop to power into the playoffs. That is why I would agree with Ceryse that if the Oilers can really improve their D this year with the addition of vets + a goalie, they have the offensive potential to put them over those teams. It's still kind of a longshot, but they have a decent chance of starting to realize that potential this year.

(http://i.imgur.com/j5w8RUl.jpg)

That's some good PK, Edmonton.

Also, this: https://twitter.com/Jeffler/status/520441156073955330

Flames are going to be awful this year. We know the Flames are going to be awful and only hope it's awful enough to have a chance at McDavid. For the first time, the prospect cupboard isn't bare here and there's some legit talent up and coming. It's going to take 2-3 years, but the Flames will get better.

Irony is, until that moment the PK had been good. At that point it no longer mattered. Oilers dominated 35 of the first 40 minutes and couldn't buy an even strength goal. Then, after the 3rd Calgary goal Edmonton deflated like only Edmonton can.

But hey, when your second best d-man is in the minors because the coach and gm have hard-ons for two guys who haven't shown they can play in the defensive zone.. you kinda get what you deserve.

Was a really good post game interview from Eakens after that game where he basically refused to put his team down because they played a really good game - they just didn't win.

In which way is this early! It's started the same time every year! When the season started.  :why_so_serious:

All I'm going to say is; Refs 1, Oilers 0. Between the refs and Oilers coaching staff, the Canucks got handed the game.

Anyone into betting should be putting a lot of money on the Kings tonight;

RNH out, Eberle out.

Petry (Oiler's best d-man) healthy scratched (because he's not "up to speed" due to missing training camp, and yet has been, by far, the best d-man so far, and they couldn't "afford" to sit Hunt because of the powerplay...)

So, you have the Oilers without two star forwards, playing two more rookies tonight (Nurse, Yakimov), and without their best two defensemen (Petry, Marincin).

Looks like Eakins needs to be fired. Never should have been hired, honestly, but, y'know; "Oilers".

Any idea why the Canucks are going 6 days between their 2nd and 3rd games of the season? It is the same as an early bye in the NFL- too early in the season to be useful for nursing guys back to health,  and just makes the rest of the season more compact and shitty. They already have a fucking hideous travel schedule- the NHL couldn't find a midweek game for them? Clownshoes.

Ugh. Don't get me started on the NHL schedule.

It's absolute clown-shoes all around, and given the NHL that's saying something.

Put $5 on it -1.5 goals. Here's hoping you're right and it's an asswhipping!

I have $500 on the Kings.

So, Oilers will somehow win, and stick with the line-up because you don't change anything after a win.

Haha well good luck to you! You're betting more than my entire bankroll for the month.

NHL betting is actually a substantial part of my yearly income and at minimal serious risk. I start every season with $1,000 as my betting budget and from any winnings I take 25% out and put it aside for retirement; the rest gets put back into my betting pool. Were I to lose my entire betting stake I'm done for the year, but it hasn't happened yet. To be honest, though, I use a bookie instead of an actual professional (and legal) betting service. I get better returns and more flexible win conditions.

Well you were right on this one. If you have more tips as we go along through the year, I'd be happy to hear them!

I know it probably won't happen all year, but watching the Oilers flounder to start the season warms this Calgarians heart. I am a child of the 80s when the Battle of Alberta was an actual thing and that hatred runs deep.

Hah. The way Eakins is going it may last longer than you think. Interestingly enough, here in Edmonton Calgary isn't seen as the primary enemy anymore when it comes to sports; it's Vancouver. The hate for the Canucks supersedes the hate for the Flames. In part that is because there is some respect for the Flames due to how their team is blue-collar in its work ethic (and just having a work ethic makes them better than the Oilers...) even though Burke is very much hated around here.

Still, I actually agree with you in that I'm pleased to see the Oilers flounder and they're my team. Management needs to realize that to win you should actually do something revolutionary; ice your best line up and stop playing favourites with Mr. Norris Trophy, The Captain, and Mr. Powerplay.

Paelos; we'll see. Most of my tips are common sense. I just use a combination of common sense and advanced stats. I.e.; I bet on Colorado getting waxed against Minny in both games.. a pair of games that gave me very good odds on that happening, so I made out like a bandit. I expect most of my winnings this year will come from the Oilers, Avs, Canucks and Dallas. Mostly betting against the first three, especially depending on the odds I can get from my bookie.

Note; if I ever give you a tip about an all Eastern conference game? Ignore it. I'm not nearly as good at getting those right as that conference is just so.. different than the West, and I don't follow it nearly as closely.

To be fair, everyone hates the Canucks.

Hey I'm all ears. It's a good reason for me to watch hockey I otherwise wouldn't give a shit about.

Well, only game I'm betting on tonight is the Coyotes-Oilers game; I put $50 on Arizona in a simple win option. Coyotes should win for a number of reasons; second game of a back-to-back for the Oilers, Coyotes are 10-0-3 against the Oilers in their barn over the last 13, and the ex-Oiler factor means Gagner should score well against the Oilers tonight, especially as he's in a slump (I'm not kidding, if you dig out the stats for this, recent ex-Oilers are some of the most prolific scorers against Edmonton, comparing almost as well as players like Crosby).

However, Oilers have dropped Hunt in favour of Petry (hah, I'm surprised they were smart enough for this), and rumour has it that RNH and Eberle are game-time decisions.

Yet... Pinizotto was called up (Yakimov sent down) and will play wing and Acton will move to center (which is dumb, as our fourth line is, currently, doing exceptionally well -- hell, they were +1 against L.A.!) which means both RNH and Eberle could be very questionable to play, and that if one does.. it is more likely to be Eberle who has looked like utter shit from pre-season on; and is one of the laziest players outside of the offensive zone I have ever seen.

Not a game I'd bet heavily on, as despite all the reasons for an Oiler loss, the Oilers have a tendency to play better after a drubbing, or at least, Hall tends to force the team into appearing like an NHL team after a drubbing.

Sounds like a 1 unit play. I'll give it whirl.

Man I actually watched the 3rd period of that, was up late after my own game. Oilers looked pretty bad, looks like I was too optimistic about them. at least the Isles seem to be somewhat legit

Two for two! Keep it up ceryse!

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B0Eqpf5CYAA3r5E.png)

oh man time to put Oil fans on suicide watch. It's sinking in that this is going to be another long, cold winter during Oiler season.

For a laugh check out hfboards fan trade proposal forum,
http://hfboards.hockeysfuture.com/forumdisplay.php?f=3

Half the 1st page filled with brutal Oiler related proposals, most seem to be made by Edmonton fans.

I hope the Islanders make some noise. I really like a lot of their young guys, and they have the best sweaters in the sport. Pity their owner is a world class shitheel.

The owner Charles Wang is out. He agreed to sale, just pending league approval. He's going to hang around for a few years, but he's on his way out.

I thought I remembered hearing that, but couldn't remember the details. Good news.

Sad thing with the Oilers is there is no excuse for it to be this bad. Here's how you fix the Oilers to be a decent team without any trades;

1. Fire Chabot, the goalie coach. This year makes 6 straight years the Oilers have had goalies regress after a summer of training with him.
2. Call up Marincin (likely tomorrow), pair him with Petry.
3. Call up Klefbom, pair him with Fayne.
4. IR Nikitin as his ankle has not healed.
5. Pair Ference with Schultz since neither one can be sat for team politics reasons.
6. Play these pairings accordingly; Marincin/Petry the most even strength minutes, followed by Klefbom/Fayne, and give Ference/Schultz soft opposition/offensive zone start minutes. As of right now, Petry and Fayne, the two best d-men on the team currently are seeing the fewest minutes because Eakins is a certifiable idiot.
7. Tell Scrivens to ignore whatever Chabot told him and start him with beach-balls and go from there.
8. Leave the forwards alone, injuries permitting (i.e., don't put Gadzic into the line-up when he's healthy if possible --  face punchers who can't play should be fired into the sun).

Now, ideally you do make a few trades. Such as moving Ference for a bag of pucks if you can get him to waive the NMC (won't happen, Eakins loves him because he's a fitness nut.. never mind he's the second worst d-man in Edmonton.. it's basically MacT's version of the Khabibulin contract). I'd also trade Schultz; he's got a name people would still trade for. Winning the Schultz lotto was actually one of the worst things to happen to the Oilers because he doesn't give a shit during play and is one of the worst d-men in the league in his own zone.

Anyways..  tonight's bets; not betting a lot tonight, honestly. I've got $50 on the Sens over the Avs, $50 on Stars over Penguins, in regulation, $50 on Kings over Blues, in regulation. I made these bets largely because of the odds I got from my bookie made them worthwhile instead of detailed analysis. I'm up enough on the season (nearly three grand in profit) that these bets are fairly meaningless. Still; I don't like what I've seen from the Avs -- advanced stats coming home to roost and I'd have bet more on that game but the Sens are kinda crap. Stars over Penguins was a pure gut play. Kings over Blues is just a check play in that I needed a third game to get slightly better odds on the Sens/Avs game from my bookie.

New season, same Milan Lucic.  The whiny man child strikes again.  What a bitch.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/milan-lucic-s-gesture-to-habs-fans-in-loss-could-cost-him-1.2802290

Odds that Ginaz was going to make that post this morning: 10000%  :why_so_serious:

Lucic has lost his mind or something, shit start to the season.

Bet the Kings last night, so 3/3 on ceryse's picks now!

Boston still at it with this weird nut spear hunting thing too. Marchand spears PK Subban in the jewels (and somehow PK gets a diving call) last night.

You're welcome -- do I get a cut? :why_so_serious:

I'm 14/16 on my bets this season so I'm expecting a long string of getting it wrong any day now; probably starting with tonight as I have $200 on the Oilers to win by 2.

RNH likely to draw back in, Hall is pissed, Marincin back up (although he's with Fayne on the top pairing because Eakins hates Petry -- who's on the third pairing, despite being the best d-man we got) and Scrivens has guaranteed a win, so I think he might stop a beach ball tonight.

It's the only bet I have going tonight as I didn't have the time to work on the other games and I didn't get a gut feeling about any of them.

My losing streak starts tonight because: Oilers!

Heh unfortunately a cut of what I actually bet would be about five bucks. I'm not betting in your league.  :grin:

I will stick with the plays. If you want college football ideas, I have done pretty well there. The nfl is a crapshoot.

I don't follow pansy football. Psht. Four downs? Come on! Pity the CFL is such a joke; it has better rules.

Hockey is the only thing I bet, as it is the only sport I know well enough to bet on. Amusingly, the most profitable bit of the year for me is the World Jrs., I usually clear 5-6 grand each year on them alone, using only 6-7 bets.

My secret? Finland. Sometimes the Swiss. The odds are glorious.

Such a shame you didn't bet big on any of those three, though, eh? Smart, though. I never bet anything I'm not prepared to lose. If I win it is fantastic; if I lose.. well, that's gambling. Most people my bookie deals with don't get that (one of the reasons he likes me, despite the fact I rarely lose more than I win).

I don't bet big on anything. I treat bets as reasons to get me to watch stuff I'd never watch.

I will roll over wins tho.

Oilers win! Plan the parade!

More seriously, however... Oilers have the best 4th line in the NHL right now (I'm dead serious). Gordon, Joenssu and Hendricks have been getting 90%ish d-zone starts (the rest of their starts have all been just outside the Oil blue line) against heavy competition (guys like Stamkos, the Sedins, etc.) and have not only been shutting them down, but have been corsi warlocks in addition to often getting the play out of the zone and into the offensive zone. Just amazing. Can't last, of course, as it is almost Herculean what they are doing.

Also, god damn the Oiler D are so much better now that Marincin isn't rotting away in the minors and Petry is getting more ice time. Marincin goes from being in exile to top pairing and is killing it (so far). It does help the D look better when Scrivens has a good game, though, but Bishop was the better of the two and kept his team in it.

Thoughts on Dallas beating Vancouver tonight?

I have Dallas over Vancouver, in regulation. I want to say something like a 3-2 score. I don't see Vancouver being able to contain Seguin and Benn well enough and think Miller is going to have an iffy game (his first of the year against a non-shit team). The Sedins (who are being properly used once more; lower ice time and heavy emphasis on o-zone starts) being the main reason Vancouver can keep it close and maybe pull out an upset but think the Stars will shut them down enough 5v5 that unless the Stars get into penalty trouble there just won't be enough scoring depth for Vancouver tonight.

Other than that game the only bets I've made for tonight;

Isles over Leafs, by 2 and Sharks over Bruins, regulation. Almost made another couple bets, but the odds were horrible. I may take a last minute flyer on Panthers verse Avs,, but not quite sold on it yet. If I do it'll be a simple win bet.

