Around the League - 2024-2025 Part II

[ULF_55]

McDavid - “Not our best, not my best, but we found a way,” the Oilers captain said. “We get paid to score goals in big moments and we found a way to do it tonight.”

ThaT IS what the best players in the world look like. I could see MacKinnon or Sid from yesteryears.

 

[Blanka]

Vegas should be angry there. Uncalled penalty that may have injured a player and then Edmonton scores.

I'm not really worried about Vegas and their feelings tbh. They were gifted a team that were competing from the get-go and won their Cup pretty damn early. Let them wallow in some misery for awhile.

 

[ULF_55]

Celebrini is going look great with Misa lining up 2nd. line center behind him.

Be interesting to see that team in 4 years.

 

[VanW27]

I'm not really worried about Vegas and their feelings tbh. They were gifted a team that were competing from the get-go and won their Cup pretty damn early. Let them wallow in some misery for awhile.

To be fair, most of that gift came from the incompetence of other teams. Look at their first year roster, all their best players were from teams who said, take player X (stud) and leave us player Y (fringe NHLer) and we will also give you picks/prospects.

CBJ gave VGK a 1st and a 2nd to get them to take William Karlsson, who scored 43 Goals the next season and has been a staple two way force for their entire existence.

Florida gave them Rielly Smith so they would take Marcessault instead Alex Petrovic. They got 2 top line players to not take a 7D who was out of the league 2 years later.

 

[Blanka]

To be fair, most of that gift came from the incompetence of other teams. Look at their first year roster, all their best players were from teams who said, take player X (stud) and leave us player Y (fringe NHLer) and we will also give you picks/prospects.

CBJ gave VGK a 1st and a 2nd to get them to take William Karlsson, who scored 43 Goals the next season and has been a staple two way force for their entire existence.

Florida gave them Rielly Smith so they would take Marcessault instead Alex Petrovic. They got 2 top line players to not take a 7D who was out of the league 2 years later.

They were given far more than any other expansion franchise prior to their existence. I'm sure previous expansion clubs would have loved to have had access to a similar player pool. But I'll concede that incompetence and timing played somewhat of a part in their success. I still don't like the fact that they've achieved that level of success so quickly though (gambling capital of the world anyone?).

 

[VanW27]

They were given far more than any other expansion franchise prior to their existence. I'm sure previous expansion clubs would have loved to have had access to a similar player pool. But I'll concede that incompetence and timing played somewhat of a part in their success. I still don't like the fact that they've achieved that level of success so quickly though (gambling capital of the world anyone?).

Nah, it didn't just play a part, it was the entire key to their success. If every team did nothing and just let Vegas pick whoever was on their exposed list they would have been a middling team the same way Seattle is.

Instead, not only did they get far better players, but they also horded a bunch of draft picks and prospects.

 

[MSZ]

They were given far more than any other expansion franchise prior to their existence. I'm sure previous expansion clubs would have loved to have had access to a similar player pool. But I'll concede that incompetence and timing played somewhat of a part in their success. I still don't like the fact that they've achieved that level of success so quickly though (gambling capital of the world anyone?).

Some GMs were just dumb. Remember which players Dubas protected when Seattle had their expansion draft?

 

[Jojalu]

Wow.

Team US average age is 24.1 in the Worlds.

That is super young for this tournament

 

[Jojalu]

Some GMs were just dumb. Remember which players Dubas protected when Seattle had their expansion draft?

The only real dumb player protected was Holl. But that was only revealed in hindsight.

They had no RHD at the time, but there was no need to protect him.

 

[cyris]

The only real dumb player protected was Holl. But that was only revealed in hindsight.

They had no RHD at the time, but there was no need to protect him.

I disagree with a lot of what Dubas did here. Including protecting Holl in the expansion draft.
But overall it was smart move acquiring McCann even if it was just to expose him. We were going into the draft looking at losing either our #4D or #3C and for the cost of only a busted prospect and a 7th we got out of it. We didn’t really even have the cap space to keep all 3.
I wish they had just exposed Holl or Seattle had taken Kerfoot but that isn’t what happened. But that doesn’t change that overall it was still a very smart move and got us through both expansion drafts pretty much for free.

 

[1specter]

The only real dumb player protected was Holl. But that was only revealed in hindsight.

They had no RHD at the time, but there was no need to protect him.

