League News: 2018-19 NHL Talk - (News n' Scores n' Stuff) Vol. 4

[shtorm2005]

What an absolute collapse by Philly

They're probably eliminated if they lose next one. Unfortunately for them, they play hot Pens with Crosby who's beast against Flyers usually. Should be a fun game for neutral fans.

 

[Melkor]

Chiasson is going to get paid and someone is going to suffer.

Anyway - Fabbri is an interesting one. Signed a 1 year 900k deal after his entry deal and has been badddd this season. scratched 10 straight, comes back and in one of his games was a -4. scheduled to play 4th line today.... coming out of contract.

id kick the tires on him. would be so low on confidence with his situation there. if connolly needs too much money, could be a very cheap low risk high reward kind of guy that would fit nicely next to Eller and Burky.

Fabbri is done. He had been a forecheckng freak with great hands to boot since an early age until his knees have just given out. Those players never come back to the old form.

 

[Calicaps]

Evander Kane shares awful news of daughter's passing — NBC Sports

 

[twabby]

Pens down 4-1 to the Blues and the Isles down 2-1 to...Detroit? I’d love to see those scores hold.

 

[Calicaps]

Pens down 4-1 to the Blues and the Isles down 2-1 to...Detroit? I’d love to see those scores hold.

Classic Pitt hockey game: get thoroughly dominated but lead 3-0 in PPs until the last 3 mins of the second period.

 

[StrikingDistance]

Been watching a lot of Blues games (not by choice) and right now, they're the only team that would concern me in the finals. Binnington is a freakish robot.

 

[Marshall]

Way to be, Detroit.

 

[twabby]

Isles lose in regulation. Penguins are also about to lose in regulation.

Big opportunity for the Capitals to create a little distance tonight.

 

[Misery74]

Isles lose in regulation. Penguins are also about to lose in regulation.

Big opportunity for the Capitals to create a little distance tonight.

Even 1 point would be a win.

 

[Corby78]

I’m hoping for 3 points in 3 games vs TB. Do that and with 5 games vs fla/nj/mtr we’re looking good. We also have two games vs the isles late if they are a factory

 

[Calicaps]

Also, let's go Bruins and Habs.

 

[Lindemann]

For the playoffs, who are the teams you think can beat us and some that are overrated and will get knocked out quickly?

For me, I it is obviously Pitt that can beat us, because well it is Pitt. As for the west I am not sure

I think 2 teams that will get knocked out pretty quickly and/or are overrated are Boston and Toronto. I mean, its Bruce Cassidy for crying out loud

 

[Melkor]

For the playoffs, who are the teams you think can beat us and some that are overrated and will get knocked out quickly?

For me, I it is obviously Pitt that can beat us, because well it is Pitt. As for the west I am not sure

I think 2 teams that will get knocked out pretty quickly and/or are overrated are Boston and Toronto. I mean, its Bruce Cassidy for crying out loud

Who can beat us (not necessarily will): Pens, Bolts, Preds. Losing to anyone else would be a huge upset to me.
Agreed, B's and L's don't have what it takes. Wouldn't bet on Isles getting past anyone in the 1st rd either. I think Flames are overrated too. They don't have a real goalie to go deep.

 

[twabby]

In order of likelihood (note that I did not think too hard about this):

TB
VGK
SJ
PIT
NSH
BOS
STL
CGY
CAR
WPG
TOR
CBJ
NYI
DAL
MTL
ARI
MIN

I cannot stress to you how high I am on Vegas right now. I think they are better than they were last year and they took it to every opponent in the West.

 

[Calicaps]

In order of likelihood (note that I did not think too hard about this):

TB
VGK
SJ
PIT
NSH
BOS
STL
CGY
CAR
WPG
TOR
CBJ
NYI
DAL
MTL
ARI
MIN

I cannot stress to you how high I am on Vegas right now. I think they are better than they were last year and they took it to every opponent in the West.

The Knights winning a Cup this early in their existence would damage my opinion of the NHL. Praying they don't even make the WCF.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

In order of likelihood (note that I did not think too hard about this):

TB
VGK
SJ
PIT
NSH
BOS
STL
CGY
CAR
WPG
TOR
CBJ
NYI
DAL
MTL
ARI
MIN

I cannot stress to you how high I am on Vegas right now. I think they are better than they were last year and they took it to every opponent in the West.