Tomorrow I have Sens over Leafs in regulation, Oilers by 2 over Capitals, and Flyers over Penguins in regulation (just a $25 bet between myself and a co-worker as a lark on the Flyer game).

I think you would do just fine betting against the Leafs every chance you get. It is also very easy to root against them  :grin:

I really dislike predicting individual hockey games, it's such a sport of who shows up + bounces just look at TBL vs EDM last night..

I guess you can make money if you consistently bet on a team you know is going to be way over .500 like Chicago and against a really bad one like the Sabres or Oilers but I guess that's just not my idea of fun.

I do like wagering on 7 game playoff series though, the bounce factor is mitigated by the duration and you know both teams are giving it 100% so you can sit down and seriously analyse the match up better.

Not really. Betting consistently on a team like Chicago will make you money, but unless you are constantly betting large sums on them winning the margin simply isn't there. The money comes from betting on a team that is playing better than their results; i.e., Edmonton last night. I had fantastic odds because of how poorly the Oilers had been doing, but because of line up changes and advanced stats you could tell the Oilers were due for a bit of a break the other way, especially given Tampa being an Eastern Conference team (Oilers are generally above .500 against Eastern teams, hell even last year, as shitty as they were, they were 14-14-4 or so against the East.. because the East is just that much weaker).

While bounces are a factor they, like luck in general, are something that evens up over time so it is less of a factor for a regular gambler than one who just dabbles (and to be fair, there's been some advanced stat work that shows that outside of one or two game swings, luck usually balances out within games). Honestly, the bigger question mark in betting on individual games in hockey is the voodoo that is goaltending. Outside of a few exceptions, goaltending is the hardest thing to predict, especially the longer your sample runs.

As for "who shows up".. that's actually something you can track to a degree. There isn't a fancy stat for it, but after you watch enough games you get a feel for which players have a tendency to float and what triggers it. For some, against physical teams they are more likely to not show up. Others have travel as the big indicator, or back to backs.

As for playoffs.. good money there, but that is more because of the number of people betting can swing the odds. Betting on a favourite, while smart, isn't often worth it because the odds are shit. Betting against a favourite with clear problems (Pittsburgh!) is a cash cow, however, even if that favourite takes the series. Their series against the Isles, for example, two years ago (I think that's when it was) was a gold mine for me, because while the Pens won the series (barely), by betting a grand for the Isles to win in each and every game put me miles ahead, even being wrong four times, because of the odds on those Isle victories.

I mean, maybe it is a bit different when you bet through the professional (and legal) services, but through a bookie there are a number of times when I'll pass on betting on entire series because the odds and payoff simply aren't there (Kings vs. Blues, as an example.. right or wrong the payout was utter shit).

World Jrs., however.. always worth it, because you have clear favourites every year and nationalism blinds a lot of people. Finland and the Swiss for life; perpetual under-dogs in the odds and can often upset just enough times to make payouts amazing (especially the Fins, who often don't get their due from NA odds-makers even when they are medal contenders).

Dallas was a winner.

I'm leaning towards the Capitals tonight to win.

Until the third, the Canucks were making the Oilers look good by comparison. Such horrendous defensive zone play and goaltending.

Lost on my Isles and Shark bets, which was unfortunate. Glad I ended up going for a win bet on Florida, but only reason I only lost a bit on the night was the Stars game. Still have Oilers by 2 against the Caps (Oilers are looking a bit better and the Caps don't have the goaltending/defensive zone play to keep the Hall line in check and I'm banking on Scrivens and Fayne/Marincin to keep Ovie from blowing it wide open). Also, Sens over Leafs in regulation. Smaller bet, but should do well due to the Leafs having to play back to back and I don't see Kessel forcing them to win again in that situation.

We'll see who's right about tonight, though, Paelos!

Oilers did pull it out. Not by 2 though. Bah!

I know, right? All I was asking for was an empty netter at the end!

Still, Oilers got the win, even after a horrific third period and almost completely shut down Ovie. Unfortunately, Marincin blocked a shot near the end and might be hurt, Eberle seems to be playing hurt, Nikitin is playing hurt and Ference is playing and Gadzic is likely to reurn to the line up soon and get onto the fourth line and destroy it. Horrible.

I like Calgary tonight.

Tonight is as good a night as any to bet on the Flames., they shouldn't be outworked by Carolina and have better goaltending.

Having said that I apologize in advance of them getting blown out because I voiced a sports opinion which seems to be the norm for me lately.

I don't mind taking shots as I'm working off very little but gut instinct and valuation bets.

Did anyone bet that PIT/PHI match?

Would have been a great match to pile the cash on PHI. Apparently their record vs PIT is pretty good over the past few years, and almost obnoxious in PIT's new building.

EDIT: 14-7-0 since the beginning of '11-'12 vs PIT, 11-1-1 at Consol Energy Center during the regular season. Nutso.

A lot of trade rumors flying around the Oilers especially Eberle & Yakupov. What is the word out in Edmonton?

We're hearing the Habs are interested but probably wouldn't be offering more than Eller & a young D man (Beaulieu or Tinordi). They aren't going to break off more veteran players from a successful playoff team for an unproven young winger.

Nah they won 5-0 so it was a good pick. Tonight I like Vancouver.

Pittsburgh just can't beat the Flyers lately.  It seems like they just get under the Penguins' skin too easily.

lately? 2012 playoffs?

Which the Flyers won 4-2, further illustrating the point?

Dunno. Vancouver played decently last night (more that the Blues were asleep),  but the 2nd at altitude in a back to back? I wouldn't count on them.

Exactly. I was just pointing out it seems to have been a trend even a few years ago. The Pens just get unhinged playing the Flyers, like Boston does against Montreal.

Fair enough, I'll go with my backup. Tampa Bay over Winnipeg.

Good call Way, Vancouver tanked and my change to Tampa netted a win! Thanks for the tip.

Today I like three games. If yall have thoughts let me know.

Canadiens to beat the Rangers
Sharks to beat the Sabres
Red Wings to upset the Flyers (PHL favored)

How the heck is PHL favored in that game? I'd pick DET too, as PHL's defense is absolutely decimated right now.

They looked great for the first 10 seconds!  :oh_i_see:

Gordie Howe just had a serious stroke.  I hope he's alright.
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/News/2014/10/28/22036606.html

Ugh I hate to hear that. I didn't realize he was suffering from dementia as well. No wonder I haven't seen him for a couple of years. Old age fucking sucks.

Even though its early, barring major injuries, I think the Flames aren't going to be in the Connor McDavid sweepstakes.  I don't think they're a playoff team (maybe in the east, not in the west) but they have a really solid group of players.  Johnny Hockey looks like he might be the real deal, the goal tending has been pretty solid, the work ethic is still there and Giordano and Brodie are becoming one of the best defensive pairings in the league.

The Ducks look pretty good.

Yeah I don't see them being bottom 5 either. Their top 4 on D is too good although their production pace might fall off a bit. Gudreau looks great which is good news tho... Hiller is a question mark, he is putting up Vezina quality #s right now after 3 mediocre seasons where he couldn't keep a position on the Ducks, will he regress back to this play? It's a long season and that could be what sinks the Flames.

Also not to be a party pooper but they have been beating up on the Canadiens who are not in a good place. First the road ambush game Thursday, now last night they looked like they went out hard saturday night, had no legs. The indiscipline is getting ridiculous, 6 PP to 1 in Calgary's favour. Typical Dave Jackson in Montreal, always overcompensates, a lot of chinzty stuff like "slashing" the guy's stick out of his hand, behind the play (it didn't even break). The missed calls were an extra kick on a down team (Galchenyuk stick in the teeth, cutting his mouth, elbow to Emelin's head).

I am glad to see the Flames still have that hard charging attitude playstyle though, it's always given Montreal fits, they are much better against more passive teams. It's funny the way some teams retain certain "cultural" traits good & bad over the years, through many roster & coach changes.

This has always surprised me - through coaching and personnel changes, and through generations of fans, some teams just don't change their style much.

To be fair, that may be due to GMs - I don't think most teams change them very often. For instance, the Flyers had Clarke and Holmgren for what seems like the better part of 20 years, and what do you get? Hard-hitting, bruising teams with decent power forwards and hulking defensemen. Maybe that will change with Hextall, but he cut his GM teeth in LA, which doesn't  come from a drastically different mold. Perhaps its even more systemic - how often are teams cleaning house in their scouting departments? Most scouts probably tend towards certain kinds of players, which has the downstream effect of only feeding certain kinds of players into your farm system.

For instance, the Flyers again - they mostly draft players out of North America, with a smattering of guys out of the northern European leagues, while other teams may have a more pronounced Russian/Central European flavor. It's an interesting phenomenon.

It seems like there's just a soul in some teams that seems hard to get rid of, even when it's kind of a negative that a GM doesn't like and comes in preaching the fad of the moment style of hockey. The aforementioned Flames blue collar hockey, teams like Philly & Boston always seem to have that rough edged aura no what the roster. The Leafs play gritty and highly offensive, can never seem to learn proper D, that Capitals too, firewagon hocker was always something for their club and still is (now desperately trying to stamp it out with Trotz). The Canadiens have had this skilled counter-attack offence, defensively tight style since the 80s, NJ very tight defensively. I think the players that come in just absorb that, and it lingers through roster turnover that "this is  x team hockey".

I want to say it comes down to the farm/scouting teams build up. Coaches, GM's, Owners, all that shit changes, but how often and regularly does the scouting and farm system get revamped?

Probably not very much.

You probably need a pretty visionary GM to come in and change those sorts of things if they're not giving you the results you need.

Jesus fuck that Fleury extension.

Whelp...All I can say is you have to admire their loyalty to the guy.

Are we complaining about the cost or the length?  I don't love the guy, but he's still a pretty solid #1.

He is at best middle of the pack. If he played on a team that didn't score like the Penguins do he would be under .500. Crazy extension.

He is a workhorse #1 in the regular season but the Pens are supposed to be cup contender with their superstars and he has posted brutal playoff #s for years now.

I'm not going to lay all the blame on him for the Pens' lack of recent success, they had other issues like on defence, and mental issues (especially vs Philly lol), but generally cup teams have a goalie that doesn't let in many softies, which are backbreakers given how tough it is to score in the playoffs, and can take a couple games all by themselves each series along the way so Fleury seemed to be part of the problem since those things are not his recent profile.

I guess they are hoping he can figure it out as he further matures. He is only 29, goalies tend to have a longer career arc, their position is so mental that you often see goalies getting better well into their 30s as they gain experience in handling their nerves, in their positioning, and approach to shooters/situations, matter more than raw athleticism. The Pens management must also figure that trying to pull off a trade, or find a UFA goalie would be just as much as a gamble as re-signing Fleury.

Thought I'd share this to reinforce my disdain for the Bruins. :grin:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbShxQyu1gM

As mediocre as Fleury is...he HAS won a Cup. And besides, what other options are out there for them, Bryz?

Also, love that Boston video - what a bunch of shits on that team.

Apparently the dressing room loves Fleury, and on top of that there weren't really any options in the offseason. No real choice to make. Rutherford had to pay him and hope for the best.

I've heard that, too.  The deal isn't that far of stretch, IMO.  Apparently, Fleury and his side wanted 5 or 6 years, the Pens wanted 2 or 3, so they compromised and went with 4.  The money isn't too out there when compared to other starting goalies and Fleury's body of work, I think its just the length of the contract that's a little controversial to some.

There is an obsessed Canucks fan who has made about 5 of these videos over the past few years. Good stuff, I like that daily show edit, that's new.

I'm sure you could make a video like that of any team, inc. the Canucks.  It's just funny that the Bruins TV guy, who seems like a complete idiot, was mocking the Canadiens for diving and then the video shows numerous examples of Bruins doing it.

The Bruins have one of the absolute worst TV crews. Did you catch the bit of him laughing after a guy got drilled?

Jack Edwards is a seat-sniffing creep and the blockhead color guy is pure Boston idiot. They are horrible.

In other news, the Kings still completely own the Canucks. Sigh. Wonder if Bieksa will decapitate Kesler tonight?  :drill:

I think its Ginaz.  :grin:

Andy Brickley is not an idiot.

Anything to say for yourself Shannow?

Loved it.  I'm not a Habs fan, but I could watch the Bruins shit the bed like that all day.  Its what happens when the refs actually make calls on them.  They're not the same team when they're not allowed to play "Bruin's hockey". :awesome_for_real:

Oh, and Lucic backing down from Subban was a classic Lucic puss out.  The Sedin twins are tougher than Lucic. :grin:

It's worth checking in just to see how far we are still in Ginaz's head, endless amusement.

