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Around the League - 2024-2025 Part II

ULF_55 said:
Are the Devils one of the most overrated teams in the East?

Of course they could turn their series around, but if they don't what is the 2024-2025 excuse?

One season out of 5 has been good.
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Losing their 1C late in the season put them in a tough spot for this year's playoffs.

Hughes (Jack) being shut down for shoulder surgery 2 years in row is concerning though.
 
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VanW27 said:
Losing their 1C late in the season put them in a tough spot for this year's playoffs.

Hughes (Jack) being shut down for shoulder surgery 2 years in row is concerning though.
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Hischier is their 1C.

Hughes isn't a very good centre. He's a much better winger. Jersey probably would have been better off just keeping Zacha and signing a UFA centre and let Hughes be a full time winger.

He needs to take that next step and I don't think he can do it as a centre.
 
torontoblood said:
Florida is absolutely stacked. The Panthers might be even better on paper than last year. I guess they expect to win another Stanley Cup again this year. But it will be very hard for them to make a third straight deep playoff run even with a healthy and stacked roster. Playoff hockey is so physically and mentally demanding.

Their GM Barry Zito was very sneaky/lowkey with his moves this year. Obviously, Jones and Marchand were the big name trade deadline additions to their team this season, but Sturm is an underrated pick up. Nate Schmidt, Greer, Nosek, Boqvist, and even Vitek Vanacek (for the back up goalie role) were good depth pick ups. It also helps that rookie Samoskevich turned into a strong middle six winger on their watch.
Click to expand...

Any team going up against Florida needs to crash the net on Bobrovsky and pound Tkachuk into the ice.
 
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ULF_55 said:
Are the Devils one of the most overrated teams in the East?

Of course they could turn their series around, but if they don't what is the 2024-2025 excuse?

One season out of 5 has been good.
Click to expand...

Remember that thread on the main board, the Devils are scary good? Yeah like around Halloween when all the kids are playing dress up. Playoffs, not so much.
 
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TMLBlueandWhite said:
Hischier is their 1C.

Hughes isn't a very good centre. He's a much better winger. Jersey probably would have been better off just keeping Zacha and signing a UFA centre and let Hughes be a full time winger.

He needs to take that next step and I don't think he can do it as a centre.
Click to expand...
He put up 43 goals and 99 points at 21 in his only full/healthy season in the NHL.

Health is what's holding him back.
 
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VanW27 said:
He put up 43 goals and 99 points at 21 in his only full/healthy season in the NHL.

Health is what's holding him back.
Click to expand...

He played a lot of wing that year.

Hischier is a much better centre. Just look at Jersey's faceoffs stats to realize how much they rely on him to carry the team at that position. The year before Hughes only took 300 faceoffs and the year before that (the one you referred to) he only took 400.

Hughes = Nylander, Hischier = young Tavares
 
torontoblood said:
Florida is absolutely stacked. The Panthers might be even better on paper than last year. I guess they expect to win another Stanley Cup again this year. But it will be very hard for them to make a third straight deep playoff run even with a healthy and stacked roster. Playoff hockey is so physically and mentally demanding.
Click to expand...

The reason teams don’t make it back has nothing to do with that tbh. Every team gets to reset and heal and recharge over the offseason; a shortened offseason doesn’t change that. The idea teams playoff years compound into years of fatigue seemingly only ever attributed to teams that made a couple cup finals in a row, is a manufactured media narrative.

Teams don’t make it back because:
1) even with everything going right, it’s really f***ing hard to continually beat other good teams
2) there is an undeniable luck and health component to all playoff success
3) retaining your depth, let alone improving your roster to keep up with or stay ahead of other contenders is incredibly difficult in a hard cap league
 
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TMLBlueandWhite said:
He played a lot of wing that year.

Hischier is a much better centre. Just look at Jersey's faceoffs stats to realize how much they rely on him to carry the team at that position. The year before Hughes only took 300 faceoffs and the year before that (the one you referred to) he only took 400.

Hughes = Nylander, Hischier = young Tavares
Click to expand...
I don't necessarily disagree, but that's really something you could say about a lot of young centre's around the league. It's hard to be a centre in the NHL, many would be better off on the wings.

I suspect if we didn't end up with Matthews and also Tavares then Nylander would have stayed at C, even though he's not really suited for it.
 
torontoblood said:
Florida is absolutely stacked. The Panthers might be even better on paper than last year. I guess they expect to win another Stanley Cup again this year. But it will be very hard for them to make a third straight deep playoff run even with a healthy and stacked roster. Playoff hockey is so physically and mentally demanding.

Their GM Barry Zito was very sneaky/lowkey with his moves this year. Obviously, Jones and Marchand were the big name trade deadline additions to their team this season, but Sturm is an underrated pick up. Nate Schmidt, Greer, Nosek, Boqvist, and even Vitek Vanacek (for the back up goalie role) were good depth pick ups. It also helps that rookie Samoskevich turned into a strong middle six winger on their watch.
Click to expand...
The only team in the east who could beat them are the Lightning. The rest will be a cake walk if the Panthers take them out.
 
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listening to Galley, you'd think Montreal is the only team on the ice. 90% of the time it's Montreal comments.
Thompson with 2 huge saves and Gally doesn't say a word after during live play. If Montemboult had 2 saves like that, Gally would let us know about it.
 
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stickty111 said:
listening to Galley, you'd think Montreal is the only team on the ice. 90% of the time it's Montreal comments.
Thompson with 2 huge saves and Gally doesn't say a word after during live play. If Montemboult had 2 saves like that, Gally would let us know about it.
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I don't follow commentators whatsoever, but one of these bozos claimed that size doesn't play a factor anymore in the NHL, and a bit later, went on to explain that the puck has to go into the net to be a goal.
 
wingman75 said:
It's a national broadcast in Canada... what do you expect? They are always going to focus in on the Canadian team if there is only one playing.
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There is a difference between that and literally almost pretending the other team doesn't exist. Also it'a a playoff series not 1 game. Leafs don't get the same treatment that Habs are getting in this game. Simpson is cheering for the other team it's kind of obvious. Just look at those past series for the Leafs. TNT is also nationally shown yet they actually call the game for both teams even if it's a Canadian team on the other side.
 
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