Around the League - 2023/24

[Pokecheque]

Craig Anderson retiring as a Senator.

I feel betrayed.

Well...Brian Elliott is currently waiting for the phone to ring, maybe they can entice him into signing a one-day deal. We would welcome him with open arms.

 

[Alienblood]

You can't even post a compliment without it being backhanded.

Just a reminder, how many players were hyped (Lindros for ex) and weren't the best player in their draft?

Time will tell. People have different preferences for sure. I see. a better 200ft player that can impact a game in more ways than Bedard who right now looks to be a scoring winger.

 

[Gumballhead]

Heck, Bedard is a young 18 and has played all of what, 5 NHL games? Time will tell, but I am not assuming anything about him yet. He didn't look very good last night, but the Hawks were ending a long road trip, he was playing past his bedtime, and at altitude.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

Well...Brian Elliott is currently waiting for the phone to ring, maybe they can entice him into signing a one-day deal. We would welcome him with open arms.

Tom Gilbert Salo.

I still have no idea how he went 1-3-1 and maintained a .912 SV%. Although that save percentage might actually not be what it is appears, he played for us in 03-04 and I think there was a higher average due to less scoring.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

Heck, Bedard is a young 18 and has played all of what, 5 NHL games? Time will tell, but I am not assuming anything about him yet. He didn't look very good last night, but the Hawks were ending a long road trip, he was playing past his bedtime, and at altitude.

The fun of these highly skilled young kids is watching them develop. We all like to have projections for how we think they will play or who their game will be similar to, but we never really know.

The not so fun part is when they don't actually have quite what you though they had (Duchene).

I think Bedard is going to be fine. He just needs to be himself and continue to learn. This is huge step up in quality of competition for the kid and as you said, they started with a longish road trip ending with a hungry Avalanche team that wasn't feeling too good about the way they played their last game even if it ended in victory.

 

[Pokecheque]

Heck, Bedard is a young 18 and has played all of what, 5 NHL games? Time will tell, but I am not assuming anything about him yet. He didn't look very good last night, but the Hawks were ending a long road trip, he was playing past his bedtime, and at altitude.

Yeah, they definitely looked tired.

IIRC even Crosby had a somewhat uneven rookie season (he of course did not win the Calder, we all know who did that year) and Jack Hughes also had a pretty rough outing his first year in the NHL. I think the phenom talents with smaller frames have a bit longer of an adjustment period. In any event if I were a Hawks fan I wouldn't be remotely worried. That team is designed to be bad anyway (FFS their second line is Johnson-Reichel-Raddysh!) and they're playing a lot of rookies and young players.

Tom Gilbert Salo.

I still have no idea how he went 1-3-1 and maintained a .912 SV%. Although that save percentage might actually not be what it is appears, he played for us in 03-04 and I think there was a higher average due to less scoring.

All I can think of when I see Salo's name is how much of a little bitch David Aebischer was with him. Abby was not the best goalie nor the worst goalie the Avs have ever had, but he was definitely the angriest (yes, much angrier than Roy).

 

[Freudian]

Some players hit the ground running and some take their time. Remember those that thought MacKinnon was going to be a disappointing #1 overall pick a few seasons into his career.

Bedard will have plenty of chances to torch Avs in the coming decade.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

Yeah, they definitely looked tired.

IIRC even Crosby had a somewhat uneven rookie season (he of course did not win the Calder, we all know who did that year) and Jack Hughes also had a pretty rough outing his first year in the NHL. I think the phenom talents with smaller frames have a bit longer of an adjustment period. In any event if I were a Hawks fan I wouldn't be remotely worried. That team is designed to be bad anyway (FFS their second line is Johnson-Reichel-Raddysh!) and they're playing a lot of rookies and young players.


All I can think of when I see Salo's name is how much of a little bitch David Aebischer was with him. Abby was not the best goalie nor the worst goalie the Avs have ever had, but he was definitely the angriest (yes, much angrier than Roy).

I thought the angriest was Suave. It's been a while, but I think I have memories of him trying to fight an opposing goalie for no reason and throwing temper tantrums on the ice.

 

[the_fan]

Bedard is gonna be more like Jack Hughes than McDavid. Don’t think he’s generational

 

[Pokecheque]

I thought the angriest was Suave. It's been a while, but I think I have memories of him trying to fight an opposing goalie for no reason and throwing temper tantrums on the ice.

I remember some of that, Sauve doesn't really count IMHO. Dude would never have been in the NHL if not for his last name and Pierre Lacroix's ridiculous nepotism picks over the years. Absolutely ridiculous that he was paraded around as a "goaltending prospect."