Bruins are just not good when on the road vs quality teams. We miss Z and Krecji quite obviously but I'm not sure if it's all that.

Still, shit talking over a early November home win? Come on...wake me up in March!

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2Sq-3UIgAAtRj3.jpg:large)

Yeah I know...Leafs, but they are tied for 3rd in the conference.

I don't hate the Bruins like some here do, but that one was too easy. I actually LIKE them for how frothy they make Canucks fans.

Plus, I don't get to post an imagine of the Leafs crushing the Bruins very often.

WTB: Hockey Team, pst.

Edmonton / Vancouver last night. Possibly the sloppiest, least defensively structured game I've seen all year, but damn if it wasn't entertaining. Never seen so many goals scored from range in one game.

Pinnizotto gets in to his 17th career game at age 30 and scores his first career goal, and gets a Gordie Howe hat trick to boot. I didn't even get upset at the goalie interference call on Burrows (though Scrivens oversold it with the head jerk). Vancouver scores 3 seconds in to a powerplay with an absolute laser from Vrbata, and then Edmonton comes back and score two in 11 seconds. Crazy game.

Yeah it was an entertaining game, but I would have wanted to kill Miller if the offense hadn't kept up. He is shaky as hell.

I haven't been very impressed with Miller at all and Lack hasn't been much better.  They really should have made things right with Luongo and apologized for all the shit they made him swallow the past few years because he is clearly better than both of those guys and has played exceptionally well for a bad Florida team.  The Canucks are lucky they're scoring at a good pace, with the Sedins returning to form and clicking with Vrbata and Bonino becoming a real solid 2nd line centre.  I don't think they've missed Kesler at all this season.  That was a nice trade with Anaheim, esp. when compared the absolute shit sandwich of a deal they made with Florida.

I wonder if they will keep Horvat all season. He has to be getting close to the 10 game limit, and hadn't done much until last night. If he can win faceoffs like he did last night then he could easily center a line all year. Not sure that playing with 4th liners is the best way to nurture his scoring touch though, and they REALLY need him to be a scorer.

I suspect they wont keep him up just because his direct competition for the spot is Lyndon Vey, who would have to clear waivers to be sent down.

So apparently, in response to the jersey throwing stuff, the Leafs players got together ahead of the game and decided that if they win (which is a pretty big if), they'd snub the fans and not do a salute.

Sounds like a pretty mature leadership group they have in that room. I expect big things from that team.

How dare those people who pay literally hundreds of dollars per seat expect a team to not let in 9 goals a game? Talk about entitlement issues!

Pity Phil Kessel doesn't have the ball to stand up to his retard teammates. This sounds precisely like I have always imagined Dion Phaneuf. God he is a loathsome toad.

Phil was supposedly one of the ring leaders. He was acting very petulant the other day too.

What a group of professionals.

I'd have a pretty hard time giving that organization my money if I were a Leafs fan.

That's amazing. Making millions of dollars and then telling the people who pay your salary that they are fuckers.

Oh I am sure he was. I just wanted to make a cheap joke  :awesome_for_real:

HAHAHAHA!!!!  Milan Lucic gets dropped with one punch like the bitch he is then takes a cheap shot once he gets up and the linesmen have the other guy tied up.  Once again, Lucic gets shown up as the most overrated "tough guy" in the NHL.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sc_3uRQNtM#t=52

I wish I could say that this is the first time the Leaf's bench has told the fanbase to fuck itself.

http://wejustscored.com/

I think the departure of a few tough guys has exposed Milan's clown show.

As for Leafs.  Yes it was foolish, but this is a really stupid story manufactured by the media.  As soon a Leaf looks sideways at someone every media in the country drops everything. Leaf fans don't give a shit about some stick waggle, they want wins. I mean "OH NO! they broke a tradition that goes back...18 months!"

BTW Senators stopped doing it. Nobody batted an eye. Media and fans alike.

Leafs brought it entirely on themselves, so fuck em, they can deal with the manufactured controversy of their OWN MAKING.

There is no controversy. Every time the "insiders" start arguing it fans just groan. Leaf fans want wins and other fans are sick of hearing about it.

Of course none of this takes away from the fact that they are still a endless source of comedy.  Or that their players have over inflated opinion of themselves.

So the Flames win again.  I still can't believe how well they're doing.  I expected the wheels to come off about 10 games ago.  Barring injuries, they actually might make the playoffs.  Hudler has quietly turned into one of the better forwards in the league, Gaudreau seems like the real deal and a good candidate to win rookie of the year, both goalies have been solid and Giordano and Brodie are arguably the best defensive pairing in the NHL right now, with Giordano a frontrunner for the Norris trophy.  A hard working team thats fun to watch and easy to get behind...the exact opposite of the Oilers.  Nothing exemplifies that more than the games they played last weekend.  Both team were down 2-0 early in the 1st but they both responded differently to it.  Oiler players had a look on their faces like "Oh no, here we go again" and basically gave up after that point while the Flames looked determined to win even after they fell behind again by 2 goals twice more before tying it up with 2 goals with their net empty.  Just getting a single point after being down 4-2 with less than 3 mins to play might have been a small victory but the Flames seemed to want that extra point and went on to win in the shootout.  Taylor Hall is the only Oiler that looks like he gives a damn if they win or lose and I don't know how much longer that will last if they keep losing.

Calgary's top D top 4 is a treat, really slick. Giordano and Brodie might trail off that point per game production tho, don't know how sustainable it is.

I went to that game vs. Jersey on the Saturday and the 'dome was as loud as I have heard it since the '04 playoff run. It was absolutely roaring. I debated not renewing my season tickets this year, but I certainly haven't regretted it so far.

 Stanley Cup Recipe  (http://grantland.com/the-triangle/todays-featured-recipe-a-quick-and-easy-stanley-cup-championship/)
The team comments are priceless... :grin:

Sean McIndoe is a fantastic hockey writer and a worthy follow if you are on twitter https://twitter.com/downgoesbrown

Dallas Stars: I made this once and it turned out just right. I didn’t follow all the directions exactly, but that’s no big deal. It’s not like anyone’s going to care about one errant step.

HAHAHAHAHA

Buffalo fans still shout NO GOAL at me when I wear my Cup Shirt.

Downgoesbrown is the only sports blog thing I actually read outside of the constant stream of random baseball articles Sjofn throws at me.

lol the last 5 are got me rolling

http://deadspin.com/oilers-gm-craig-mactavish-embraces-the-cold-void-1666737109

The horror on Mactavish's face is palpable.

And tonight Alfie retires properly, and we forget that whole Detroit thing ever happened.

(http://www.tsn.ca/polopoly_fs/1.152137.1417742449!/fileimage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_620/daniel-alfredsson.jpg)

Suck it,  Pens.

I will fight you.

Flyers apparently are trying to make a run for McDavid.  :uhrr:

No one can best the Oilers at tanking.

No one.

http://imgur.com/gallery/tdIhQ

This made me laugh a bit.

They've had too many top picks. The one year the Flyers were legitimately terrible, they somehow still don't get top pick...that pick has now effectively turned out to be Luke Schenn, vs Chicago's Patrick Kane.

Think about that bit of injustice for a moment.  :oh_i_see:

If the Oilers end up getting McDavid, I will choke a bitch. :mob:  MacTavish will have no excuses if they keep failing after that.

The irony is that most advanced stats have the Oilers in the 19-23 rank. Low shooting percentage and poor save percentage (some of that on the goalies.. some of that on the defense for horrible play) bring the Oilers to.. 30th!

The goalies seem to be getting better now that Chabot is gone (something most knowledgeable Oiler fans wanted done at least three years ago), and now that Eakins isn't playing Schultz 23+ minutes a night the Oilers may get better defensive zone play. Especially if Nikitin gets IRed and doesn't come back until healthy (and the Oilers bring up Marincin...) and they sort out the powerplay (won't happen) the Oilers could feasibly make a second half surge into merely being a laughably bad team instead of being the joke of the sports world territory.

Of course, if Gordon's injury from last night is serious the Oilers might be bad enough to force the NHL to consider relegation.

Dear Ottawa Senator fans. Chris Neal is a giant douche.
 http://youtu.be/ThOs96tnllU (http://youtu.be/ThOs96tnllU)

Happens around 34 seconds.

The owner is a giant douche too, looks like he was behind McLean getting canned. He'll won't have a problem finding a new job.

Ok so who had MacLean fired before Randy Carlyle or Dallas Eakins. Anyone?

Paddock, Hartsburg, Clouston, MacLean and now Cameron.  

30th payroll in the NHL still finds a way to stay .500.  So let's shitcan the guy who won the Jack Adams two years ago.  And hey, let's not look at who's out there (*cough* Dan Bylsma) let's just promote the assistant because that'll be cheap.  They did this bullshit before when they cheaped out on DeBoer and went with Hartsburg.

What a gongshow my team is. Fuck you Melnyk.

From what I've heard and read, the main reason MacLean got canned was the star players (Ryan, Karlsson, etc.) tired of him singling them out in the room. Sounds pathetic, but it is an unfortunate truth in the modern NHL; elite players refuse to deal with coaches of the old school who tell them what to do, instead of working with them. There are some exceptions, as some coaches have enough reputation and 'who the fuck do you think you are?' to get past it. By all reports, MacLean used to be a new age coach, but after the Adams trophy win and when things got dicey, he reverted to more old timey methods and the (star)players apparently had enough.

How much of that is actually true? Who knows, but there's enough smoke there to give indications that a decent amount of it is.

The Sens have stars?  :grin:

YEAH! We've got Erik Karlsson and, and...shut up.  You don't get have a lower payroll than Florida, the Islanders and Phoenix by having "stars".  It's all about cost per point! Watch as the only reliable shutdown defenseman (whom MacLean has had for a total of 2 games this season) gets shipped out thanks to "cost per point".

Yes maybe his relationship with players ended up dysfunctional, but we are on coach #5 now in Murray's GM tenure.  And they didn't even look around.  There is no 'interim' tag for Cameron.

I suspect when Daniel Alfredsson was still there with the 'C' he had MacLean's back.  That changed obviously.

So, Eakins fired. Rumour has it MacT could coach, with Nelson coming up as assistant (and might be made official later on).

Hilarious.

Eakins needed to be fired; shouldn't have been hired to begin with. If MacT coaches, however.. only possible upside is it gets him fired as well. I like Nelson as a coach, but giving the team to yet another rookie coach? Ugh. At least wait for the off-season and see if Babcock is interested f you back up enough Brinks trucks (he won't be).

Babcock will be resigning with the Red Wings.  I hate to say it but a rookie coach might be the only one willing to take the job, or perhaps a veteran coach who's been out of the NHL for a while, like, say, Mike Keenan.  It's a bad situation in Edmonton and it's not going to get any better for quite some time.

The only reason I could see Babcock even potentially coming to the Oilers is the money; he is looking for a big raise in his pay, both for himself and to move the pay for coaches in general forward. He's admitted as such that the amount of money he signs for is a big part of where he ends up, and that he feels an obligation to his fellow coaches to get as much money as possible.

I actually don't think he will re-sign with Detroit -- they don't seem willing to pay him north of 4-4.5 million a year. The Oilers would likely offer north of 8 million a year.

I kind of wish they'd go after Mike Milbury - get him out of the studio so I don't have to see or hear from him anymore.

World Junior Hockey Championship: I'm going to do something I wouldn't normally do here and give Toronto hockey fans some kudos for chanting for the Slovak goalie during the player of the game announcements after yesterday's semi-final game. That was the best five goal against losing performance I think I've seen a goalie ever have. Stood on his freaking head to keep Slovakia within one for half of the game.

He's no Kristers Gudļevskis.

Toronto hockey fans are great - they just can't ever get tickets to Leafs games because they're too damn expensive.

Tickets for the World Jrs aren't exactly cheap, either. But yes, for a change the fans in both Toronto and Montreal were good. I think, however, you see a number of fans who normally don't attend the games of the respective teams hosting the tournament; I know it was that way here.

Been a fantastic tournament, as well. Godla was, well, godly, and the Slovaks get their second medal ever in a much deserved win for the underdog. Sweden has to be in shell-shock.. go undefeated to get into the semis before losing to a Russian team that decided to learn how to play smart hockey right before they played the U.S. (Russia was.. not good during the round robin) and then lose to Slovakia?

Best game of the tournament thus far, however, was the Canada/U.S. game, which isn't uncommon. The Canada/Russia game could be interesting, but I just don't see Russia having an answer for the sheer depth of a Canadian team that, for once, built their team the right way with minimal politics interfering.

