Around the League - 2024-2025 Part II

[BallardEra]

Career goals per game:

Ovechkin - .60123
Gretzky - .60121

 

[PromisedLand]

Ovi scores 2 goals now at 881 only 13 more to tie Gretz and 14 to break the record 25 more games to go for the caps after today and still 10 mins to go in the game today

TIGHT!

UPDATE:
And Ovi is now 882 goals; 12 more to tie Gretz and 13 to break the record. 25 games still to go as Ovi scores Hatty

 

[BallardEra]

UPDATE:
And Ovi is now 882 goals; 12 more to tie Gretz and 13 to break the record. 25 games still to go as Ovi scores Hatty

It’s gonna be close. 25 games left with 12 goals to tie it and 13 to beat it.

He does have 29 goals in 41 games this season and 52 goals in his last 77 games played.

Anything close to those paces and he breaks the record for sure this season.

 

[Evilhomer]

I think the more interesting question is does Ovi stick around long enough to score 1,000 goals? That would be something.

 

[BallardEra]

I think the more interesting question is does Ovi stick around long enough to score 1,000 goals? That would be something.

Nope.

I think he retires for good after his contract is up next season at the age of 40.

Only thing that might entice him on a 1 year deal is if the team is a true contender as well.

 

[ULF_55]

Rangers leading 2-1 after 40 minutes;

 

[Jmo89]

Well done Kyle - boy genius

View attachment 980947

For all the flak they take (much of it deserved,) the core of this team made Dubas millions and gave him a career. He had such a cushy situation here. Tbh I doubt that loser finds any meaningful success as a GM again.

He will probably go the JFJ route and find some success as the second or third fiddle somewhere when he flames out of Pittsburgh.

 

[Jojalu]

It’s gonna be close. 25 games left with 12 goals to tie it and 13 to beat it.

He does have 29 goals in 41 games this season and 52 goals in his last 77 games played.

Anything close to those paces and he breaks the record for sure this season.

If the Caps keep winning there might be a chance for some empty netters along the way. He just might do it this year. Incredible

 

[keonsbitterness]

Weird game in Pittsburgh.

 

[BallardEra]

If the Caps keep winning there might be a chance for some empty netters along the way. He just might do it this year. Incredible

These are goals scored since January 27, 2024 when he started to turn around his season last year:

 

[All Mod Cons]

My God, Dubas has driven that organization into the ground so quickly.

 

[BallardEra]

My God, Dubas has driven that organization into the ground so quickly.

Love it.

 

[Menzinger]

This depends on if ownership brought him in to rebuild after the Crosby era ends. They have 29 picks, 15 in the first 3 rounds and 4 first round picks over the next 3 years.

If he was brought in to make them competetive short term while Crosby was still around, he will be gone.

If the plan was for him to oversee the rebuild, he will stay

Dubas' has opened himself up to a decent amount of legit criticism in his current role,.BUT whomever was given that GM position was always going to be in for a weird transition of having to try and be competitive until Crosby/Malkin/Letang retires and then pivoting to full rebuild territory

If he's smart he keeps their higher picks for the next few years

 

[BertCorbeau]

Dubas' has opened himself up to a decent amount of legit criticism in his current role,.BUT whomever was given that GM position was always going to be in for a weird transition of having to try and be competitive until Crosby/Malkin/Letang retires and then pivoting to full rebuild territory

If he's smart he keeps their higher picks for the next few years

His biggest downfall was betting big on Karlsson and Jarry.

Karlsson took away a lot of cap space hurting their ability to sign depth and re-sign their best youngest core piece in Guentzel

Jarry is at the critical goalie position and has missed highly.

Other questionable signings too but he has done a poor job building depth on the roster that needs it.

Also betting on Sullivan .. although I bet ownership has their hands in that firing decision.

Dubas clearly has an issue identifying goalie talent. His best goalie decision was deciding to not re-sign Bernier

 

[TheTotalPackage]

Career goals per game:

Ovechkin - .60123
Gretzky - .60121

I find this stat quite wild actually, in the sense that Ovechkin has been a consistent goal scorer over the course of his career, while Gretzky was cooked as a goal scorer for a good handful of years.

Also shows how insane Gretzky's early years were with the number of goals he was putting up.

 

[Evilhomer]

The Leafs should have a pretty clean path to winning the division with Tkachuk done in Florida. I don't think we will see him again until training camp. The silence out of Florida is deafening. I suspect that he is done for the season with a muscle tear

 

[SprDaVE]

The Leafs should have a pretty clean path to winning the division with Tkachuk done in Florida. I don't think we will see him again until training camp. The silence out of Florida is deafening. I suspect that he is done for the season with a muscle tear

They still have a very good team and can now add a big time player or two with that cap space. I would not be surprised if he's back at some point in the playoffs, even if he's not 100%.