They should win. West just doesn’t impress me much outside of Vegas and The Peg.

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

The Knights winning a Cup this early in their existence would damage my opinion of the NHL. Praying they don't even make the WCF.

It’s been almost 2 years and I’m still not over how bad the expansion draft rules were

 

[shtorm2005]

Flyers/Pens should be a fun game today. Flyers are almost eliminated and I see them try to revenge their failure on Penguins.

 

[twabby]

The expansion rules were fine IMO. Certain teams made mistakes (I’m looking at Florida in particular, who gifted them Marchessault and Smith), and good teams like Washington had to lose a good player.

When the draft completed most everyone thought Vegas would be a basement dweller so it’s hard for me to say that the rules were too generous to Vegas. Gallant has done an admirable job taking a mediocre roster on paper into a contender, and McPhee this season did a good job adding the best player at the deadline.

I highly doubt Seattle has this level of success even with the same rules. Vegas knocked it out of the park.

 

[Calicaps]

Rooting for BB today. Go Wild Go!

 

[maacoshark]

The expansion rules were fine IMO. Certain teams made mistakes (I’m looking at Florida in particular, who gifted them Marchessault and Smith), and good teams like Washington had to lose a good player.

When the draft completed most everyone thought Vegas would be a basement dweller so it’s hard for me to say that the rules were too generous to Vegas. Gallant has done an admirable job taking a mediocre roster on paper into a contender, and McPhee this season did a good job adding the best player at the deadline.

I highly doubt Seattle has this level of success even with the same rules. Vegas knocked it out of the park.

Expansion rules weren't fine. I agree that some teams made mistakes but Vegas just had too many options. No other expansion team was given a chance at quality talent like that. Other expansion teams had to build their teams. That's what expansion is supposed to be.
You probably don't remember the 74 expansion. The Caps and Kansas City Scouts probably had the worst talent to choose from. It didnt help that the NHL expanded from 6 teams to 18 teams in 7 years. The rise of the WHA also watered down the talent.

 

[BallardEra]

Isles win.

 

[RandyHolt]

Expansion made Vegas too strong, which is what the league felt had to be done to ensure their success. When they are going to such measures, its proof to me that league is pushing expansion too hard. A new city shouldn't need to be gifted a cup team to survive. Creating demand out of thin desert air.

Crappy teams should have been allowed to keep an extra forward and D, if not all teams. And George shouldn't have been allowed to wheel and deal to the extent he was. He takes a player and that's it. I am still pissed he gave Pitt cap relief, and other sketchy deals.

If Vegas won the cup my head would have exploded. They were not an expansion team, they were an instant cup contender. I am surprised they weren't given the top pick in the draft for a few years.

 

[Calicaps]

Expansion rules weren't fine. I agree that some teams made mistakes but Vegas just had too many options. No other expansion team was given a chance at quality talent like that. Other expansion teams had to build their teams. That's what expansion is supposed to be.
You probably don't remember the 74 expansion. The Caps and Kansas City Scouts probably had the worst talent to choose from. It didnt help that the NHL expanded from 6 teams to 18 teams in 7 years. The rise of the WHA also watered down the talent.

Expansion made Vegas too strong, which is what the league felt had to be done to ensure their success. When they are going to such measures, its proof to me that league is pushing expansion too hard. A new city shouldn't need to be gifted a cup team to survive. Creating demand out of thin desert air.

Crappy teams should have been allowed to keep an extra forward and D, if not all teams. And George shouldn't have been allowed to wheel and deal to the extent he was. He takes a player and that's it. I am still pissed he gave Pitt cap relief, and other sketchy deals.

If Vegas won the cup my head would have exploded. They were not an expansion team, they were an instant cup contender. I am surprised they weren't given the top pick in the draft for a few years.

All of this. League has learned that slow growth doesn't work in non-hockey markets so they stacked the deck for Vegas. But it screwed existing teams and created a lot of resentment. The NHL didn't have to subject the Knights to the kind of crap the Caps went through but they didn't have to give them every advantage either.

As for folks thinking Vegas was gonna suck last year, that was purely about people's idea of expansion teams. That roster was never a bottom feeder.

 

[Bieronymus Trotz]

Everyone looked at the roster they assembled from that expansion draft and was sure the team would be a joke.