Well they almost did.  The Russians made me nervous going in because of the shaky start and getting progressively better with each game they played.

But after a five year drought, all is right in the world again...
(http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s13/specialj99/canadawin_zps6e0c51b0.jpg)

Yes, I could handle Canada/USA playing each other over and over again.  That matchup is always a treat.  But for me the Cold War hasn't worn off, it's always about beating the Russians.

I love this tournament so much. The NHL is dead to me when it's on.


Ok NHL I'll pay attention to you now.

Breaking news as I make this post: Randy Carlyle fired.  You're about 18 months late Leafs.  Now replace your GM and maybe you can finally get somewhere next year.

It's ALL about beating the Russians. I didn't realize that outside of internet gaming I could generate as much hatred for teenagers as I do for the Russian Junior team. I still remember Buffalo...


CARLYLE IS GONE YESSSS.

Everyone who watches hockey knew Carlyle would get fired. It should have happened over the summer, but Nonis or his bosses wanted to sink another season first. Idiots.

The firing of Carlyle makes me very sad. He was a key element to the Leafs sucking.

Watch the Oilers hire Keenan to coach the Oilers next season with Blysma and Carlyle as assistants.

Don't worry Leaf haters. It's going to take a while to turn around a club that has Kessel & Phaneuf as its stars, and is paying Clarkson over $5 million a year until 2020.

The belief is they'll appoint an interim coach and offer Mike Babcock a huge bag of money at season's end.  Hope (not) they have a plan B if he extends in Detroit.

Also, it'll take more than a coach to turn that outfit around.  This is a team with a weak core that are going to have all sorts of cap problems.  They have $41 million in cap space already committed for the next 3 years and not many of those deals are going to be easy contracts to unload.

Brian Burke may have acquired most of those players, but it was Nonis that signed them long term. And then there's the Clarkson deal.   :uhrr:

This is a team that looked at their lineup and said "Yeah, Tyler Bozak is a #1 center".

Of course this scenario played out before when they fired Ron Wilson and hired Carlyle, so they could very well fuck it up again.  And the comedy will continue!  :why_so_serious:

Damn, I said he would be gone before the new year.  :why_so_serious:


The Leafs are broken at a level beyond players and coaching. Scouting, Management, Ownership, Culture... it's utterly fucked in just about every imaginable way. The only reason this organization hasn't been mothballed is because it still makes an almost unimaginable amount of money.

11 loses in a row for the Leafs now.  New franchise record. :awesome_for_real:  If they really want it, they can set a record that will never be broken. :grin:

Might as well try to win the Connor MacDavid sweepstakes.

To be fair, the play the Oilers next. The Oilers are very good at helping teams turn things around.

Although, the Oilers are actually playing decently post Eakins (once MacT went got the fuck off the bench...) as Nelson has fixed a number of the glaring Eakins-fuckups. Combine that with playing to win and not getting shit upon from the Hockey Gods with goaltending (still not good.. but hardly the shit-show it's been prior) and the team is .500 pts % since Nelson took over and has cut down the goal differential bleeding drastically. Once they trade Petry (our best d-man.. UFA and they haven't even made him a god damn offer, apparently) and Gordon (because, well, Oilers) the team should collapse into a complete free-fall, especially if they do the smart thing and force Hall and Pouliot to sit out most of the rest of the season instead of rushing them back from injury yet again (for the record, the Oilers have now rushed Hall back from injury seven times in his career already).

But, at least the Oilers aren't the circus act that is Toronto.

I just hope Calgary, Toronto, or Vancouver get McDavid. Any team but those three. Of those three.. Toronto would be the least offensive if only because they would fuck him up within two years and make him into just a star, rather than a generational talent.

Oilers vs Leafs should be fun tonight...

Incase anyone missed it...
Winnipeg making a surprise entry into the running for biggest Canadian gong show. (http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/evander-kane-opts-for-surgery-over-jets-teammates--out-4-6-months-181129916.html)

I have no idea what the history of all that is with Kane, but that would probably be my reaction too from the vacuum of that one incident.

The Kane thing is interesting; in particular how much he is being vilified in the press and by the fans. The guy is a massive douche and/or asshole, but if you take the context of the situation into account, along with the history.. I actually don't blame him in the slightest for the recent spat. Consider the following;

- The 'leaders' on the Jets (Wheeler, Byfuglien) have a history, with previous teams (Boston, Chicago respectively), of not getting along with team-mates and Byfuglien has had similar issues in Winnipeg, including tussles with management and coaches.
- Kane has been, reportedly (TSN, Sportsnet, ESPN and others have all commented on it recently and in the past), targeted multiple times by the above two for not 'falling into line', or 'being a good team mate'.
- Kane has been battling the injury for awhile, and even on Jet blogs it was speculated he was going to need surgery several weeks ago, and the injury has been reported as having gotten notably worse over the last week or so, even before this incident. Additionally, there's rumours that in an earlier season he was heavily pressured to play while injured, and then slammed by fans/media/management for sub-par play during that period, which may affect his attitude towards playing with this injury.
- Kane has been repeatedly "thrown under the bus" by his coach in interviews with the media, especially in post-games, even when he was clearly not even close to the biggest problem on those nights (and, of course, a number of times when he was).
- There's has been reported incidents when Wheeler, Byfuglien and Ladd have not been punished by the team for violating team rules (Wheeler and Ladd have both missed several mandatory team functions over the years and have never been punished according to team rules, and Byfuglien has actually violated the dress code rule three times; punished only once, the first time it happened).

There's more details than above, but these are the ones I know have been reported in various media outlets over the years. The guy is clearly a spoiled prat, but you combine that with the Jets locker room and the team's management of him? Disaster.

Kane is perfectly in his right to opt for surgery, and quite honestly, would be stupid not to. It's an injury that has been bothering him for awhile, is getting worse and it was the team doctors, not Kane, who made the determination that surgery was needed, and the sooner the better. Could he play with it? Sure. Should he? No. Especially not for a team/fan base that has treated him like shit (whether or not some/most of that has been deserved).

Lastly, I find it hilarious the double standard on bullying in our society. We condemn bullying, cry out that we should address it and prevent it, yet if someone (especially an adult) has been a victim of bullying, who call for them to suck it up, get used to it, to not ask for it, act mature and so forth. Kane has been the victim of bullying (and bullying is incredibly common in pro sports.. and the lower levels). While the latest incident is pretty minor as bullying goes.. it is still bullying, and I know from conversations with ex-Oilers, scouts and guys I knew who were AHLers that it not uncommon for severe bullying (and hazing) to occur in hockey -- and all of it is considered as tradition and something players should engage in when the rookies and younger players come in or act in ways they don't like. Almost no one in the media has really stopped for a moment to consider the bullying aspect, yet they have talked about being anti-bullying in the past and how there should be zero tolerance for any kind of bullying, especially in light of the death of Burke's kid.

However, Kane is the one who has acted immature in this scenario, going by the media/fans, not Byfuglien and Wheeler. Hint: the mature thing to do would have been to sit Kane down and have a conversation with him and explain clearly that he needed to clean up his act, regardless of his reasons (claimed he had not been aware/notified the team function was one of the ones where a dress code was applied, and that when he found out it was too late to go back home to change) being valid or bullshit as, blah, blah, blah. Now, granted.. maybe that was tried years ago and failed.. but then you trade him longer before things come to this.

Now, personally, I'm not anti-bullying, though I believe if you bully someone, you become fair game for bigger fish to bully you. I consider it simply part of human nature that will not ever change and is not all negative. But, then again, I'm an asshole and worse. The hypocrisy just amuses me, though, considering everything.

Lots of NHL players (and most big league pro athleres) are big ego, arrogant young male millionaires who've been told their shit don't stink since the age of about 8. I'm sure some of these young men are worse than normal dipshit   (even Bob Gainey, who knew his way around a NHL player's head, couldn't control a young Grabovski), but some teams definitely seem to have a better handle then others when it comes to bringing them down a notch and into a team first spirit than others.

Master stroke from Tim Murray in acquiring Kane.  They tank further in the short term for the draft lottery, and acquire a good young forward for next season.  They give up the latest of their 3 1st rounders and a couple guys that weren't in their long term plans.

Kane may be immature, well duh, he's 23.  As the Bruins have learned, trading young, highly talented players because they lack maturity is a REALLY big mistake. 

I think I mentioned before how print guys are just the worst. If you don't kiss their ass, they will skewer you. When it comes to egos they are right up there with any young player.  Just watch them on Twitter losing their mind if anyone dares question the gospel they have laid out.  If you don't suck up to them, you will be attacked for your "questionable character" and "lack of leadership".  If you suck, but are nice to them, then you're "trying too hard".

If Myers can get back to his previous form with a new team, then Winnipeg does pretty good too.  Stafford helps them push for the playoffs, which they desperately want to reach.

Nelson remains the coach you cannot stop, merely contain. Get's back to 0.500 during his solo stint as head coach. May have cost him Lander (who's been, basically, Superman) and Petry (it will be very Oilers if he's hurt and can't be traded at the deadline, so they lose him for nothing during the off-season), but still.

Also brings the Oilers to 13-11-1 against the East. The Oilers would be a playoff-hunt team in the Eastern conference. This, of course, is nothing new. During their last eight years they've had a winning record against the East. Think about that; the Edmonton Oilers, regarded by many as one of the biggest Mickey Mouse teams in the NHL the past eight years.. would almost be a playoff team in the East.

God damn the East sucks.

Also hilarious; without Price and Subban? Advanced stats show Montreal would be a negative corsi and fenwick team.. to the rough degree of Ottawa. Basically two players are able to make a non-playoff team into one of the best teams in the East.

Hell of a Canucks / Rangers game last night. That was the game I feared most on this road trip and we squeaked it out. The Sedins seem to have refound their youth.

Horvat is a gem. Almost worth losing Ginger Bricks.

Oil fans obsession with the east conf is really weird, I guess that record is something optimistic to latch onto but it's meaningless. The Habs have a brutal record overall vs non playoff teams, they'd be in pres trophy otherwise. There's preparation issues where they don't show up against bad teams, or in the 1st period, it's kind of weird really. Also not many teams would be great without their stars so I don't get your point really. And yeah they aren't a big possession team, but they have really figured out a way to leverage their speed and good breakout passing into a dangerous counter attacking weapon that has been very effective. Add in a disciplined, tight defensive structure backed by price and they're winning lots of hockey games against good teams.

Also, the Flyers beat the Preds (ok, in a shootout, still counts), so take that Western Conference.

Oilers have a winning record against the east. :awesome_for_real:

Looks like Patrick Kane is out for ...12 weeks. :ye_gods:  To me it looks like an attempted dive gone wrong because there's no way that little cross check should have had the result it did.
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/patrick-kane-out-of-blackhawks-lineup-12-weeks-1.2971053

And the Kings got the veteran 2-way D man they needed.
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/andrej-sekera-acquired-by-kings-1.2972789

brutal for the hawks...

Brutal for the City. Happened pretty much the same day the Bulls lost Rose again.

The real tragedy here is that Kane just sunk both of my fantasy teams.  Dick.

The Kane issue is hilarious; mainly due to the fans/media crying for a suspension. If you watch the replay closely, you can see that the problem wasn't the common and relatively gentle cross-check to the hip, but that Kane's left skate slipped/skid instead of biting into the ice when he put his weight onto it. Accidental, imo, and, yeah.. a huge blow to the team, but I don't see it as the end of the world for the Hawks as I've seen some calling it. As good as Kane is.. he's one guy on a team as good as the Hawks.. and his name isn't Toews.

Also, Speedy, OIler fans don't have an unusual obsession with the eastern conference. Most fans of western conference teams follow the east with the same eye of; 'my god they suck, we'd be..', as the western conference is wildly regarded as the "real" conference by both fans and media (and more than a couple players.. there's been a few UFA signings that have mentioned not wanting to play in the west because it's a harder conference). What brought it to a boil instead of just something you talked about occassionally, however, was after the realignment you started to see eastern conference-based players/management and media call for a change in playoff format (drop the west down to 7 playoff spots and increase the east to 9) because more teams meant it would be harder to make the playoffs in the east, and easier in the west. Which was bullshit and everyone knew it.

As for the reason why Oiler fans constantly talk about it? Simple; when even the Edmonton Oilers (regarded as a joke franchise) have had a 0.600+ record against the East over the last eight years it's a talking point.. and it isn't as if Oiler fans have much else to talk about between slaggings of our management group for being incompetent. That and in Alberta it is a normal past-time to take anything remotely capable of mocking the Eastern part of the country and beating it like a dead horse (which amusingly enough, stems from two sources.. and neither is suited for a sports thread).