 

[Evilhomer]

They still have a very good team and can now add a big time player or two with that cap space. I would not be surprised if he's back at some point in the playoffs, even if he's not 100%.

I don't think Florida will go deep enough for him to come back. They will have a tough time with tampa in the first round.

 

[BallardEra]

I find this stat quite wild actually, in the sense that Ovechkin has been a consistent goal scorer over the course of his career, while Gretzky was cooked as a goal scorer for a good handful of years.

Also shows how insane Gretzky's early years were with the number of goals he was putting up.

Very true. Gretzky scored 706 goals by the age of 29.

From age 30 and on until he retired at 38, he only scored 188 more goals.

Ovechkin has 407 goals and counting from age 30 until today.

Gretzky was 231 goals ahead of Ovechkin after both ended their 29 year old age calendars.

 

[Dekes For Days]

Karlsson took away a lot of cap space hurting their ability to sign depth and re-sign their best youngest core piece in Guentzel Jarry is at the critical goalie position and has missed highly.

Guentzel wasn't re-signing for a rebuild. The Karlsson trade actually opened up 2.25m in cap space, and he's been their best defenseman. Jarry has really fallen off, but he was already there. Mainly, the core just got old or left. Crosby/Malkin/Guentzel/Letang contributed 290 points to Pittsburgh in 2022-2023. This year, they're on pace to contribute 164 points, and worse defensive play. Nobody beats father time.

 

[uncleben]

Guentzel wasn't re-signing for a rebuild. The Karlsson trade actually opened up 2.25m in cap space, and he's been their best defenseman. Jarry has really fallen off, but he was already there. Mainly, the core just got old or left. Crosby/Malkin/Guentzel/Letang contributed 290 points to Pittsburgh in 2022-2023. This year, they're on pace to contribute 164 points, and worse defensive play. Nobody beats father time.

I think it is extremely overlooked that PIT actually cleared cap in that deal.
The big caveat on that claim is of course the term left on Karlsson's contract versus the anchor of Hoffman's expiring deal, though

Jarry was already there, but that extension was all Dubas.
That said, it's pretty much in line with the contract extensions we're seeing for other goalies being given out now, but Dubas' biggest weakness by a large stretch has been evaluating goalies, and he signed that deal based on Jarry's early career, not what he done lately, and that was a mistake.



Still, it's beating a really, REALLY, old drum at this point.
Ownership was clearly not going to let any new GM or POHO come in and clean house. They wanted another push.
Another GM/POHO may not have done the Karlsson deal specifically (which really wasn't as terrible some people want us to think), but they would be steering in the same direction.

Malkin wants to retire there. Crosby, by all accounts, has not wanted to leave yet and still may not. Guentzel wanted to go to a team with a larger, better window.
Any GM would be facing these same roster restrictions and would be icing the exact same core.

Whether you agree if its the right thing to do or not, I don't know why anyone is pretending any other GM would have come in done anything other than try and give this core another push.

 

[Fogelhund]

I'm mostly amused that people are obsessed with an ex-GM, like they might be with an ex-girlfriend they dumped years ago. I just find it amazing that people are so emotionally vested in someone who used to be a Leaf, as if they were emotionally damaged by their existence in the past. It's really weird.

 

[ULF_55]

His biggest downfall was betting big on Karlsson and Jarry.

Karlsson took away a lot of cap space hurting their ability to sign depth and re-sign their best youngest core piece in Guentzel

Jarry is at the critical goalie position and has missed highly.

Other questionable signings too but he has done a poor job building depth on the roster that needs it.

Also betting on Sullivan .. although I bet ownership has their hands in that firing decision.

Dubas clearly has an issue identifying goalie talent. His best goalie decision was deciding to not re-sign Bernier

Yeah, the Karlsson deal was a swing for the fences, the fielder settling under that ball looks like a fly-out.

Putting $10mm into a 33 year old offensive defenseman, and only getting $1.5mm in retention. And then Penguins retained on $1.56mm on Petry, so net retention Karlsson is 2 years at $1.5mm.

Winning the Norris by scoring 101 points, was all about points not defense. He is an offensive defenseman, but it's still $10mm of Cap space.

I will give him credit he isn't afraid to make big deals.

Penguins only have to jump over 7 teams to get into a Wild Card spot.
Penguins worst in the east for GF - GA, and 3rd. worst league wide.
Penguins 2nd. worst GA.

Penguins have to be sellers and add to their draft capital.
Have to do a better job of drafting than was done for the Leafs.


Trade
Pittsburgh

• Erik Karlsson
• Rem Pitlik - minor leaguer
• Dilon Hamaliuk - echl
• 2026 - 3rd. round pick from San Jose

San Jose

• 2024 - Penguins 1st. round pick 14th. overall
• Michael Granlund
• Jan Ruta
• Mike Hoffman

Montreal

• 2025 - Penguin 2nd. round pick
• Jeff Petry
• Casey DeSmith
• Nathan Legare - minor leaguer