Around the League | No lead is safe in Round 2!

[rea]

You sometimes see a team that played an emotional Game 7 come in and truck the team that’s been rested for a while - think that happened here as the Bruins crushed the Panthers.

Hopefully the Cats can regroup and bounce back.

Or they can burn through, and set up a much needed rematch w this team so we can right the wrongs of the past

 

[valkynax]

PLD didn't think he would get called out in Los Angeles because it's not a 'hockey hotbed'. But he was constantly been called out by fans, media about his lack of effort.

If he can pull his head out of his own ass, get some holy water to exorcise the devil spirit of Alex Daigle in him, and become a decent player, I'm 100% for it. Just like Evander Kane and Corey Perry who turned their careers around, it will make for an inspiring story of redemption for all who may tumble down the same path.

But after many trades and teams, will this season be the actual awakening for him?

 

[deadinthewater992]

Bruins winning this game just goes to show you that anything can happen in the playoffs, despite "experts" and their predictions. Gives me more hope for the Canucks.

 

[EpochLink]

If he can pull his head out of his own ass, get some holy water to exorcise the devil spirit of Alex Daigle in him, and become a decent player, I'm 100% for it. Just like Evander Kane and Corey Perry who turned their careers around, it will make for an inspiring story of redemption for all who may tumble down the same path.

But after many trades and teams, will this season be the actual awakening for him?

It better, he's been nothing more than a 60 point player with issues.

 

[valkynax]

It better, he's been nothing more than a 60 point player with issues.

At this point, if he can become a consistent 60-70 points player who's reliable on defense, that's probably as much as anyone can hope for. And he can't even do that right now - a single goal in all playoff games this year, and a measly 40 pts in regular season is pitiful. If he was paid 4-5 mil, OK that's not bad, but it's nothing close to 8.5 mil's value.

 

[AzNightmare]

Too bad it's not real and just edited with AI.

 

[Egghead1999]

Got a link? I missed it

when a reporter asked him about staying in TOR after next season
Maple Leafs' Mitch Marner, John Tavares express interest in extending as contract years loom | TSN

 

[lawrence]

Bruins lucked out on their 3 goals on 3 straight shots. Other then that the game is closer than the score indicates.

Looks like Green has the job in Ottawa:

Re-united with Hamonic!

I’m happy for him. Hope it works out. I have no ill fate towards him like I do with tortz or Keenan.

 

[Egghead1999]

I think any GM that asks ownership to buyout a giant ass contract one year after spending so much asset to acquire that player will automatically get fired.
He had to eat that contract if he wants to keep his job,

I heard that PLD's buyout depends on the SCF, something to do with his age and DOB. If SCF goes long, buying him out will be costly or something like that.

 

[Petey But Really Jim]

I heard that PLD's buyout depends on the SCF, something to do with his age and DOB. If SCF goes long, buying him out will be costly or something like that.

Blake says no buyout. You are correct about the date of finals affecting PLD buyout scenarios though.

 

[StreetHawk]

I heard that PLD's buyout depends on the SCF, something to do with his age and DOB. If SCF goes long, buying him out will be costly or something like that.

That's on the basis that there isn't a cutoff date, similar to how it is for players hitting UFA or age at signing for ELC. Which is something Friedman brought up.
That should be spelled out in the CBA, but I guess PLD is someone with a late June birthday so the wording in the CBA is key.
Like if you are someone who turns 27 in July to Mid Sept, if you don't accrue enough NHL seasons you won't be UFA until the year you turn 28, while someone born in June with the same accrued seasons as you will be UFA in the year they turn 27. Signing your ELC, they don't base it on the age of the date you sign, but view it as the age you turn on Sept 15. So, a NCAA senior who has a June birthday signs after their season, is 21 at the date of signing, but since it goes by the date they are in September, he would be deemed 22, thus only require a 2 year ELC, vs a 3 year ELC.

 

[vanuck]

How many of those guys broke out after leaving Toronto? Guys like Verheaghe/Marchment didn't play on the Leafs.

