Around The League Thread | Let the Games Begin

[SelltheTeamFrancesco]

https://www.tsn.ca/pwhl/pwhl-to-add-two-more-teams-for-2025-26-season-1.2197239

Pretty happy the league is having success, watched some of the playoffs. Games were fun to watch. To do it on your own, without the help of the NHL pretty impressive.

 

[Vector]

Someone is getting paid. Since this is weeks, its
gotta be Shesterkin.

 

[maroon 6]

I know our Elias is struggling but Boston’s Elias has gone 7 straight games without a point. Has a minus 6 in those 7 games.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

I know our Elias is struggling but Boston’s Elias has gone 7 straight games without a point. Has a minus 6 in those 7 games.

I always felt that if we signed him ,he would potentially be the next Louie Eriksson.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

I know our Elias is struggling but Boston’s Elias has gone 7 straight games without a point. Has a minus 6 in those 7 games.

I was glad that we passed on him. I wanted Zadarov back but Elias was always going to be a poor contract imo.

 

[Bgav]

Lindholm contract looking like straight ASS lol

 

[Peen]

I was glad that we passed on him. I wanted Zadarov back but Elias was always going to be a poor contract imo.

The idea of signing either to the deals they got is disgusting but I think I’d rather have Zadorov’s ticket than Lindholm’s. There was zero offense there and to me, the downgrade to Blueger given the salary was about as obvious a choice as you could ever make.

 

[Nick Lang]

Honestly, I'm hoping our guys can rest vs play this thing. Demko missing too many games, hopefully doesn't get asked. I figure Quinn is getting asked. As a C, Miller probably passed over, but would get asked to play wing. Boeser, think he doesn't get an invite. Then there is Petey.

Ideally, prefer our trio to get a break than play this meaningless thing.

It's going to be utterly boring. 4 team tourney at the top level. lol

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

I always felt that if we signed him ,he would potentially be the next Louie Eriksson.

At least their Elias put up some points for a half dozen games or so. I don’t think Eriksson ever looked any good for us. He scored on his own net in his first game, and it was all somehow downhill from there.

 

[sandwichbird2023]

Huge night for Montour. When was the last time a defenseman scored a hat trick?

 

[StreetHawk]

It's going to be utterly boring. 4 team tourney at the top level. lol

No history to this and not like this is the beginning of a locked in tournament moving forward.

 

[Deeds26]

Huge night for Montour. When was the last time a defenseman scored a hat trick?

Like 8 months ago, February 2024, Mackenzie Weegar had it.

Sorry, Makar did it a few weeks later then that in March.

 

[sandwichbird2023]

Like 8 months ago, February 2024, Mackenzie Weegar had it.

Sorry, Makar did it a few weeks later then that in March.

It's not as rare as I had thought! Thanks for the info.

 

[Horvat1C]

Nurse for Team Canada is disgusting on the surface but Canada doesn't have an incredible amount of depth on defense. We have Makar and then a bunch of average relative to best-on-best standards. If Toews is penciled in with Makar and Morrissey is next on LHD, who do you take out of Nurse, Rielly, Chabot, Pelech, Harley or Theodore? It'll probably need to be someone who can PK and potentially babysit Bouchard defensively. Or maybe Pietrangelo plays the off side?

Friedman mentioned Tom Wilson and someone else mentioned Lowry for Canada as well. What C/RW's do either of those guys displace out of MacKinnon, Suzuki, Point, Barzal, Reinhart, Marner, Johnston, Thomas, Stone, Scheifele, Bedard, Hyman?

 

[MS]

Nurse for Team Canada is disgusting on the surface but Canada doesn't have an incredible amount of depth on defense. We have Makar and then a bunch of average relative to best-on-best standards. If Toews is penciled in with Makar and Morrissey is next on LHD, who do you take out of Nurse, Rielly, Chabot, Pelech, Harley or Theodore? It'll probably need to be someone who can PK and potentially babysit Bouchard defensively. Or maybe Pietrangelo plays the off side?

Friedman mentioned Tom Wilson and someone else mentioned Lowry for Canada as well. What C/RW's do either of those guys displace out of MacKinnon, Suzuki, Point, Barzal, Reinhart, Marner, Johnston, Thomas, Stone, Scheifele, Bedard, Hyman?

Nurse shouldn't be in the top 20 guys mentioned for Team Canada and the only way he is even being discussed is because this tournament is the Connor McDavid Show and Hockey Canada will basically do whatever he wants to appease him, and if he wants his close friends filling up the roster ... that's what will happen.