Is it really hindsight though? At the time a lot of people went 'Wtf' given that he had just traded assets to acquire McCann and it was heavily criticized, and rightfully so. The funniest though was reading copium from his supporters who said how that trade was done to protect Kerfoot

 

[1specter]

I disagree with a lot of what Dubas did here. Including protecting Holl in the expansion draft.
But overall it was smart move acquiring McCann even if it was just to expose him. We were going into the draft looking at losing either our #4D or #3C and for the cost of only a busted prospect and a 7th we got out of it. We didn’t really even have the cap space to keep all 3.
I wish they had just exposed Holl or Seattle had taken Kerfoot but that isn’t what happened. But that doesn’t change that overall it was still a very smart move and got us through both expansion drafts pretty much for free.

Kerfoot was never really our 3C though. People kept trying to say he was one, but ultimately he was a weird 'jack of all trades but master of none' insignificant player who didn't add much outside of PKing ability and some occasional regular season scoring. He ended up playing on the wing way more than he ever played C. He's as much of a centre as McCann.

 

[Jojalu]

Is it really hindsight though? At the time a lot of people went 'Wtf' given that he had just traded assets to acquire McCann and it was heavily criticized, and rightfully so. The funniest though was reading copium from his supporters who said how that trade was done to protect Kerfoot

McCann really was nothing special before he got to Seattle.

I liked him in Vancouver but it seemed like he was destined to be a 3rd line C.

 

[1specter]

McCann really was nothing special before he got to Seattle.

I liked him in Vancouver but it seemed like he was destined to be a 3rd line C.

McCann was just coming off his best statistical season where he was pacing for 25+ goals and 60+ pts, and there were some underlying numbers that pointed to him potentially breaking out. He was also only 25 at the time and just beginning to enter into his prime. The whole sequence of events was bizarre at the time and it's aged extremely poorly now.

Also, while we're on the topic of Dubas f*** ups, another one was getting Evan Rodrigues back in the Kapanen trade, but being too cheap to come to terms on a deal and not qualifying him, only for him to go back to Pittsburgh for 1M where he remained a productive player. A local boy as well and plays with some jam and good defensively, would've been great depth to have.

 

[cyris]

Kerfoot was never really our 3C though. People kept trying to say he was one, but ultimately he was a weird 'jack of all trades but master of none' insignificant player who didn't add much outside of PKing ability and some occasional regular season scoring. He ended up playing on the wing way more than he ever played C. He's as much of a centre as McCann.

The point was more that they went from about to lose a player they valued and had no replacement for and managed to find a way to keep both of them for a 7th and a prospect they didn’t see the upside in.

I would have preferred to keep McCann obviously but overall is was still a very smart move.

 

[Menzinger]

Worth noting that if Holl got taken at that expansion draft, an even less developed Lily would have been relied in for a top 4 role.

Losing McCann is definitely regrettable but an acceptable alternative course of action is murkier than folks likely want to admit

 

[cyris]

Worth noting that if Holl got taken at that expansion draft, an even less developed Lily would have been relied in for a top 4 role.

Losing McCann is definitely regrettable but an acceptable alternative course of action is murkier than folks likely want to admit

I do think Seattle would have taken Holl. Their head coach in their first season was the Leafs defensive coach the previous season.
It also probably says a lot about Kerfoot that he would know him that well and chose McCann over him.

 

[wingman75]

Pietrangelo was awful in particular last night. We think Rielly struggles defensively...

One of the worst performances I have seen in some time. He had zero intensity. Didn't look like his head was in it either.

 

[wingman75]

Dallas got their split. Giving it a go, but their job is technically done.
Hellebuyck looks sharp. That should be concerning for the Stars.
The good news for them though is that he has yet to prove himself on the road.

I'm not pulling for any team in the west, but an Oilers v Jets west final is appealing!

 

[MSZ]

Great chance for Vegas to make a comeback.

 

[Jojalu]

Great chance for Vegas to make a comeback.

I doubt it.

Oilers are vastly under rated in Leaf land

 

[Seath The Scaleless]

Great chance for Vegas to make a comeback.

Not with their own goalie playing dodgeball

 

[Buds17]

Great chance for Vegas to make a comeback.

They'll need to be road warriors for a bit in order to do it.

 

[Nineteen67]

Dallas got their split. Giving it a go, but their job is technically done.
Hellebuyck looks sharp. That should be concerning for the Stars.
The good news for them though is that he has yet to prove himself on the road.

I'm not pulling for any team in the west, but an Oilers v Jets west final is appealing!

Yep. Looks like it might be all Yankee in the West and all Southern in the East.

 

[Jojalu]

What a pass