2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs Talk

[VAcaniac]

All this pig talk is making me hungry.

 

[raynman]

All this pig talk is making me hungry.

Hamilton isn’t food, he’s family.

 

[bobc222]

Slavin's been putting up a Smythe worthy performance with elite defense AND tied for the lead in points

 

[VAcaniac]

Hamilton isn’t food, he’s family.

I dont know why that cant be the same thing.

 

[Negan4Coach]

So as our percentages of winning the Cup go up...

I can't help but to think if that actually happens, it destroys this team long term. It'll be another decade plus of failure for the following reasons:

- Dundon goes "Ha! Well, that was easy, did it on year one with the lowest salary" and then moves on to his other life priorities. Team is either relocated or ignored.
- Svechnikov goes all Eric Staal, figuring since he's already got his cup, why not just skate around all lazy during the regular season- never develops into the superstar he can be
- Brindy takes his foot off the gas
- Wadell becomes like Adolph Hitler after the invasion of France in 1940, convinced of his own genius, and thinks "addition by subtraction" is the key to victory, routinely trades away good players for nothing, etc.
- The fair weather fanbase that has now been fired up, comes back next year only to have its ass handed to it and is crushed with disappointment, because they are like "well, that was easy".

So, as much as I'd be so proud of Brindy and this group winning it all, I think the best outcome is them making it to the cup round and coming up just short- it would make us happy, it would keep the owner and GM adding to the team for long term success, and keeps the boys hungry. I don't want to endure another decade in the wilderness, I want to see this team in the post season year after year.

 

[DougieSmash]

Esa Lindell is crazy gooood.

 

[SlavinAway]

I could also suggest a year of the pig shirt. Since it actually is the year of the pig in the Chinese calendar. If that isn’t a sign I don’t know what is. Also Hamilton is a ****ing boss.

Year of the Pig 2019 Playoffs Tee

Was in the process of checking out until I got hit with $12 shipping.... $12?! To send a $30 t-shirt 120 miles down I40?

 

[My Special Purpose]

Has it occurred to anyone else that an Avs/Canes final would be Nordiques vs. Whalers?

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

So as our percentages of winning the Cup go up...

I can't help but to think if that actually happens, it destroys this team long term. It'll be another decade plus of failure for the following reasons:

- Dundon goes "Ha! Well, that was easy, did it on year one with the lowest salary" and then moves on to his other life priorities. Team is either relocated or ignored.
- Svechnikov goes all Eric Staal, figuring since he's already got his cup, why not just skate around all lazy during the regular season- never develops into the superstar he can be
- Brindy takes his foot off the gas
- Wadell becomes like Adolph Hitler after the invasion of France in 1940, convinced of his own genius, and thinks "addition by subtraction" is the key to victory, routinely trades away good players for nothing, etc.
- The fair weather fanbase that has now been fired up, comes back next year only to have its ass handed to it and is crushed with disappointment, because they are like "well, that was easy".

So, as much as I'd be so proud of Brindy and this group winning it all, I think the best outcome is them making it to the cup round and coming up just short- it would make us happy, it would keep the owner and GM adding to the team for long term success, and keeps the boys hungry. I don't want to endure another decade in the wilderness, I want to see this team in the post season year after year.

I dunno, I think I’ll take my chances winning the Cup instead of “not winning the Cup so that we have a slightly better chance of winning the Cup sometime in the future.”

 

[WreckingCrew]

Has it occurred to anyone else that an Avs/Canes final would be Nordiques vs. Whalers?

The ultimate troll incoming...Avs officially become a bunch of jerks as well!!

 

[Jerkob Slavin]

Hamilton isn’t food, he’s family.

Until we lose.... until we lose.

 

[Cardiac Jerks]

Was in the process of checking out until I got hit with $12 shipping.... $12?! To send a $30 t-shirt 120 miles down I40?

You should see what they want to ship one to Canada. Costs more than the shirt. As much as I want one I’m not going to pay $100 (CAD) for a T-shirt. Was actually pretty disappointed in the team for not finding better shipping options.

 

[Negan4Coach]

I dunno, I think I’ll take my chances winning the Cup instead of “not winning the Cup so that we have a slightly better chance of winning the Cup sometime in the future.”

I mean, yeah there's that, but not sure I can take a repeat of another decade of what we just went thru.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

I mean, yeah there's that, but not sure I can take a repeat of another decade of what we just went thru.

I agree.

My disagreement is with the notion that winning a Cup necessarily leads to that. We made it to the Conference Finals 3 years after our last Cup. More importantly, we were at a completely different point in our “window” without a GM with an exclusively “win now” mentality.