 

[Horvat1C]

Nurse shouldn't be in the top 20 guys mentioned for Team Canada and the only way he is even being discussed is because this tournament is the Connor McDavid Show and Hockey Canada will basically do whatever he wants to appease him, and if he wants his close friends filling up the roster ... that's what will happen.

Hyman should be a lock for the team and it's possible Nugent-Hopkins makes the team as well given our lack of left-handed forwards, his established chemistry with McDavid and his special teams utility. It'll be interesting to see if Bouchard makes the team because if he does he should be stapled to McDavid at 5-on-5. We could a 5 man unit of Marchand-Crosby-MacKinnon-Toews-Makar and follow it up with a unit that maximizes McDavid. Leaves strong names like Point, Reinhart, Suzuki, etc. in the bottom-6 to maximize depth. Finding a partner for Bouchard is tricky though and we don't have anyone as good as Ekholm in that sense.

If Nurse was halfway decent he could've slept his way into being a small part of a Team Canada starting 5, but instead he's replacement level.

 

[Quinton Byfield]

I was glad that we passed on him. I wanted Zadarov back but Elias was always going to be a poor contract imo.

I don’t think we passed on him as much as he passed on us. Friedman reported our offer was 7x7. What a massive blunder that would have been.

And yet you had some very “smart” posters clamouring for his re-signing.

Never been happier to see Boston looking done, and saddled with some anchor contracts.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

I don’t think we passed on him as much as he passed on us. Friedman reported our offer was 7x7. What a massive blunder that would have been.

And yet you had some very “smart” posters clamouring for his re-signing.

Never been happier to see Boston looking done, and saddled with some anchor contracts.

Very True. It’s rare that Boston makes these kind of bad signings. Looks like management is getting desperate to try to open a window that has already closed. Hopefully we see a few more bad moves like this.

 

[F A N]

Very True. It’s rare that Boston makes these kind of bad signings. Looks like management is getting desperate to try to open a window that has already closed. Hopefully we see a few more bad moves like this.

Oddly we've been interested in the same players for quite some time. We just usually pick up their castoffs to our detriment.

 

[tantalum]

I must say I have zero excitement for this 4 nations cup thing. With how integrated hockey is now with essentially free movement of players it won't be anything like the Canada Cup.

I will do the same thing that week that I normally do for all-star weekend....not watch.

I just hope no canucks get hurt.

 

[Bgav]

Mcdavid out a few weeks, probably misses the Canucks Coilers game

 

[Bojack Horvatman]

Nurse shouldn't be in the top 20 guys mentioned for Team Canada and the only way he is even being discussed is because this tournament is the Connor McDavid Show and Hockey Canada will basically do whatever he wants to appease him, and if he wants his close friends filling up the roster ... that's what will happen.

I don’t really care about the 4 Nations because it’s a glorified all star game, but for the Olympics they have to tell him to f*** off at anything more than Hyman and/or RNH being Chris Kunitz.

I also find it funny that the appease Mcdavid strategy practically cost them their window this year. Between the Nurse overpayment and Brown bonus carryover (that he never should have gotten coming off an ACL tear), they would have been able to keep all of Halloway, Broberg, and McLeod.

 

[SeawaterOnIce]

I must say I have zero excitement for this 4 nations cup thing. With how integrated hockey is now with essentially free movement of players it won't be anything like the Canada Cup.

I will do the same thing that week that I normally do for all-star weekend....not watch.

I just hope no canucks get hurt.

The greedy owners want to have a gimmicky tournament to pocket all the profits instead of forking over their assets to the IOC for 2 weeks every 4 years for a more prestigious tournament.


I can get the logic of wanting this lame mid-season exhibition tournament that means nothing but it's stupid because they had a decent formula for hosting the "World Cup of Hockey" in August/September (1996 and 2004). 2016 felt way more gimmicky with the U23 NA team and team Europe but I would probably be more inclined to tune into a similar tournament in Aug/Sept. You could even run with a scenario where you start the NHL pre-season while the tournament is happening since most NHL squads ice their AHLers/prospects the first few pre-season games.

 

[Baby Pettersson]

Looking at the Oilers lineup right now is laughably bad. Like lottery level bad. I dunno I just don't see the hype with them.

 

[arttk]

Looking at the Oilers lineup right now is laughably bad. Like lottery level bad. I dunno I just don't see the hype with them.

we'll find out if they are really just a one person team.