Around the League - Offseason Edition

[mjd1001]

The truth that no one wants to say out loud is that Tampa shouldn't resign Stamkos. That team isn't close to winning at this point, and whether it's today or two years from now, they will need to move on from Stamkos, Hedman, Kucherov and Vasi. The correct organizational move would be to do it now, while those players still have value that can bring back assets. Resigning Stamkos for the sake of saying that he spent his entire career with one team is foolish.

I agree for the most part.

An aging guy on an aging team will have more value as a free-agent/hired gun on the open market than the value he will bring to his current team.

-Tampa is aging. Stamkos will be 34 when his next contract starts. What makes SENSE is to start the season with no deal, see if his production stays up, and how good the team is. If he shows Zero signs of any production decrease AND the team is a top 5 team in the league, then sure, pay him and give him 3-4 years to keep things together.

ANYTHING other than that...any signs he is slowing even a bit...any signs the team needs re-tooling, and there is no way I want to give him even a 3 year deal that takes him to age 38. So I guess the question is, what does he want? If he is wanting $8m+ per year and 3-4 years (or more), no way Tampa should do that. Its now what he has done in the past or even is going to do this year, it is what he will do when under his next contract.

 

[Leaf Rocket]

Nikita Zadorov explains decision to speak out against invasion of Ukraine | TSN

Calgary Flames defenceman Nikita Zadorov knows he likely can’t go back home to Russia anytime soon. The 28-year-old blueliner, who was born in Moscow and has represented Russia internationally in the past, is the only NHLer to publicly speak out against the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

www.tsn.ca

This is quite impressive and very brave of him.

 

[Legion34]

Pointless indeed.

"Hey ref, why'd you miss that call"

"Cause I didn't see it, sorry"


....

What exactly is supposed to come out of that? Refs basically have plausible deniability for every bad and missed call .

What about what they do call?

 

[weems]

Highlights from the LA VS ARZ preseason game in Australia.

Watch Cooleys goal at 4:51

 

[Burnie97]

Highlights from the LA VS ARZ preseason game in Australia.

Watch Cooleys goal at 4:51

Nice goal but lucky be didn't get decked.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Imagine if Montreal hadn't fumbled the bag so hard on their rebuild. We could be looking at facing Cooley and Michkov in division for the next decade. Instead they get Slaf and Reinbacher. That is a tough look.

 

[TheDoldrums]

Imagine if Montreal hadn't fumbled the bag so hard on their rebuild. We could be looking at facing Cooley and Michkov in division for the next decade. Instead they get Slaf and Reinbacher. That is a tough look.

When we had top 10 picks we end up with Rielly, Nylander, Marner, Matthews...they get Galchenyuk, Kotkaniemi, Slafkovsky, Reinbacher.

Cooley and Michkov are both going to be superstars too. You hate to see it...but more than that, you love to see it.

 

[ULF_55]

Nice goal but lucky be didn't get decked.

He will ... players / teams around the league will take note.
As much as Bettman would like it to be, it isn't college hockey yet.

 

[Stephen]

Thx for sharing that article very nice. Now Jon come coach the Leafs.

I put Jon Cooper coaching the Leafs as greater than 0% in the medium future. You start talking about the Leafs next thing you know there’s a public flirtation. You get in your head the idea what if you accomplished what you did with Tampa but on a Toronto stage. Tampa hits a bumpy patch and all bets are off.

 

[Stephen]

I think Brisebois is hitting his Jerry Krause curve. Like it was great winning back to back but what if he could architect a cup champion from scratch without Yzerman fingerprints all over?

 

[BallardEra]

 

[Menzinger]

 

[MCR74]

Nice. I'm sure all of Arizona's 4000 fans in attendance will love this.

 

[uncleben]

I mean I get it.

Doesn't matter how good I was or how well paid I was, I know I'd hate the attention lol

 

[Legion34]

Remember when all the fans decided that the media, fan base and pressure had nothing to do with player performance or wanting to sign here?

 

[Menzinger]

I mean I get it.

Doesn't matter how good I was or how well paid I was, I know I'd hate the attention lol

Honestly this, and what ROR ended up doing this summer (plus Johnny Hockey for that matter) Is a good reminder that not everybody is suited to playing in a high pressure Canadian market. And I imo we should be less about moving on from star players who show that they can handle the pressure.

 

[Martin Skoula]

I put Jon Cooper coaching the Leafs as greater than 0% in the medium future. You start talking about the Leafs next thing you know there’s a public flirtation. You get in your head the idea what if you accomplished what you did with Tampa but on a Toronto stage. Tampa hits a bumpy patch and all bets are off.

Cooper is another Babcock (minus the wannabe Bowman stuff) imo, the team’s performance is 95% Vasi, Hedman, Kuch/Point being healthy, 4.5% a pair of random 3rd liners getting red hot for a month, and 0.5% Cooper’s mind games and Xs and Os.

Will be interesting to see what he can accomplish with a rested team with a thinner F + D and more human looking Vasi than their championship group.

 

[ULF_55]

Nikita Zadorov explains decision to speak out against invasion of Ukraine | TSN

Calgary Flames defenceman Nikita Zadorov knows he likely can’t go back home to Russia anytime soon. The 28-year-old blueliner, who was born in Moscow and has represented Russia internationally in the past, is the only NHLer to publicly speak out against the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

www.tsn.ca

This is quite impressive and very brave of him.

We recall the "Russian Mob" stories of the past ... in hindsight perhaps things haven't changed, just openly sanctioned today.

Zadorov will be UFA end of season, and has connection to Treliving, and Leafs will have 3 UFA on the defense end of season.

 

[Chief Leaf]

We recall the "Russian Mob" stories of the past ... in hindsight perhaps things haven't changed, just openly sanctioned today.

Zadorov will be UFA end of season, and has connection to Treliving, and Leafs will have 3 UFA on the defense end of season.

In that Interview Big Z also said he likes where he lives and has a home in Florida. My point is,...I would love Big Z to be a Leaf playing for our team and I don't want him getting any ideas of playing for the panthers or any other team for that matter. This guy would add a whole lot of dimensions our team craves (especially on the backend) so...Trev should act sooner rather than later and offer something to Calgary that they can't refuse.

I'd go as far as offering them, Benoit, Jarnkrock and our 2024 first.

 

[Leaf Rocket]

Similarly, Kadri was the exact opposite but yea it makes sense tbh. Some people thrive off the limelight and it fuels them some are just hey let me do my own thing.

 

[SprDaVE]

It's wild to me that the Ducks still haven't re-signed both Zegras and Drysdale. They have 16M of cap space... why are you penny pinching your young players?

 

[Menzinger]

It's wild to me that the Ducks still haven't re-signed both Zegras and Drysdale. They have 16M of cap space... why are you penny pinching your young players?

Cheap owners?

 

[hockeywiz542]

 

[CDN24]

He can do double duty on the medical staff too.

 

[justashadowof]

Similarly, Kadri was the exact opposite but yea it makes sense tbh. Some people thrive off the limelight and it fuels them some are just hey let me do my own thing.

Not a surprise at all. Nazem Kadri is loyal by nature. When he was drafted by the Leafs, he was a confessed Canadiens' fan and was visibly disappointed going to their rival. In time, the thought of leaving Toronto was heartbreaking for him. Pro teams win championships with characters who play for the team not themselves. Say what you will about his playoff suspensions, those incidents were never selfish as many idiots have suggested, they were rash yet selfless. He put his physical well-being on the line for his team and teammates. The people who lobbied for and celebrated his departure don't understand competitive sport.