Surprised no one has talked about the Toronto/Columbus trade.  Both GM's should be fired for signing Clarkson and Horton to such huge, long term contracts.  Horton was already injured when he signed and Columbus failed to insure his contract while Clarkson has never scored even 50 points in a season.  I can't believe some media people are praising Toronto GM Dave Nonis for making this deal.  As one person put it today, thats like congratulating the guy who crashed your car for calling the tow truck.  The Leafs are basically eating around $25 million in salary because Horton will never play again.  He might even have a hard time just walking.  I feel bad for the guy because I'm sure he'd rather be playing and earning that money on the ice rather than sitting at home struggling to get out of bed with a bad back.

Your boy Petry didn't go for much, guess he wasn't valued as high by GMs. Although Marc Bergevin is has been pretty good at working deadline deals.

I knew he wasn't going to fetch much, despite how good he is. He's a top 3 D-man on most teams just hitting his prime, but because he was an Oiler, and our top d-man his rep wasn't that good (even though he was performing miracles having to drag the Ference boat-anchor around and still managing decent advanced stats). Also, of course MacT showed zero class in handling the trade, but that's the Boys on the Bus for you. Oiler fans knew Petry was gone though, and are merely hoping the Oilers somehow manage to trade Ference (some interest in him, but the team reportedly has yet to approach Ference, who has a NTC, about moving him) as it will be addition through subtraction. Ference is a guy who needs to play in the East and not the West; he simply cannot handle the Western play-style on a constant basis; he isn't big enough, skilled enough, or fast enough.

Well the back problems Horton has were different from the bad shoulder when he signed. But yeah, not insuring a deal on a guy that already had shoulder surgery?  :uhrr:  Even for a team that's tight for cash, that's one hell of a gamble. Kekalainen gets a pass simply because he was just hired and this was his first big move.

And yeah I don't see how Nonis gets any praise (actually I do - his cousin and personal press secretary Darren Dreger).  My favourite analogy: It's like praising someone doing a good job cleaning up after they puked all over the floor.

Really just dumb luck that a unique set of circumstances could make this deal happen.  Two dead contracts: one is dead money, the other is dead cap space.

And now Clarkson is done for the season hahah

http://www.tsn.ca/jackets-lose-clarkson-for-4-6-weeks-1.222312

Oh hai Bruins!  :awesome_for_real:

(http://3.cdn.nhle.com/senators/images/upload/2015/03/blogtop-lazar-mar20.jpg)

Some pretty big fails so far.

Going to be interesting off-seasons in San Jose & Boston. Would love to see the Canadiens swing a trade for Jumbo Joe. I think he could do great in a post-superstar role  on a 3-line team.

Some early season hot teams are also backing into the playoffs. Wouldn't consider betting a nickel on Washington, Nashville or Detroit in the 1st round at the moment. The Islanders aren't looking so great either but if they wind up playing the Pens it would be a gong show of a series.

Bruins are fading fast. Chiarelli better get fucking fired after this season. The Reilly Smith contract... :uhrr: :uhrr: :uhrr:

Maybe we could luck into Connor McDavid.....One local wag commented here that if that happened we'd trade him after 2 years cause he doesn't fit into Julien's system.  :grin:

Cam Neely would turf him if he showed up with a hipster haircut.


Oh yeah forgot to add the Ducks to teams I wouldn't bet a nickel on...Their goaltending at the moment is as bad as it was in the LA series last year.

If you like Hockey (err, guess I'm in the right thread :D), be sure to check this message on the PC/console gaming sub-forum:

http://forums.f13.net/index.php?topic=19896.msg1354914#msg1354914

The Pens & Isles falling apart faster than Chinese motorcycles.

Flames vs Kings Thursday, chance to eliminate L.A.

Ottawa in striking distance of 4 teams still. They don't have ROW tiebreaker on anyone though, but there's a decent chance that one of those teams fails to pick up more than a point or two in their last 2 games. They put up an interesting stat last night in the Sens v Pens game that Mark Stone is #5 in points since Jan 1st. As a Habs fan I'm not sure I want them to blast in past one of these limping teams since it's potentially a more difficult match up, but damn is it interesting drama.

If it even remotely reminds me of the old Wayne Gretzky Hockey from the 486 days, which was 90% simulation/management, I'll be all over this.

Canucks in the playoffs through a few minor miracles. Best one is LA losing in Edmonton. I am still laughing at that one. God I hope they get eliminated. I can't wait to see a pic of Dustin Brown captaining his golf cart instead of playing in the playoffs. Because fuck him. Unto death.

And the Canucks celebrated their new-found fortune by signing their 2 worst players to contract extensions. Jim Benning is a fucking retard.

remember when Sbisa was traded for Pronger as a top prospect? What a disappointment he's been.

He is truly awful. He fails both the eye test (he makes egregious mistakes that anyone watching can spot easily) and the advanced metrics test (his Goals Above Replacement stat is 6th worst for D in the entire league, and dead last for playoff teams). Dorsett is mildly more useful, but still utterly replaceable. The AHL and FA market are teeming with guys who can be just as shitty as these two without having to pay them like top 6/top 4 players. Just a terrible, terrible move.

Sbisa is a great example of a player being rushed to the NHL before they're ready.

In other news, I managed to win my fantasy league.  :drill:

REALLY hoping the Pens can find a way to fail out of the playoffs, because #lolpenguins.

You take that back, you big meanie!

I'm hoping the Pens fall out of the playoffs and the Pens pick wins the lotto because the head explosions across the league would be insane.

Won't happen of course; there's a reason the lotto isn't being broadcast live this year...

If there was any way for the Pens and the Bruins to both choke I would jizz.

http://streamable.com/lmbd?t=10.7 (http://streamable.com/lmbd?t=10.7)  :why_so_serious:

Sorry Way, I'm going to totally disagree with you. Dorsett has been one of the most steady, reliable forwards they've had this year. Yea, he's a 3/4 liner, but they use him on pk, they put him out to hold leads at the end of games, and he happens to be a guy that will let John Scott ragdoll him if its the best thing for the team at that moment. He's a great locker room guy (which really can matter) and a tough guy that's never a liability on the ice. Those are rare.
He's second in the NHL in fighting majors and weighs under 200 pounds. At 25 points, he's the most point productive fighter in the league, and has a positive +/-. The only guy on pace with him is Roussel in Dallas, who has half as many fights.

Sbisa... well, apparently the coach totally loves him, so I guess there must be something there. He's definitely gotten better as the seasons gone on and he's gotten more top pair minutes. I would have cried if this deal happened at the beginning of the year, but Sbisa has shown some growth. He's 25, decent sized, and a good hitter. 

Look at Dorsett's advanced stats. He is bad, and literally makes every line mate that gets stuck with him worse. He is fine for a 4th liner getting 8 minutes a night, but he is now grossly overpaid for his talent/production  level.

Bo Horvat has a -10 SAT/60 if we want to look at those stats, clearly we should waive him. Stats like that are interesting, but they can't incorporate which lines they play against, how many offensive zone faceoffs they get vs defensive...

If you want to cherry pick, Dorsett's on the ice for more shots for/60 minutes than Daniel.

I've watched a lot of goons and grinders over the years - this guy is different. I tried finding a record of how many times he's been suspended - I couldn't find any. At all. He's not an "agitator" or a shit weasel, he's a guy who plays tough, stands up for his team mates, and contributes offensively.

According to advance stats, Calgary shouldn't be sitting in a playoff spot, either.

Bo Horvat was saddled with Dorsett on his line for quite a while. Check his stats out with and without Dorsett. The guy is a millstone.

The Bruins have managed to vomit all over themselves in the last two games which I'm sure will be met with squeals of glee from most of you. Frankly I'm kind of glad , this team wasn't going anywhere, Chiarelli has to go and quite possibly Julien as well. His continued refusal to give real ice time to his younger players, the same players who are the only ones showing any sign of offensive life, has gotten ridiculous. In the game vs Washington he broke up what had been his most successful line (Lucic-Pasta-Spooner) and gave more ice time to Gregory fucking Campbell.
Too many old players, too many shitty contracts. Blow it up.

I'm still kind of hoping they get in and beat Tampa for the Habs.

And Colorado shouldn't have made the playoffs the year before. Nor should have Toronto when they last did. Advanced stats are a fairly good means of determining success long term, but there are always a couple exceptions to the rule. Much of what Calgary has done simply isn't sustainable (the shooting percentages of their top line alone...) and they will regress to the mean next season unless they can add enough in the off-season to deal with the fact they are one of the worst teams in the league (most of the advanced stats have them 24th-26th). It's fantastic for Flames' fans in getting to see the playoffs (though it does cost them draft position in one of the best draft years), especially since they are likely to face the Canucks in the first round; a series they can possibly win.

In fact, I'm not impressed with the Pacific at all. I wouldn't be completely surprised to see Calgary emerge from the division before getting its head caved in by whatever team emerges from the Central.

But, every year there are 1-2 teams that defy their status as 'omg shitty team' through sheer luck and goaltending to make the playoffs and it seems to get some people thinking advanced stats are useless (especially certain twits in the media).

Personally, I'm hoping for the Canucks to sweep the Flames before they in turn get swept by the Ducks, who in turn get swept by whomever comes out of the Central. I dislike all three teams a fair amount.

I'm just going to call this year 'anyone but the Habs or the 'Hawks'

Oh and the Canucks. Fuck em..:D

Went to the Flames vs. Kings game last night and it was a crazy good crowd. This city is fairly realistic (in my circles anyways) that the Flames are a statistical anomoly, but the fact they stood pat at the trade deadline suggests that maybe management knows they jumped the line this year getting into the playoffs.

These kids are only going to get better - they just have to be allowed to.

As much as it pains me to say it, I'd prefer to see Boston get in...but only if the Penguins are left out in the cold.  :drill:

As for teams going deep - I'm rooting for Chicago, only because if Kimmo plays in most of their games and they go deep, the Flyers can get up to a 2nd round pick as the second conditional pick (meaning they traded him away for two 2nd round picks).

Long term, I think having their top young players like Gaudreau and Monohan in a playoff race and then getting some playoff games under their belt is better for the Flames than finishing 25th or so and maybe drafting a guy who will turn into a good player 2-4 years from now.  The small, small chance of landing McDavid in the lottery isn't worth it IMO.  Besides, Calgary now has some decent prospects in their system, unlike in years past when the Flames drafted such "talent" as Kris Chucko, Greg Nemisz and Adam Pelech in the first round. :awesome_for_real:  Darryl Sutter may be a good coach but he's shit as a GM.

Not really NHL related but the first Israeli ever was selected first overall in the OHL draft.

 http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/david-levin-chosen-1st-overall-in-ohl-draft-by-sudbury-1.3029388

Suck it, Boston.  Suck it wicked hard.

 :grin:  yup. And we lost in a shoot out which was just fitting.

Watched the NCAA final instead which was damn good.

Oh hai Canadiens!  :awesome_for_real:


Regardless of what happens in round 1, I haven't had this much fun watching my team since the ill-fated Cup run.  That was just unreal.  Never mind all those things I said about Paul MacLean, he sucks.

STL v MIN- MIN in 7
NSH v CHI- CHI in 6
ANA v WIN- ANA in 5
VAN v CGY- VAN in 7

MTL v OTT- MTL in 5
TBL v DET- TBL in 6
NYR v PIT- NYR in 5
WAS v NYI- NYI in 7

Other than Canucks/Flames (which I will watch every second of), I am really looking forward to Islanders and Caps. Also the Jets/Ducks series might set a record for number of hits. Should be physical as hell, and the Winnipeg crowd should be fun to watch. They are going to go apeshit. Will also be fun to see the Rangers run Sid and his gang of shitheads out in the first round.

I was pulling for the Sens even though a lot of people were calling it bad news for the Canadiens. I could be wrong but I don't see it. I mean yeah it's possible the Sens keep up the hero run, but I think there's a natural deflation now that they've achieved the goal they've been living for the past month. Also I've always considered it a safe bet against a "virgin" team, where you have an up and coming young team making its first playoff appearance, they always tend to get demolished by vet teams their first trip to the big show (I remember a veteran Sens team doing the same to the Crosby era Pens the first time they showed up). Finally the Sens depth is a bit iffy at this point, the Turris line has been carrying them with heroics but I don't know if they can keep that up in a tighter playoff environment and the defence past Karlsson and Methot is kind of dubious. I guess the big concern would be if the guys who had been cooling down a bit on the Sens like Hoffman re-ignite and suddenly there's 4 talented lines  of young guys all buzzing hard.