We acquired no one at the trade deadline this year and have 3 picks in the 20-40 range at this upcoming draft. We have not mortgaged the future for this run, this is merely a fun, ahead of schedule surprise.

 

[Negan4Coach]

I agree.

My disagreement is that winning a Cup necessarily leads to that. We made it to the Conference Finals 3 years after our last Cup. More importantly, we were at a completely different point in our “window” with a GM with an exclusively “win now” mentality.

We acquired no one at the trade deadline this year and have 3 picks in the 20-40 range at this upcoming draft. We have not mortgaged the future for this run, this is merely a fun, ahead of schedule surprise.

You don't think Dundon goes "Welp, another life goal achieved, what's next?" after a cup? I'd like to think he goes "time for a North Carolina Dynasty", but given the nature of the man's business model, IDK...

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

This is hard to handle.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

You don't think Dundon goes "Welp, another life goal achieved, what's next?" after a cup? I'd like to think he goes "time for a North Carolina Dynasty", but given the nature of the man's business model, IDK...

I’m not really sure what demotivated Dundon would do to ruin this. Trading every player for a 7th round pick requires effort and downright ire. I don’t think a Cup would suddenly make him hate the team. If it is in fact “life goal achieved”, he’d just take a step back and let the people he hired run the team. I doubt he’ll say “well now that we’ve got a Cup, let me ruin the team out of spite.”

 

[A Star is Burns]

Yeah, win the Cup and worry about stupid what ifs later.

 

[VAcaniac]

Wow Vegas odds have really changed.

Beginning of round: we were like 2nd least likely to win the cup
Now up 3-0: the Sharks are only slightly higher favorites

 

[Negan4Coach]

I’m not really sure what demotivated Dundon would do to ruin this. Trading every player for a 7th round pick requires effort and downright ire. I don’t think a Cup would suddenly make him hate the team. If it is in fact “life goal achieved”, he’d just take a step back and let the people he hired run the team. I doubt he’ll say “well now that we’ve got a Cup, let me ruin the team out of spite.”

No, I don't think he'd deliberately ruin the team- just continue to think that being 31st in spending is just fine and that he doesn't need to add anything to it, which I think puts us into another death spiral like after 2009. Lets face it- this is kind of a "lightning in a bottle" type playoff run, as it always has been, but the team needs to continue to add after this spring.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

No, I don't think he'd deliberately ruin the team- just continue to think that being 31st in spending is just fine and that he doesn't need to add anything to it, which I think puts us into another death spiral like after 2009. Lets face it- this is kind of a "lightning in a bottle" type playoff run, as it always has been, but the team needs to continue to add after this spring.

I can see starting to think “I turned a sad sack NHL franchise into a Stanley Cup Champion in 1.5 years, this is the way we operate,” but based on what we’ve seen so far I would guess he would continue to do the excellent things that got us here, decision making processes and whatnot. And we don’t really have a choice but to spend more starting next year anyway, unless he wants to not re-sign Aho.

To be frank I get your concerns but I think when it comes to the health of a franchise a Stanley Cup trumps most things. I see him as more of a “sustainability” guy than a Cup chaser anyway, so I think we are safe from a JR-esque emptying of the cupboards.

The real test of his ownership is whether he is smart enough to write Tulsky a blank check. If he does, as @Navin R Slavin mentioned elsewhere, I think our talent assessment will continue to be top notch which should ultimately lead to sustainability regardless of whether we’re a cap team.

 

[NotOpie]

I dont know why that cant be the same thing.

Who let in Hanibal Lector?

We acquired no one at the trade deadline this year and have 3 picks in the 20-40 range at this upcoming draft. We have not mortgaged the future for this run, this is merely a fun, ahead of schedule surprise.

At the risk of repeating myself, we have 5 picks in the Top 100 of the next two drafts. That can and will help build a sustainable winner.

 

[A Star is Burns]

No, I don't think he'd deliberately ruin the team- just continue to think that being 31st in spending is just fine and that he doesn't need to add anything to it, which I think puts us into another death spiral like after 2009. Lets face it- this is kind of a "lightning in a bottle" type playoff run, as it always has been, but the team needs to continue to add after this spring.

He might come to those conclusions even if we fall just short like you suggested would be better. So you take the Cup and run if you can get it. Worry about the rest later. And even if we spend at the bottom of the league going forward, if we have the right people in place, there's no reason to miss 9 straight years. It remains to be seen if all the good signs we've seen means we have the right people in place, or if we caught lightning in a bottle as you mentioned.

 

[VAcaniac]

Well the CBJBOS series is going at least 6 and hopefully 7 games. God speed to whoever comes on top after that series.

 

[VAcaniac]

2-0 Dallas. Cant decide who I like more. I like them both.