Around the NHL 2023-24 - offseason part II

[Bleedred]

I don’t know what that guy is going on about but that’s Robert Duvall for sure.

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Robert Duvall makes me feel young.

Because he's been old as long as I can remember him, which was probably pretty early on in my life. And he's still alive today.

Clint Eastwood is another one. I think Robert Duvall looks better older than Clint does. Clint got kind of ugly as he got older, and it wasn't just because he got old. His looks just changed a whole lot.

 

[Bleedred]

I thought I saw somewhere that Utah did indeed bring back to the play by play guy from the Coyotes, unless I heard or read that wrong or just imagined that.

As bad as I felt for Tyson Nash on the Coyotes last broadcast and him half joking about maybe having to go do UberEats because he'll be unemployed tomorrow (the PBP guy was saying that also) he was pretty awful.

He did do a great job of being a company man. I can imagine how hilarious he would be if he was working for the Sharks or Ducks. Selling everyone on how great Blackwood/Vanecek/John Gibson is.

The Dylan Guenther talk reminded me of him because I felt like he really got going whenever Guenther would score a goal lol.

 

[My3Sons]

Robert Duvall makes me feel young.

Because he's been old as long as I can remember him, which was probably pretty early on in my life. And he's still alive today.

Clint Eastwood is another one. I think Robert Duvall looks better older than Clint does. Clint got kind of ugly as he got older, and it wasn't just because he got old. His looks just changed a whole lot.

That’s like how those old timey movies from World War 1 make me feel young because I used to watch them when I was in thr movie theatre for the news reel and we’d go to Coney Island for a nickel hotdog in our horse drawn carriage.

 

[Patrik26]

Penguins-Bruins pre-season tonight. Not the Devils, but it IS hockey AND ...... Lindy Ruff!

 

[My3Sons]

Penguins-Bruins pre-season tonight. Not the Devils, but it IS hockey AND ...... Lindy Ruff!

Buffalo is killing PIT and Peterka has a hat trick in thr second period

 

[JrFischer54]

I would do 6 divisions of 6 teams...
6 games vs our division(30 games)
3 games vs the other 12 eastern conference teams(36 games)

That gives you 66 games with 16 left to hit 82 games.

There will be 16 western conference opponents so 8 will visit the Devils and the Devils will visit 8 on the road in say 2024-25 and the next season 2025-26 the teams alternate visiting/hosting.

That way you get to play everyone at least 1x a season and you will never go longer than 2 seasons without a team visiting you.

This format also increases the importance of divisional games and other waste r conference games. For the other eastern conference games you also have the Devils host 2 times and visit 1x and then switches the next season as well.

That’s better for sure. Would really hope the nhl could make their schedule layout better. Like wrap up all out of conference games by say Feb 1. Out of division by March 1. Then all divisional play for final couple weeks or even sooner then that. Give teams a chance to make a run in the standings

 

[Goptor]

Buffalo is killing PIT and Peterka has a hat trick in thr second period

Its preseason.

Pit is dressing a mix of AHL and ECHL players while Buf is dressing nearly full NHL lineup.

 

[Bleedred]

I can’t stop giggling at the ESPN app listing Utah as just Hockey Club

Seeing

Blues
Hockey Club

Written out like that just makes me laugh a little too much. At least the NHL app calls them Utah Hockey Club.

 

[MadDevil]

I can’t stop giggling at the ESPN app listing Utah as just Hockey Club

Seeing

Blues
Hockey Club

Written out like that just makes me laugh a little too much. At least the NHL app calls them Utah Hockey Club.

I wonder if HC Bench takes over if Tourigny gets fired?

 

[dzubrus8]

Assuming you get to protect six forwards not on ELCs it's pretty easy. J. Hughes, J. Bratt. T. Meier, N. Hischier, D. Mercer, and Cotter (at that price he is a steal). I don't see any team taking Palat, Haula (despite the drink stirring), or anyone else with a contract lasting longer than this season. On defense assuming you can protect three in addition to ELCs you'd have L. Hughes, D. Hamilton, and B. Pesce. I guess you lose one of Siegenthaler or Dillon? My guess would be a team would take Siegenthaler since he isn't expensive and has some term left.

Expansion draft wouldn’t happen for at least 2-3 years given previous timelines for expansion. I’m thinking protect Hischier Hughes Meier Bratt Mercer Gritsyuk (hopeful) and I imagine by then there’s a new forward worth protecting. I don’t think anybody meaningful would be unprotected there. On defense it’s tougher you’re probably exposing one or both of Hamilton and Pesce to protect Hughes Nemec and possibly Siegs given age

 

[dzubrus8]

That’s better for sure. Would really hope the nhl could make their schedule layout better. Like wrap up all out of conference games by say Feb 1. Out of division by March 1. Then all divisional play for final couple weeks or even sooner then that. Give teams a chance to make a run in the standings

I love thinking about expansion. 6x6 feels right. They can probably get rid of these divisional playoff matchups which lead to huge disparity in the first and even second round.

Each division 5x (30 games)
Rest of conference 3x (36 games)
Out of conference 1x (18 games)

Make the regular season 84 - I don’t like extending the season because I love stats and this ruins it but 82 is by no means a sacred number and 2 games on 82 barely moves the needle.

Let’s say expansion ends up being Quebec, Atlanta, Houston, and Phoenix

Atlantic: NJ, NYR, NYI, PHI, PIT, CBJ
Southeast: CAR, ATL, FLA, TBL, WAS, NSH
Northeast: BOS, BUF, QBC, MTL, TOR, OTT

Central: STL, CHI, MIN, DET, WIN, COL
Southwest: PHX, DAL, HOU, LAK, ANA, VEG
Northwest: CGY, VAN, SEA, UTA, EDM, SJS

I wish I could’ve fit Colorado and Utah in the same division but it was too tricky. Also weird that San Jose is not in the division with the rest of California but given it’s a 6 hour drive away I think it’s reasonable.

 

[Satans Hockey]

I love thinking about expansion. 6x6 feels right. They can probably get rid of these divisional playoff matchups which lead to huge disparity in the first and even second round.

Each division 5x (30 games)
Rest of conference 3x (36 games)
Out of conference 1x (18 games)

Make the regular season 84 - I don’t like extending the season because I love stats and this ruins it but 82 is by no means a sacred number and 2 games on 82 barely moves the needle.

Let’s say expansion ends up being Quebec, Atlanta, Houston, and Phoenix

Atlantic: NJ, NYR, NYI, PHI, PIT, CBJ
Southeast: CAR, ATL, FLA, TBL, WAS, NSH
Northeast: BOS, BUF, QBC, MTL, TOR, OTT

Central: STL, CHI, MIN, DET, WIN, COL
Southwest: PHX, DAL, HOU, LAK, ANA, VEG
Northwest: CGY, VAN, SEA, UTA, EDM, SJS

I wish I could’ve fit Colorado and Utah in the same division but it was too tricky. Also weird that San Jose is not in the division with the rest of California but given it’s a 6 hour drive away I think it’s reasonable.

I screwed up the math on mine and had 16 Western conference teams when it's 18 but yeah 84 games would be fine. There's already way too many pre-season games as it is so you just get rid of 2 of those.

For the divisional games it's 6 games vs each divisional rival not 5 but still adds up to 30 games.

Division wise I would do some things different. I'd have Washington and Columbus switch. Detroit is not going to go back to the Western conference and I don't think Quebec City is ever getting a team so Detroit also goes back into that division.

I don't know what the other possibilities are for the 35th and 36th team but if it's not Phoenix you can throw Nashville back in the Central and the Sharks back in the southwest and Colorado to the northeast.