STL v MIN- MIN in 7
NSH v CHI- CHI in 7
ANA v WIN- WIN in 7
VAN v CGY- VAN in 6

MTL v OTT- MTL in 5
TBL v DET- TBL in 7
NYR v PIT- NYR in 4
WAS v NYI- WAS in 5

Oh, are we doing this thing?

STL in 5
CHI in 6
ANA in 5
CGY in 7

MTL in 5
TBL in 6
NYR in 4
NYI in 6

Looking forward to the Rangers embarrassing the Pens, and hoping CHI goes deep so that the Flyers get a better conditional draft pick.  :oh_i_see:

The post-comeback letdown is a concern and I also bet against young teams getting their first taste.  Yet every time this team had a setback and I'd say "welp. that's it then." and they'd prove me wrong.  But the Hamburglar has to keep it going and Zibanejad's line better get scoring again to have a chance of winning this.

Wiercoch and Ceci have come a long way.  Borowiecki, Gryba and Cowen remain  :ye_gods: but I would argue that most teams' bottom pair is that way.  At any rate I'm excpecting a few 2-1 OT games.

Of course remember a lot of this group were around for the last encounter,  and who doesn't want to see this again?  :why_so_serious:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAQtabmrV7Q

STL v MIN- STL in 6
NSH v CHI- NSH in 7
ANA v WIN- WIN in 7 <- Anaheim's goaltending gets exposed.
VAN v CGY- VAN in 6  <- really don't know actually. So I'll take the goalie

MTL v OTT- OTT in 7  <- yes I'm a homer, but jeez give em more than 5.
TBL v DET- TBL in 6
NYR v PIT- NYR in 5  <- Maybe 4
WAS v NYI- NYI in 7

That was a...weird series, pretty funny though. Montreal got slammed hard by injuries and by game 2 Price (wasn't as good as this year, but having to put Budaj in for help was bad), Eller, Gionta and Pacioretty were out missing games and then trying to come back hurt. Then you had Anderson red hot. The Habs would throw everything at him in first half of the game, then get demoralized, and start trying to goon it up once they fell behind. Which they were not very good at, the gooning.

I say 5 games just because I envision a scenario where if the Sens lose game 1 the nerves/moral deflation effect could kick in game 2. They could go back to Ottawa in full panic game 3 if they're down 2-0, Hamburgler out, Anderson in, and I don't think that is going to improve things. If that scenario doesn't happen, and the Sens split it in Montreal, I see it going probably to 7 games where at that point anything can happen in a game 7.

STL v MIN- MIN in 6
NSH v CHI- CHI in 7
ANA v WIN- ANA in 6
VAN v CGY- VAN in 6

MTL v OTT- MTL in 6
TBL v DET- TBL in 6
NYR v PIT- NYR in 5
WAS v NYI- WAS in 6

Five of Seven Canadian Teams in and no Boston. What more could I hope for. So with no Boston or LA, who's going to emerge as the new masters of goonery "playoff hockey"?

Anaheim.

STL v MIN- STL in 5
NSH v CHI- CHI in 5
ANA v WIN- ANA in 7
VAN v CGY- CGY in 7

MTL v OTT- MTL in 6
TBL v DET- TBL in 5
NYR v PIT- NYR in 5
WAS v NYI- WAS in 7

At some point St Louis will have to advance in the playoffs and Chicago gets Kane back in time. Anaheim and Winnipeg are going to beat each others brains in. Calgary remains lucky for one more series (because fuck the Canucks). Montreal's goalie > Ottawa's. Detroit barely squeaks in and gets rolled, Pittsburgh I am just happy made it so Edmonton doesn't have a 2nd lottery pick and Washington goes the distance in a back and forth series with the Islanders.

Seems I have more faith in their goalie than the Canuvks do. Eddie Lack to start.

Chiarelli fired by Bruins.  Delivered a Cup but also made the 2nd worst Tyler Seguin trade.

I think people know I'm not a Bruins fan :awesome_for_real: but I believe theres been an overreaction to the Seguin trade.  Remember, he was playing behind Bergeron and Krejci and he wouldn't be getting the minutes that he does in Dallas.  Add that to the fact the Bruins play a more conservative style and he had worn out his welcome with them, I don't think Seguin would be putting up nearly the same numbers with Boston as he has with Dallas.

Probably the correct thing to do was trade Krecje, instead of give him a huge extension paying him all-star money. Then get Seguin into the top 6.

Well, as I mentioned, Seguin seemed to have burned some bridges in Boston.  Probably best for everyone to move on.

Every pro team has to manage spoiled, arrogant 21 year old millionaires. They had their asses kissed for the past 10 years and are boiled obnoxious. Not much excuse for Boston to have given up and traded a top young gun just because of these usual growing pains. Well anyway, Chiarelli just got canned.

Wont miss him, and I too think the whole 'Seguin trade was horrible' reaction was overblown. Through two runs to the Stanley Cup, Seguin, outside of one game, did diddly-squat, god if he'd just shown up in the '13 finals we probably win the thing. (Probably better we didn't for Ginaz's health  :why_so_serious:).
He'll get his 30+ goals in the regular season, those type of players will, but I just don't think he has what it takes to be a force in the playoffs.
What they got back was pretty fucking crap though and the signing mediocre players to expensive long term deals is what makes me glad Chiarelli is gone.

Anyway onwards, go anyone but the Habs and Hawks!

The Bruins clearly lost on that deal but yeah, there have been many worse deals.


On a side note how many people here would be interested in a full keeper roto league @ $50/year?
I was thinking of seeing if there was enough interest here (10 teams) for a f13 league. fees could be handled by the site (fantrax)

I am in one that I would mirror it off of. We have 17 starters, 5 reserves and deep minor/farm league roster. for example, I have Anthony Mantha, Zemgus Grigersons, Barkov etc etc that are all farmers. I can bring them up to my main roster or leave them on the farm until the reach a games played limit at which point I will need to find roster space or drop them to the fa pool.

if anyone is interested. let me know.

LOL.

LOL.

LOL.

Only reaction worthy of today.

The Edmonton Oilers; the most hated team in the NHL.

I was certain it would have been fixed to the degree of McDavid not going to Edmonton (and really, to somewhere like Buffalo, Arizona, Florida, New Jersey).

Four first overalls.

I can't wait to see how Katz and Co. fuck this up. Probably trade him for Lucic.

Yeah, what an utter waste. They would possibly be better off trading the pick for a king's ransom, as McDavid alone is not going to make Edmonton into a contending team.

Eh, he goes a long way. It completely fixes center depth (RNH, McDavid, Gordon, Lander, Draisatl). Wingers are already actually pretty good. Only holes on the Oilers now are in the top D pairing roles and goaltending (the latter of which has been a black hole, to be fair). A Nikitin buy-out, a Ference trade (for a 6th round pick?) and the Oilers have a ton of cap room to make moves, as well. McDavid will make free agents more likely to come to Edmonton and creates trade flexibility (due to it being slightly more likely for a player to waive a NTC, or not be so adamant about Edmonton being Siberia..).

It helps the Oilers a lot.

Its just that while he went to the most deserving fan base (8 1/2 years of sell outs -- this past season saw the streak break finally; all of it under incompetence not seen since the Oakland Seals days, and last 5 years of which have been under a brutally horrible rebuild conditions) and a hockey market getting the star instead of a non-hockey market team is nice to see.

Went to the least deserving team, however.

Really, they're only missing a goaltender and a top D pair? That's like saying the Flyers are only missing a top D pair.  :oh_i_see:

In actuality, every time I've watched, it seems they're missing defense of any sort.

Yes, that's about all they are missing, believe it or not. The problem with the Oilers' D is the lack of a top D-man and the fact Nikitin, Ference are done and Schultz can't play D (and should be moved to wing, but that won't happen). Bring in a top pairing, buyout Nikitin, trade Ference for a bag of pucks and you run Klefbom/Fayne and Marincin/Schultz as your bottom four and its nowhere near as bad as it was. This season, the Genius that was Eakins had Schultz, Ference and Nikitin out on the ice whenever possible, while Klefbom and Marincin were in the minors despite being vastly superior to Nikitin/Ference. Nelson, showing mere common sense, already started to address the roster/ice time issues and the Oilers got a fair bit better results, in spite of continued horrible goaltending.

Already got better coaching. Throw in even league average goaltending and you'd likely see a 15-20 point increase in the standings over this year (yes, the goaltending was -that- bad; seems the Flames stole all the goalie juju in Alberta this season). Add in McDavid, fixing the top D pair.. and they're a playoff-contending team (though only barely).

Nothing will change in Edmonton until they stop living in the past and fire all the old 80's Oilers.  And get a new owner.  And move the city 500 km south.  And not be...Edmonton.  Having lived in Calgary for 7 years and travelled to Edmonton more than a few times, I can confirm that as a city, Edmonton really is an undesirable place to live.  Having McDavid isn't going to make the city any more of a desirable destination for free agents than it is now.  The only way to get those guys to come is to start winning like the 80's Oilers.  That's not happening.

What a waste of a draft and McDavid's time and talent.

I don't get the outrage, like Oilers fans just stole something. They're still a pretty crappy team, and the fans have endured a decade of misery. Some people don't realize how tough that is. That's what the draft is supposed to do, give the crappiest teams a chance to get back into contention.

I want you to go tell that to a Buffalo Sabres fan. To their face.

They knew they over a 50% chance of losing the #1 pick and they still get another potential all-star player as consolation. Also the misery difference between Oiler and Sabre fans is pretty marginal, so I don't really think anyone has a god given claim to that prize of top loser.

People don't care that a crappy team got a good player - it's that EDM now has received 4 #1 draft picks in the last six years.

They've had their chance to get back into contention.

Edmonton getting the #1 pick was about the 4th worst scenario AFAIK. I would have never stopped vomiting if LA or Boston got it, and Toronto is another shitshow that would have eaten the kid alive (although it would have been amusing to watch in a car crash sort of way). I was hoping Columbus or Florida would have won it...they are on the verge of being good and McDavid would be a big boost.

That being said- I can't WAIT for VAN/CGY game 3 tonight. The end of game 2 was a lot of fun. Also fuck Bob Hartley. Torts is still technically on the Vancouver payroll...they should send him to the locker room to sort shit out.

(http://i.imgur.com/xIhfl2s.jpg)

Exactly.  The same people are in charge with the same owner.  The Oilers have been a dumpster fire ever since they last won the cup in 1990.  25 years of shit hockey and counting.  The Flames haven't been much better, either.  Both of them got lucky making it to the Cup finals between 2004-2006, which tricked both team's fans and management into thinking they were THIS close to being cup contenders when in reality neither team was even remotely close.  At least the Flames woke up from their dream and have been taking steps to improve the team, with great results so far.  The Oilers..they're still in La La land.  If only they had a goalie.  If only the coaching was better.  If only more free agents were signed.  The Oilers have had too many of players that are too similar for too long.  Small, skilled forwards that lack physicality and grit, defencemen that are slow defensive liabilities that lack offensive ability and goalies that are, at best, back ups or injury call ups.  When they do draft McDavid, they should seriously consider trading guys like Eberle and Yakupov for a goalie (good luck with that) or some half decent defencemen.  Might want to think about Hall, too, because that guy is a China doll.  Hard to see his talent when he's always hurt.  As for Ference and Nikitin, they'd be lucky to get a 6th rounder for both of them.

And that's why it's a shame Connor McDavid will be an Oiler.  I would have rather seen him go to Boston than Edmonton. :ye_gods: 

Still better than the Leafs getting him, though. :grin:

If we are playing the 'whose team has been shittier for longer game' I'm pretty sure I win.  :why_so_serious:

The worst part about all this, apart from McDavid wasting away in Edmonton, is that it will likely save the the jobs of Lowe, MacTavish and the rest of the Glory Years Gang.  They'll crow that their plan was working all along and fans just needed to be patient.  This keeps the worst management group in the NHL afloat for years to come.

They weren't leaving anyway, they've been BFFs with the owner for like 35 years. It's a clubhouse not a seriously run organization.

McDavid probably being overhyped anyway, just like MacKinnon, Tavares & Stamkos were, as the next Crosby/Gretzky.

That was an insanely fun game to be at. My next game, if needed, will be game 6 on Saturday unless some tickets magically fall into my lap. Ferland is a freighttrain out there and get used to Bennett scoring goals from the doorstep like that. It's so nice to actually feel some hatred for a team again, so thanks Vancouver.