Aebischer had some epic meltdowns. I remember when the Avs had a sizeable lead over the Preds in one game and Darcy Hordichuk scored some weird wraparound goal on him, and he proceeded to blow the lead and several gaskets after that. That dude was NUTS.

I remember Terry Frei was so bent outta shape over the Theodore trade because he thought Abby was better.

 

[John Mandalorian]

Any predictions regarding what the Rangers do with Lafreniere?

Do they trade him this year for another change of scenery player?

Do the ride out one more year to see how it goes and then decide?

Do the grind his value to dust to not lose a trade but also watch his value further tank?

 

[Balthazar]

Bedard is gonna be more like Jack Hughes than McDavid. Don’t think he’s generational

He's not the next McDavid, he's the next Crosby (he will win cups and be a good ambassador for the league).

 

[CobraAcesS]

Craig Anderson retiring as a Senator.

I feel betrayed.

So did he

 

[JLo217]

Heck, Bedard is a young 18 and has played all of what, 5 NHL games? Time will tell, but I am not assuming anything about him yet. He didn't look very good last night, but the Hawks were ending a long road trip, he was playing past his bedtime, and at altitude.

Not to mention he’s got Radysh, Donato and Hall to help him grow and develop.

The kid needs some better examples to look up to and learn from. If I were a prospect I’d want to go to a team with strong leadership and legends to learn from. Not go to a franchise with a tainted history and a roster of misfits and castoffs watching their careers sunset in their last sniff of the NHL.

Some players hit the ground running and some take their time. Remember those that thought MacKinnon was going to be a disappointing #1 overall pick a few seasons into his career.

Bedard will have plenty of chances to torch Avs in the coming decade.

He just needs support and some better players to learn from.

 

[Pokecheque]

Not to mention he’s got Radysh, Donato and Hall to help him grow and develop.

The kid needs some better examples to look up to and learn from. If I were a prospect I’d want to go to a team with strong leadership and legends to learn from. Not go to a franchise with a tainted history and a roster of misfits and castoffs watching their careers sunset in their last sniff of the NHL.


He just needs support and some better players to learn from.

All due respect, I think that notion is a tad overrated. Just look at the Avs, they went out and got "savvy veterans" like Beauchemin and Iginla, and it was an unmitigated disaster. Erik Johnson even said he and the others were reluctant to stand up and talk in the locker room so as not to get in the way of those guys.

Bring in some wily vets, it's fine, but I don't think the lack thereof is gonna really hamper Connor Bedard's development. The one exception I can think of where a veteran was needed was Trevor Zegras when he said whatever it was that sent Troy Stecher into full rage mode. I really don't think he would've done that had Getzlaf still been there. Something similar happened with the Wings and Sean Avery, I'm sure everyone has heard the story about Avery getting up to chirp Joe Sakic and Brett Hull immediately telling him to sit the f*** down. Bedard's not a punk, so I don't think any of that will happen.

 

[Ceremony]

Is Lafreniere the third liner Landeskog was supposed to be?

 

[the_fan]

He's not the next McDavid, he's the next Crosby (he will win cups and be a good ambassador for the league).

I just don’t see it. Maybe it happens, but when guys like Crosby and McDavid came into the league, you could see that generational talent right away after 3 or 4 games. I’m not seeing it with Bedard. He’s actually coming in more like Hughes, where it might take little time to figure out the NHL then he probably becomes a star franchise player for the Hawks but not generational

 

[missionAvs]

Is Lafreniere the third liner Landeskog was supposed to be?

Yep but without the good looks.

 

[Linds]

That 3rd Flyers goal on Campbell is AHL demotion worthy and I am a fan of Jack.

Unreal

 

[UncleRisto]

Yep but without the good looks.

And worse defense.

 

[AvsMakar08]

Some players hit the ground running and some take their time. Remember those that thought MacKinnon was going to be a disappointing #1 overall pick a few seasons into his career.

Bedard will have plenty of chances to torch Avs in the coming decade.

The only player that was able to torch Avs was McDavid when we had an AHL goalie playing on our team.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

The only player that was able to torch Avs was McDavid when we had an AHL goalie playing on our team.

For a while it sure felt like Colton Sissons could torch us on a whim.

 

[Metallo]

He's not the next McDavid, he's the next Crosby (he will win cups and be a good ambassador for the league).

I highly doubt Bedard will be as good as Crosby.

 

[Azrael89]

I highly doubt Bedard will be as good as Crosby.

He most certainly won’t. People need to give their heads a shake. Lol

 

[Metallo]

He most certainly won’t. People need to give their heads a shake. Lol

I didn't see a playdriving center, the guy never has the puck.