Around the League '16-'17 Other Teams' Free Agent Frenzy

[kingsfan28]

Vegas is winning the Cup, the hockey gods are on their side. Nothing is stopping them.

 

[kingsfan28]

Reeve scores 1 goal in the playoffs and all of a sudden he's one of the best trade deadline deals. #smacksforehead

 

[kingsfan28]

Vegas is having an amazing season. Winnipeg will be back.

Fleury made all the difference in the WCF.

Just like against us. He made all the big saves when needed.

 

[kingsfan28]

Somewhere, Dean Lombardi is overthinking why Vegas is in the SCF.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Somewhere, Dean Lombardi is overthinking why Vegas is in the SCF.

“Flavor of the month.”

 

[kingsfan28]

“Flavor of the month.”

Texts Ron Hextal: Don't worry Ronnie, it's just a fad"

 

[kingsholygrail]

If Vegas goes 4-1 in the Final, they will match the Kings run in 2012. Just saying. And they're playing a similar brand. Hard forechecking, always on the puck, etc

 

[WHOneedsSOX]

If Vegas goes 4-1 in the Final, they will match the Kings run in 2012. Just saying. And they're playing a similar brand. Hard forechecking, always on the puck, etc

And Fleury is putting up #'s very similar to Quick's record setting run.

 

[kingsfan28]

If Vegas goes 4-1 in the Final, they will match the Kings run in 2012. Just saying. And they're playing a similar brand. Hard forechecking, always on the puck, etc

1 road loss too.

 

[KingsFan7824]

The Jets are deep, very deep. Do they need some roster adjustments going forward? Can their GM screw it up by overpaying players approaching their third contracts? Absolutely.

Chevy having gone to school on the mistakes made by the Kings and Hawks is probably the more likely scenario. I don't see any valid comparisons between the Kings and Jets at this time.

Having not won, re-signing guys to reasonable contracts might be easier. Although Laine might break the bank early like McDavid and Eichel.

They’ll definitely be back. This reminds me of the 2009 Hawks WCF loss to Detroit.

Also, I really don’t understand the vitriol thrown Vegas’s way. They’re very clearly a talented, deep team, and they’re masterfully coached. Marchessault would easily be LA’s best winger.

You don’t get to the Cup Finals on luck or try hard gumption. The Knights roll one first line, two second lines, and arguably a third line. And they have three #2 pairings and world class goaltending.

They’re loaded with picks and prospects. Their cap is managed. And they’re likely getting Erik ****ing Karlsson in the offseason.

The only embarrassment people should feel is their own after laughing at the Knights’ expansion draft then turning around and saying it was unfair.

The vitriol is that they're an expansion team. This is so out of character for a first year team, and nobody picked them to be anywhere close to where they currently are, that it doesn't feel earned. But that feeling goes back to fans thinking that we're somehow involved in the process. Like our suffering means something.

 

[KopitarFAN]

I think for me (and I figured it out yesterday) it's living here, if I were back home in LA, I might enjoy the story, but getting beaten over the head with it daily by people who 3 months ago didn't give a shit rubs me the wrong way. Not unlike how some of us felt in 2012.

 

[KINGS17]

Just like against us. He made all the big saves when needed.

Sorry, but no. Winnipeg actually created scoring chances. Go back and look at the shot charts from the two series.

Quick was outstanding in the 1st round. He was the only player keeping the Kings in the series.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Somewhere, Dean Lombardi is overthinking why Vegas is in the SCF.

Dean Lombardi's garage wall right now

Sorry, but no. Winnipeg actually created scoring chances. Go back and look at the shot charts from the two series.

Quick was outstanding in the 1st round. He was the only player keeping the Kings in the series.

Games 1 and 2 were Quick.

Games 3 and 4 were fleury and the shot charts, scoring chances, and eye test bear that out.