Gaudreau has been hit more this series than he got hit all season. Will be interesting to see if he can hold up.

Welp, you called it.  Pretty much all the reasons mentioned before.


In other news...how nauseating the Oilers win the draft lottery.  But Sabres need to stop acting all butthurt like they got robbed.  At least the Leafs didn't win it.

@WayAbvPar - You always want Tortorella coaching in the NHL, but never your favourite team.

Anderson actually played a lot better than I expected, until he didn't. But he did give the Sens a solid chance to win, just couldn't get another one past Carey although they came close. Interesting game last night, you see that a lot in hockey where a more intense team loses to a more steady one after they fail to break them early in a game. The Sens threw everything at the Habs last night in period 1 (to be expected) and I think were hoping for more than one goal; They needed the Habs to crumble emotionally. They came into the 2nd a bit deflated while the Habs had turned their game up a notch. In my own beer league we just won our championship with a similar team that produced a lot of similar outcomes. Great goaltending, and then a steady bunch that would often have to weather first period storms from teams with better top end talent buzzing us, but as long as we defend well and kept them to outside, by mid-game we would get to work with consistent, efficient play that would eventually break through while they no longer had answers. It's kind of a natural rhythm in the sport.

I'm actually kind of a Ducks fan, but it was painful to watch the Jets blow that game with 2 mins left last night.

I would love to see Torts in Toronto. Since I doubt he wants to coach in Canada again, maybe he can take over the Flyers? That would be hysterical as well.

I think the winner of Game 4 tonight (VAN/CGY) wins the series.

God please no Torts - I think the Flyers are gunning for McClennan.

Surprisingly boring Canucks - Flames game last night. Calgary did play very solid D though.

It was dull as shit. Canucks are just sleepwalking through this series. Good thing they signed Sbisa to 3 more years!  :argh:

They are utterly and completely fucked. I hope the twins demand a trade to FLA and win a Cup. They deserve one; the Canucks management/ownership do not.

Got  to the bar at 6:30.  Preds Hawks on the big screen.  Watch for a bit,  spots open up at the bar,  so we move.  I am wearing a Canucks Jersey,  so the guy next to me says "Canucks look good,  huh?".  I answer in the negative,  since they are down 3-2 in the series.  We chat for a moment, and he points out the game on a smaller screen... Canucks up 3-0!


I should have left then.

Yeah that was a pretty disappointing game for nucks fans...I was texting my cousin from vancouver some positive comments during game, should've held up. This Calgary 1st line seems unstoppable though, but I guess we'll see next round if that was a vancouver can't defend thing, or they truly are

They were completely out-coached. Willie Desjardins is a retard.

Holy shit that game was incredible to be at - my voice is STILL shot from yelling.

Probably one of the very best sporting events I have ever seen live.

Get used to the feeling of beating the Canucks. It is going to happen a lot in the next few years.

Congrats to the Flames, it was a really entertaining series. Can't remember the last time I watched the Canucks lose a series and I didn't feel it was the refs' fault - so that was refreshing. Vancouver's D is getting old and is generally slow of foot - Calgary took big time advantage of that. Never seen a team fore-check that intensely and not get consistently burned on it. We just weren't moving the puck fast enough to counter it. Expect to see a big emphasis on rebuilding our D for the next few years, which will be tough since all our top prospects are forwards.

Dear Boston - that's how you play tough and aggressive without playing like assholes.

Sadly, I have a feeling Anaheim is going to eat the Flames for lunch.

Pretty hilarious ending to Rangers-Caps game last night... I particularly like Vignault throwing a hissy fit after over the hit that lead to goal, acting like it was some kind of  outrageous boarding hit (I didn't think so, and I am someone who totally thought Kronwall deserved that suspension), then he puts his 4th line on with 1 second left to start a fight (Hartley was fined for less blatant gooning, will Vignault?).

The Flames haven't won in Anaheim in like 10 years.  I don't see that changing anytime soon.  Ducks in 4...maaaaybe 5.

Well, Connor McDavid's junior career is over after Erie lost the OHL final to Oshawa in 5 games with a 6-2 loss last night.  It's a good way to transition himself to the NHL seeing as how he's going to lose like that quite a bit once he's drafted by the Oilers. :awesome_for_real:

Oh, and called it. :grin:

I have a feeling the Blackhawks are going to win this again. Well the Canadiens are out, that's all that matters. :D

I think the Ducks have a slight edge but should be close barring a goaltender collapse, possible for both teams.

Getzlaf - Perry are the best players, I have seen Getz put the whole the whole team on his shoulders and carry them so many times, never bet against that guy. Ducks have better depth this year though so he shouldn't need too.

Hawks top 6 is better than ducks, but Ducks overall have 4 better lines. I lean advantage to depth.

Seabrooke-Keith are best D pairing, but Ducks have solid more talent overall in D corps, spread around all 3 pairings.

Anderson and Crawford is a draw, both can be great, but have also both had dubious moments.


In the east, Tampa did not impress me at all vs the Habs. They are pretty much all the Johnson line at the moment, and the Rangers have better checkers than the Canadiens did. The D can't handle forchecking and cycling very well, which the Rangers are also good at. Bishop is shaky, he's really had a horseshoe up his butt so far through the whole playoffs, stats look better than his performance when you watch him. Wouldn't bank on him/

I'm counting on a CHI/NYR final, with CHI taking it all.

The fact that the Flyers would get an additional 2nd round pick in next year's draft if CHI gets to the finals MIGHT have something to do with my preferences.  :why_so_serious:

EDIT: Also, Kimmo!  :cry:

Looks like Edmonton might finally be turning the ship around.  With the #1 pick and (presumably) Connor McDavid, Peter Chiarelli as GM and now Todd McLellan as head coach, the shit show that is the Oilers could soon be coming to an end.

Just in time for the Canucks to sink to the bottom of the Pacific in their place.  :argh:

Given they had the first pick in '10-'12... hopefully the coaching change will have some effect.

Wasn't that guy they replaced Eakins with doing a decent job? The winning % improved from like .200 to over .400 basically overnight.

haha Babcock hired by Toronto, 50$ million, 8 year contract. He's in for a rough ride

Edmonton getting McDavid is a big change for the team. In regards to our past first overalls; they simply aren't on the same level. In a way, the Oilers tanked at the worst time, when first overalls gave you great, but not fantastic players. Hall is an elite level player but has injury issues. RNH will likely peak as a Toews-lite, Yakupov.. could be an elite first shot scorer.. or he could be a decent second liner. None of them are a Stamkos, or Ovie, or... Now the Oilers have one of those (potentially).

As for coaching.. Eakins had a pts % of 0.409 in his first year, and was 0.306 in his second year when he got fired. He wasn't as bad as everyone (including myself) said, as his advanced stats were actually around 19-25th in the league before the team collapsed under the weight of horrendous goaltending. Special teams and goaltending got Eakins fired. That said, I'm glad he was fired (he wasn't that good of a coach, just not as bad as he's been pegged, and from the moment he was hired I said he was the 'wrong' coach for a team like the Oilers), especially now that we have McLellan as coach.

Nelson, after he was left alone on the bench and MacT went back upstairs, went 0.446. A lot of that was based on worse advanced stats than Eakins, but notably improved special teams and slightly better goaltending. However, most notably, he got the team playing instead of death marching. The players had more fun and played harder under Nelson. He fixed Lander (a player long fucked over by the organization), righted the ship on Yakupov, and had started to mend the fences with Marincin (after he had been banished to the AHL for, basically, not doing as he was told in the off-season), and had even gotten better results out of defensive black holes such as Ference and Schultz.

But he's not Babcock/McLellan. Fans here are hopeful, however, that he stays on somehow as an assistant coach, however unlikely as that is.

Toronto getting Babcock is interesting. Clear win for the team as they get a fantastic coach. However.. that's a signing that could back-fire in a year or two -- especially with the media clusterfuck that is Toronto hockey. With Babcock's history with media in a place like Detroit.. it could be quite hilarious when he, essentially, tells the reporters in Toronto that they don't matter and that he doesn't give a flying fuck about them or what they say. It also has the potential to backfire depending on how much of a say he's been contractually given in how the team is run. He had a lot of say for a coach in Detroit, but that was with a GM he was close friends with and had a good working relationship with.

Good day for the Leafs.. but could be a disaster down the road off the ice.

Most amusing; Buffalo left at the altar again. First with the lotto, now with Babcock. That GM needs a lucky tie or something.

Mike Babcock isn't head coach for even 24 hrs and he's already drinking the Toronto kool aid by saying the Leafs are "Canada's team". :facepalm:

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/mike-babcock-s-canada-s-team-comment-upsets-fans-1.3082481

When did they get demoted from Hockey Mecca?

1967.

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/toronto-wins-the-great-mike-babcock-sweepstakes/  :why_so_serious:


I'm OK with this, if only because it was a problem we could throw money at and did. I hope they used actual cartoon bags of money with the dollar sign on the sack.

So....Finals start tomorrow.

Of course, I'm pulling for Chicago...but only if they put in Timonen for one game. :oh_i_see:

Go Bolts!

Really can't see the Lightning winning. Chicago is really firing on all cylanders while Tampa has been spotty all over.

Who should I bet on in the series? Probably Chicago right? In how many games?

If you can get good odds on hawks in 5 I would take that. Otherwise a more conservative 6 or 7 games.

Hawks in 5 is 4-1. Hawks in 6 is the most popular at 3-1.

Hawks in 4 is 10-1 and Hawks in 7 is 4.5-1.

Yeah you're getting crappy odds,

http://www.oddschecker.com/ice-hockey/nhl/stanley-cup/series-correct-score

So I'd probably go with 6 games, although in general I hate trying to guess the amount of games.

I like having something to root for. Although lesser games usually means I know faster.

Tampa really outplayed the Hawks last night, Hawks need a big rebound. Tampa has a very fast 2 man forecheck that forces the D back to bouncing the puck behind the net, then sending up to a winger on the half boards, but then there's the 3rd Tampa forward waiting to check him, and backed by the D man on the blue line moving in (incase puck gets by, covered by the other 2 forwards who are now heading back). Not a totally original concept, but the Hawks' D have a lot of trouble moving it fast enough to escape it,  even Keith & Seabrook. They just aren't as smooth as say Montreal who I have obviously spent a lot of time watching, just not fast and crisp enough. Hawks will have to adjust quickly, but I think Tampa have exposed a weakness in their D.

I think the Hawks win tonight, Tampa is limping. All their offence has been running through the triplet line and Johnson is done, really banged up. I know the Rangers especially really targeted him for hitting, may be catching up. Bishop seems to be banged up too.

(http://i.imgur.com/JBsEsAD.gif)

 :inluv:

Good call, spot on.

KIMMO!! :drill:

NHL to expand (http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/nhl-to-announce-opening-of-expansion-process/)

LV is a no brainer. Sure would be nice to get one in Seattle finally. If not, then I want one in Mesa or Phoenix  :awesome_for_real:

Have they considered Atlanta when it's not being run by asshole owners?

Weren't they just talking about contraction not long ago?

So.. Soderberg gets slightly more money than he should from Colorado (only about 0.25 per year cap hit more), but manages to get full NTC for two years, then limited NTC for remaining three years.. pretty much spells the end of ROR in Colorado (which is smart; the guy is asking for waaaay too much money). Overall, decent move by the Aves, since they should get a decent return for ROR.

Buffalo, on the other hand, just completed one of the worst trades in recent history; they get Lehner and Legwand for their 21st overall pick (this year). Legwand's a horrible contract (shit, Murray actually said, publicly, he was going to package a bad contract with a goalie..) and Buffalo paid Ottawa for the privilege of taking it. Then there's Lehner. Not a great goalie; he's had two bad years in a row after a really good year.. and has notable concussion issues. Just a horrible, horrible trade, especially since they likely could of gotten Talbot or Lack for the 21st and not have to take on the Legwand contract.. better goalie and no alabtross? Buffalo already looking like it wants Matthews bad.

As an Oiler fan.. it's great, though. Means Anderson won't be coming here (wrong end of his career, bad contract), removes a suitor for starting goalies but doesn't drive up the price because there's still more starters available than jobs for them. Chiarelli saying this morning the Oilers will not be trading the 16th for a goalie is further good news, as well.

They might have overpaid a bit, but they probably don't value draft picks all that much at this point since they have had so many in the first two rounds of the past two drafts, they are just loaded in prospects and now will add Eichel. They also just maybe have some scouts who really, really like Lehner. Lack & Talbot had good years but are less proven than Lehner so I don't see this being ridiculously controversial, both the Canucks and Rangers want a 1st for their young backups with slim resumes played behind quality defences. Also Lehner's two recent bad years were on Sens teams that were just brutal defensively, so maybe they aren't holding that too heavily against him (look at Dubnyk).