The Leafs were actually in the middle of a tank/rebuild at the time they flushed away guys like Verhaeghe... hence why I don't understand why they needed to make this move. It's weird. Marchment OTOH was in their system for a few years but never got much of a look.

Don’t forget about that time they exposed Jared McCann to ensure Seattle couldn’t take Justin Holl. Brazeau and Amadio look like pretty good bottom 6ers. This one isn’t entirely fair, but I do find it pretty funny that they drafted Joshua.

Lol Joshua is actually pretty funny, though I wonder why they just gave him to STL for "future considerations". Exposing McCann to protect Holl was definitely questionable.

The real issue with Toronto is none of their GMs found the right mix of guys to play behind the core players, or the right coach to develop those guys into players (some of our best depth acquisitions have been Leafs castoffs on the cheap, which is a big slight to their development department). With the cap space they had the last couple of years, that shouldn't have been a real issue with astute scouting & proper internal evaluation.

Its really not all that different than Vancouver before this season with Petey, Miller, Demko and Hughes, or the Sedins era prior to Gillis. People overlook the bottom half of the roster too often, but its where the best GMs stand out from the rest. Getting Higgins, Raymond, Samuelson, Wellwood, Malhotra, Torres, Ehrhoff, Hamhuis, etc. at reasonable prices is what allowed us to go from out of the playoffs under Nonis to perennial contenders.

Tavares accelerated that team's timeline in the same way Mats Sundin did for us way back. While his cap hit was big, there was no reason they couldn't have built out a better bottom 6 forwards group or bottom 3 defense.

Yeah I don't doubt there could've been a world where they signed Tavares and were still able to build a strong enough supporting cast to go deep in the playoffs, IMO their current cap allocation just made it a bit harder (not impossible). I just don't think that their pro scouting/evaluations post-Tavares were anywhere near good enough to make up for it. When you go out and pay guys like Reaves and Klingberg thinking they're the solution to your problems, it doesn't matter who's leading the charge.

 

[vanuck]

Seeing Brazeau work the corners and skate like that makes me sad MacEwen couldn't put it together.

Had he not run into Travis Green, he could've very well put together a decent career as a bottom6 guy with some offensive potential.

RIP Ottawa indeed. Sheesh.

 

[Vector]

Blues are keeping Drew Bannister as their head coach.

 

[Vector]

Head coaching spots.

Vacant:
Devils
Sharks
Kraken
Jets

Interim:
Kings

 

[Vector]

 

[Intangibos]

Honestly after the way Toronto fans behaved in 2011 it's so funny to watch them lose over and over to the Bruins. It's like their own little hell.

 

[SeawaterOnIce]

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

Honestly after the way Toronto fans behaved in 2011 it's so funny to watch them lose over and over to the Bruins. It's like their own little hell.

Ever see the TV show Lucifer? Their depiction of hell is a person being forced to relive the worst moments of their lives on infinite repeat. Sounds like TML have found theirs.

 

[Egghead1999]

Lol Joshua is actually pretty funny, though I wonder why they just gave him to STL for "future considerations". Exposing McCann to protect Holl was definitely questionable.

Holl is Dubas' guy, as you know, he looks after his guys.

 

[valkynax]

If they gonna go down this road, might as well hire Commando Dimbo as team president.

 

[Bourne Endeavor]

I like how New Jersey realized quickly Green sucks but Ottawa's like "He's cheap though!!!"

 

[Bubbles]

This makes the Canucks the only nhl team that has no dedicated practice facilities or plans to build one.

 

[valkynax]

I like how New Jersey realized quickly Green sucks but Ottawa's like "He's cheap though!!!"

Whoa, that reminds me, is OTT ownership one of those owners who's got the reputation to be a penny pinching cheap ass? I recall this being brought up before but I'm not sure if it was OTT.

 

[Vector]

Whoa, that reminds me, is OTT ownership one of those owners who's got the reputation to be a penny pinching cheap ass? I recall this being brought up before but I'm not sure if it was OTT.

They have a new owner.