 

[Little Psycho]

If Vegas goes 4-1 in the Final, they will match the Kings run in 2012. Just saying. And they're playing a similar brand. Hard forechecking, always on the puck, etc

They are so tenacious. Reminds me of the kings of old but with better hands and speed lol.

 

[lexlavender]

Games 1 and 2 were Quick.

Games 3 and 4 were fleury and the shot charts, scoring chances, and eye test bear that out.

Raccoon is mostly right. If you want to ACCURATELY criticize the Kings, commit these graphs to memory. If you're talking about JUST about HD scoring chances, the Kings really only picked up speed in game 4.

Also interesting is the shot graph for Vegas game 1:

In terms of HD Net, Slot and back scoring chances, VGK didn't utterly dominate the Kings (by my count 10 vs 6), so one might say that the first game wasn't as bad either. Kings had practically no slot shots, but a large number of close to the Net chances. Heat maps for game 2 and 3 against the Kings are embarrassing though.

Game 4 is comparably pathetic for the Knights though, Fleury stole that game:

 

[KingsFan7824]

Since 2014, Reaves has more playoff goals(2) than Brown, Doughty, Toffoli, and Pearson combined(1).

 

[BigKing]

Vegas winning the entire thing would be disgusting. Nothing worse fan base wise than the nouveau riche. They were already insufferable based on being in 1st place in the division for most of the year so I can only imagine what they will be like at Staples next season.

Anyone that is a long-time sports fan should understand that fan suffering is a legit thing. I in no way support the idea of a fan base getting to win something they didn't even know they wanted two years, 1 year and even three months ago.

Screw them. Am I being petty? Sure. Being petty is pretty much a prerequisite of being a hardcore sports fan.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Vegas winning the entire thing would be disgusting. Nothing worse fan base wise than the nouveau riche. They were already insufferable based on being in 1st place in the division for most of the year so I can only imagine what they will be like at Staples next season.

Anyone that is a long-time sports fan should understand that fan suffering is a legit thing. I in no way support the idea of a fan base getting to win something they didn't even know they wanted two years, 1 year and even three months ago.

Screw them. Am I being petty? Sure. Being petty is pretty much a prerequisite of being a hardcore sports fan.

All true, but at the same time, they didn't choose this. They, like all fans, have nothing to do with what's happening. We're all weird and crazy for getting emotional about the accomplishments of strangers.

That said, whenever the Knights fall, be it in the next few weeks, or next year, or whatever, it'll be that much sweeter when they do. I'm ok with the Caps or Lightning stopping that team. Someone needs to.

 

[BigKing]

All true, but at the same time, they didn't choose this. They, like all fans, have nothing to do with what's happening. We're all weird and crazy for getting emotional about the accomplishments of strangers.

That said, whenever the Knights fall, be it in the next few weeks, or next year, or whatever, it'll be that much sweeter when they do. I'm ok with the Caps or Lightning stopping that team. Someone needs to.

True, but they choose how to act when it does happen. There were definitely insufferable Kings fans during their run, generally bandwagoners, that most of us didn't care for but at least they were being obnoxious because our favorite team was winning. Now I can't help but think about these types of Kings fans going "scoreboard" on Vegas fans at Staples this year by bringing up how they don't have any Cups.

Great argument since they haven't played for one yet but it is even better now that they are four wins away from batting a thousand while it took the Kings 40+ years.

I'm sure there is a very tiny subsection of Vegas fans that have been longtime fans of the sport. Good for them. Way too many New Jacks getting too much, too soon for my tastes. I liken it to someone who worked hard all their life, saved and made some smart investments v. some trailer trash that put up a couple of bucks on a quick pick and won the lottery.

 

[KINGS17]

True, but they choose how to act when it does happen. There were definitely insufferable Kings fans during their run, generally bandwagoners, that most of us didn't care for but at least they were being obnoxious because our favorite team was winning. Now I can't help but think about these types of Kings fans going "scoreboard" on Vegas fans at Staples this year by bringing up how they don't have any Cups.