Calgary gets Hamilton from Boston for the 15th, 45th, 52nd picks in this years draft.

Unless Hamilton asks for an unbelievable amount of money this is a gargantuan steal for the Flames. Seriously Neely/Sweeney are proving to be horrific managers. How could you take less than the likely offer sheet (that would have had even a chance of working) would have returned?

This is, of course, barring a follow-up trade that somehow results in someone like OEL ending up in Boston, but.. right now? Massive "wtf!?".

Yeah no doubt. Hamilton is a STUD. That Calgary d is gonna be great.

This is just an outright steal for Calgary.

Amazing thing is.. a number of GMs have apprently noted to reporters that they had no idea Hamilton was being shopped, had offered more, or had been asked for more. Stinks of horrible asset management by the Bruins and they got taken out to the woodshed.

Absolutely. I would imagine a 22yo top pairing & potentially elite dman could command at least 2 1 first from any mid ranked team. 

The bruins fans on the HF forums are losing their collective shit.

Look Atlanta can get a team as soon as Toronto gets one.  :why_so_serious:

Looks like Boston has done another trade;

Lucic to the Kings for Martin Jones, a prospect and the 13th overall pick.

Honestly, imo, a much better trade here for Boston. Get a decent, possibly good future goalie, the 13th overall pick and some prospect (Colin Miller) for a player who's best years are behind him. Makes little sense for the Kings, however. Already in cap hell and they get Lucic, likely at the cost of Sekera? Weird day.

Edit: Bruins retain half the cap hit for Lucic..

Also, been confirmed the Oilers offered the 16th, 33rd and 57th pick for Hamilton. Boston wanted them to add Nurse to that. When Chia said no.. they took the 15th, 45th and 52nd from Calgary. So, they took a worse trade out of spite, basically.

"for a player who's best years are behind him"

Surely you don't mean Lucic. Hes only 27 and is more than capable of scoring ~60 points on a decent line. Hes just hitting his prime.

I'm admittedly biased against Lucic. I've never really been a fan.

Probably because the Oilers wasted a lot of picks trying to find a Lucic and got a bunch of players who'll never play in the NHL.

Still, he isn't the player he used to be. Maybe a change of scenery is all he needs and he'll be that dominant power forward again.. I doubt it, though, personally. I'll be surprised if he tops 50 points next season.

I don't think I've seen a GM dismantle a quality team so quickly and deliberately since my poor Expos in the mid-90s, and that was because they had no money...  That's a felony crime scene in Boston to destroy a reasonably competitive team's younger roster talent for a truckload of draft picks. Could be 5-6 years before they pan out, and not guaranteed. Going to be some long and painful winters in Boston. As a Habs fan I am not exactly sad to see this, but still it's something difficult to watch...This is why teams shouldn't be hiring ex-legendary to run things, big egos that eventually take over and are as bad as when owners meddle, I feel like Neely has been behind a lot of the bad moves the past 5 years in Boston, and this multi-car pile up is the end result once the final adult (Chiarelli) was booted out.

You're missing the green text.  Good trade for Lucic. Looks like a horrible deal for Hamilton.
How the hell does Soderbergh get that money?????  Am I missing something?

Not sure how I feel about the Oilers trading 16+33 for Reinhart. Not with the talent that had been left on the board with Boston going absolutely bonkers with the 14th and 15th picks. LHD whose progress has stalled a bit and might have skating issues? Ehhh, we'll have to see. Unfortunately, it probably means Marincin is gone.

Holy shit, Buffalo just got a whole lot better in one day.  I love the Calgary/Boston trade.  It gives the Flames a potential superstar stud defenceman for the cost of draft picks that maybe one day might turn into NHL players...or nothing.  I'll take a deal that gives me a proven NHL player, esp. one like Hamilton, over the potential of a draft pick any day.

Talbot an Oiler for a smattering of picks (highest being the 57th). Good price for the Oilers, now hopefully he pans out as there isn't a lot of history behind him being a good NHL goalie. Did like how either Slats dramatically over-valued Talbot, or Dreger being the worst insider in recent history (Dreger repeatedly was saying Slats had gotten offers like first round pick +, 2 second rounders + player, etc.).

Calgary is probably the big winner of draft weekend. Oilers a close second (if not first, albeit largely just based on McDavid being that good). Bruins did pick up a lot of good prospects.. some okay ones.. some very risky ones. If they pan out it could change the view of the Hamilton trade, but, man.. right now, Boston is the big loser of draft weekend.

And then the Oilers get absolutely fleeced by Toronto. God damn. Marincin for Brad Ross (didn't he get suspended for steroid use?) and the 107th pick. Marincin's a decent defender that is likely a year or two from being a top 4 d-man. Ugh. Horrible, horrible trade.

Edit: And then we go and turn around and get Gryba for the 107th pick. I don't know much about Gryba, but other than the fact he's a RHD (which Edmonton is in dire need of since we shipped out Petry...) I don't like this trade at all. Basically Marincin for Gryba and that's.. well, a down-grade from what little I know of Gryba.

I don't believe in any goalie until they have 250 or games under them, multiple seasons as a starter, and approaching 30 years old. So many flash in the pans who everyone anoints  as a young start when they are 22, and have a couple of 30 game backup seasons, then they flame out.  Still not even sold on Tuuka Rask as a 7$ million dollar man, regular all-star. That said, good luck with Talbot, at least you didn't pay a huge premium for him given all the hype, hope he pans out.

 I really hate to watch any team struggle with bad goaltending. Nothing more painful in hockey to have a  tight game broken open by an unscreened 50 foot wrister, and as someone who plays D myself, it just ruins your fun having to be worried about playing the shot cuz you can't count on your goalie.

I think the Avs really improved themselves as well.   The soderberg contract was an overpayment but Zaderov is going to be a heck of a pickup for them.   Girgorenko has some serious talent as well.  I look to the Avs contending for a playoff spot this year and I don't say that lightly.   Winners of the draft... Buffalo (they are going to be scary good), Edmonton (how about that), and Calgary.  Things are looking up in Alberta.  Losers... Boston, Boston, and Boston.

So, the Flyers are doing their part to keep hockey in the desert.  :grin:

As a Pittsburgher and a namesake, someone tell me how I should feel about getting Phil Kessel.

Fat.

Boston takes Jones who they got for Lucic and trades to San Jose for a first rounder. So they got the same number of first rounders for Lucic as they did Hamilton.  :uhrr:

Phil the Thrill Kessel you mean.  :why_so_serious:


He'll be fine on the Penguins, where he won't be expected to be the star of team. He's a solid, if utterly one dimensional goal scorer. He goes down the wing, then shoots. Nothing more, nothing less.


I have no idea what you gave up for him though.


-edit- forgot a G

Actually.. Hamilton got them a 2015 1st rounder, and 2 2015 2nd rounders. Lucic got them 1 2015 1st rounder, prospect Colin Miller and Martin Jones -- who got them prospect Sean Kuraly and a 2016 1st rounder. So they got a better return for Lucic than they did for Hamilton... which is bat-shit crazy.

Kessel trade is.. interesting. Big thing is I expected they would have to retain a larger amount of salary than 1.2-1.25 mil/year. The first rounder they got is lotto protected, as well, so I actually think Toronto may have lost the trade.. but they are free of Kessel now.

Calgary had another nice day.. although they overpaid Frolik (had to, bidding war) and Ramo (by at least 1-1.5 mil/year). Edmonton also (thankfully) had a good day. I was expecting Sekera to cost closer to 6 million. Term is a touch worrisome, but he's only 29 so it shouldn't be too bad. Now, however, Edmonton needs to find a way to shed themselves of Nikitin or Ference (and the latter has a NTC and doesn't want to leave).

Fuck Jim Benning.
Fuck Trevor Linden.
Fuck the Aquilinis.

I am fucking done with the Canucks. What a fucking sorrowful sack of sperm whale spunk. Fuck this team to fucking death.

NHL please give Seattle a team so I can forget these fucking shitheads ever existed TIA.

If Phil finds chemistry with Crosby and/or Malkin it will be dynamite, they will be set offensively and can focus more on their D and bottom 6 (and praying MAF doesn't muff up a playoff series).

Solid trade by Bergevin to get Kassian. Prust was a pretty expensive 4th liner, he was a good signing back when the Habs' 4th line sucked a few years ago but now with Weise-Mitchell-Flynn signed for next season he was a bit redundant. Those 3 guys all have a bit more scoring potential than Prust too. Great team guy but he just isn't quite skilled enough or have the hockey IQ to keep up with more dynamic NHL offensive play so he was always a step behind the play when he was in the top 9. Kassian fits more into the top 9 and brings the physical element too so Prust's loss in that department is a wash. I don't know much about Vancouver's situation but I guess they wanted an upgrade for their 4th line? Prust will provide veteran leadership and physical play there.

Like the Greene signing. Could be a great fit in Detroit, they needed some skill back there, and their structure should help him keep his game tight. Just needs to stay healthy but I guess that's why he couldn't get more than 3 years.

Vancouver's situation is that they are being run by Tommy Boy's dumber brother.

(http://www.cbc.ca/sports-content/hockey/opinion/assets_c/2014/06/benning-jim-140627-thumb-620xauto-371592.jpg)

Do you see that vaguely quizzical look in his eyes? That isn't an accident of the timing on the photo. He is perpetually perplexed and confused.

PIT trading for more offense, when offense isn't there problem is...pretty funny.

Have fun putting the rest of that team together with so much cash wrapped up in a couple of players. Also, loldefense.

Well, they've had a problem with someone other than Crosby and Malkin scoring, so adding Kessel gains them more overall offensive depth.  But yeah, their defence is shit.

You will very quickly learn why it is you got Kassian for so little...
Typical Kassian season:

- start on the 1st line, score a decent number of gaols but have a +/- of minus 9 billion
- 3 months of floating around on the third line, scores 3 goals.
- coach tells him to play more physical!
- he throws three bodychecks before either hurting himself or doing something dumb and getting suspended
- repeat the following year

He's one of those guys with "potential" we've been waiting to see "get it" for years. Who knows, maybe he'll find something there. He's the epitome of a guy who looks like a power forward. I emphasize looks like.
It all comes full circle though - the guy we traded away to get him was waived last week.

Benning/Linden are just cleaning house.

The reality is that all the players we have given up were not gonna do anything for us. Seriously, think about it.

Lack, while likeable is an average goalie. There are tons of those out there and are pretty easily attainable.
Bieksa, average d man who is slowing down and will be completely irrelevant by the time the Canucks are.
Kassian was/is shit, Buffalo knew it when they gave him to us. After at least 4 different coaches, he could still never make an impression and get decent ice time. That has to tell you something.

Could we have gotten a better return for these guys? Maybe, but I'm pretty sure it would not have been much better at all and it would never have been anything that was going drastically alter this teams chances.

Other than the few young prospects; Horvat, Virtanen, Shinakaruk, Gaunce, the Canucks cupboard was pretty bare.
We could be looking at a top 10 pick this coming year which is not a bad thing, we will also have much more cap space going in to free agency next year and there will be a much better list of players available then.

Am I saying that Benning/Linden are doing a great job? No, but it's not nearly as bad as everyone thinks.

I would love to hear what all these wanna be GM's (not necessarily anyone on this board, but seeing them all over other forums) would have done. Kept Lack like he will some how be our saviour??? How about Bieksa, maybe we should have traded him for Toews!

Bottom line is the team loaded up for a run and then missed their chance against Boston. Now we are paying the price.

Habs fans will love him, some of them still want the team to get the Kostitsyn brothers (similar profile, lotsa talent, vodka pickled brains) back. Others think Lars Eller should be our 1st line centre even though in 5 seasons he hasn't cracked 30 points (...BUT THE POTENTIAL), and regularly goes on 20 game scoreless slumps.

Even if Kassian can only put in 30-40 points he's still an upgrade to the top 9 over Prust, who like I said is a fine 4th liner but was behind the play in the top 9 with better offensive players.

Toronto just hired Lou Lamoriello to be their GM.

Paying the big bucks to hire hall of fame GM to keep the fans optimistic. Reality is they still have a crappy team and are just starting a rebuild where they are basically praying draft picks become impact NHLers. Could take another 5-10 years before they are competitive, nothing guaranteed with prospects just look at teams like Florida and Atlanta/Winnipeg who spent a long time drafting top 10 and not getting anywhere.