Great argument since they haven't played for one yet but it is even better now that they are four wins away from batting a thousand while it took the Kings 40+ years.

I'm sure there is a very tiny subsection of Vegas fans that have been longtime fans of the sport. Good for them. Way too many New Jacks getting too much, too soon for my tastes. I liken it to someone who worked hard all their life, saved and made some smart investments v. some trailer trash that put up a couple of bucks on a quick pick and won the lottery.

I know I was insufferable with my Duck fan friends after the Kings won it again in 2014. So much fun!!

 

[kingsholygrail]

All those shots from right in front of Quick to the point of being a dark void in game 3 is just disgusting.

 

[deeshamrock]

Arthur Staple‏Verified account @StapeAthletic
Exclusive: Lou Lamoriello will be hired to run Islanders' hockey operations

Not sure if this move to keep JT from bailing will work. Historically, Lou doesn't overpay for offense and his track record is okay but not great, the Devils have been much better since he left. And as much as I love JT, the Isles would need a lot more to turn it around.
But JT doesn't have facial hair, so there's that...

 

[deeshamrock]

All true, but at the same time, they didn't choose this. They, like all fans, have nothing to do with what's happening. We're all weird and crazy for getting emotional about the accomplishments of strangers.

That said, whenever the Knights fall, be it in the next few weeks, or next year, or whatever, it'll be that much sweeter when they do. I'm ok with the Caps or Lightning stopping that team. Someone needs to.

Why? The players have worked basically outworked most of their opponents since Oct. They've earned the right to be in the SCF and if they win, they earned that too. A bit surprising that so many fans from other teams are having sour grapes. I'm rooting for them, I think it's an amazing accomplishment.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

Why? The players have worked basically outworked most of their opponents since Oct. They've earned the right to be in the SCF and if they win, they earned that too. A bit surprising that so many fans from other teams are having sour grapes. I'm rooting for them, I think it's an amazing accomplishment.

Well said.

This idea that teams need to “earn” a championship by sucking for years is utterly absurd and created entirely in the minds of bitter opposing fans. The Kings sucking for 40 years until a championship is not some codified rule.

Vegas, the players, have earned every inch of ice out there. They’ve handily beaten every western team thrown in front of them. What are they supposed to do? Throw games because they’re an expansion team and “expansion teams are supposed to suck”? Listen to yourselves.

Every good team brings its share of obnoxious bandwagoners, including Vegas, including LA, including everyone.

Life ain’t fair. Sometimes people win the lottery. Sometimes people struggle for decades until they retire. Likening the Vegas fanbase to “trailer trash,” frankly, is much more obnoxious than anything the Vegas fanbase has done or said. All I’ve seen from the local fanbase in Vegas is pure wonder and joy at what the Knights have accomplished, how they’ve immediately immersed themselves in the community, and how hungry we all were for a franchise to call our own.

I’ve been following this game for 30 years. I live, love and breathe Kings hockey. I cheered for them OVER Vegas in round one. But I’ll be damned if I don’t admit that the Knights haven’t been a beautiful addition to the city, and one of the most astounding sports stories I’ve ever seen unfold.

Everything else, all the insults and dismissal from other fanbases, is pure sour grapes. And I don’t blame some fans for that. I understand that pain. I’m a Kings fan after all. I suffered with everyone else here up until 2012. I get it. But it’s a poor excuse to shit on Knights fans. They’re not breaking any rules. They’re just overjoyed with their team.

A new hockey fan should never be ostracized. We should all be fans of the game more than fans of a team. If not, pro sports are reduced to nothing more than vicarious mongoloid tribalism.

 

[KINGS17]

In a way it's a very good thing for the Vegas franchise other than the obvious reasons. Soon, the Raiders and the NFL will move into Vegas. It's great that the Golden Knights already have a head start in winning the hearts of the local fans.