Around the NHL 2024-2025

[PocketNines]

Other teams are making moves in the offseason. When I look at some of them I think, "that's interesting." Utah is a new team this year

 

[Frenzy31]

Not shocking, but disgusting none the less. Maybe both will get busted over their for something - be fitting to have them serve time in a Russian prison.

 

[Brian39]

Apparently he’s not the only one. Dillion Dubé also signed in the KHL.

Former NHLer charged in sexual assault case, Michael McLeod, signs to play in KHL – Sportsnet.ca

I’m no expert in Canadian law but I guess my assumption would be that if you did that in this country, turning in your passport would be part of any bail process? Idk. Seems odd they’re being allowed to leave the country. The article says the accused are set to return to court in August which is…like now.

Actually having to physically turn in your passport isn't a very common bail practice in the US. However, not leaving the state/country is a very common bond condition and it is pretty easy for law enforcement in your relevant jurisdiction to find out when you are using your passport to get to a different continent. There are definitely high profile and high level cases where forfeiting a passport is a bond condition, but it isn't the standard.

All that said, I'm not at all surprised that he is being allowed to leave. He turned himself in voluntarily and he has extremely clear evidence that he has been blackballed from his industry within North America. I'd wager his agent also got a couple 'thanks but we're not interested' emails from teams in other top European leagues and was able to make a very convincing argument that the KHL is the only place in the world where he can work in his industry (that has a very short career length).

Realistically, he is pretty damn unlikely not to return. I'm not an expert in Canadian law or the intricacies of the specific charge, but I believe that the maximum sentence he's facing is 14 years and I'd be extremely surprised if he got (and/or served) a number close to the max. He's more likely to get acquitted or probation than he is of serving 10+ years in prison. The math to leave your country (and family) behind forever isn't all that great.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

Vrana PTO with the Caps

 

[ChicagoBlues]

Vrana PTO with the Caps

Just saw that. Gross.

 

[Snubbed4Vezina]

Nothing spells success like going back to the place where your demons derailed your career!

 

[ChicagoBlues]

I will place a wager that Harley has been tendered at least one offer sheet, but hasn't signed. We'd never know if this has happened unless someone leaks the info.

--

I know Ceci is pronounced as "see-see", but it's probably "chechi" in Italian. Must've changed it, like Kyrou.

 

[Beauterham]

I know Ceci is pronounced as "see-see", but it's probably "chechi" in Italian. Must've changed it, like Kyrou.

I have the same with Bolduc. As a european that name seems very slavic. Too me it's weird that a name written like that is pronounced 'Bol-dook' instead of 'Bol-dootshj'.

And if we get even weirder, why is Byfuglien (Norwegian name?) pronounced as Buff-lin? Questions...

 

[Brian39]

I will place a wager that Harley has been tendered at least one offer sheet, but hasn't signed. We'd never know if this has happened unless someone leaks the info.

I'm sure teams have talked to his agent about the possibility, but I also wouldn't be surprised if those discussions never reached the point of a formal offer sheet being presented to him. Dallas isn't in the degree of cap hell Edmonton is so I think it would take a very sizeable AAV to get him out of Dallas. I could see interested teams ultimately deciding that the odds of actually landing him are too low to make it worth the eventual retaliation. He would 100% need to have an AAV high enough to send an unprotected 1st and that brings its own set of risks.

I'd love to know. I'd also love to see one the closer we get to camp. I'd love to see more and more offer sheets used in the NHL. And I'd love to see a division rival either lose a damn good young player or have to pay much more than hoped/expected to keep that player.

 

[joe galiba]

I have the same with Bolduc. As a european that name seems very slavic. Too me it's weird that a name written like that is pronounced 'Bol-dook' instead of 'Bol-dootshj'.

And if we get even weirder, why is Byfuglien (Norwegian name?) pronounced as Buff-lin? Questions...

I thought Byfuglien was pronounced Buh-fuggly

 

[mk80]

I'd love to know. I'd also love to see one the closer we get to camp. I'd love to see more and more offer sheets used in the NHL. And I'd love to see a division rival either lose a damn good young player or have to pay much more than hoped/expected to keep that player.

While I tend to agree with this, we should also be careful what we wish for.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

I have the same with Bolduc. As a european that name seems very slavic. Too me it's weird that a name written like that is pronounced 'Bol-dook' instead of 'Bol-dootshj'.

And if we get even weirder, why is Byfuglien (Norwegian name?) pronounced as Buff-lin? Questions...

I posted with some Canadian French speakers that I hear Boldjzook. Like they inflect the 'd' to make it sound like 'djz'. They told me I was flat out wrong and that I was just hearing things. Point being, we perceive the same thing in different ways.

--

I'll bet ya the Ceci family is from somewhere between Bologna and Venice.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

I'm sure teams have talked to his agent about the possibility, but I also wouldn't be surprised if those discussions never reached the point of a formal offer sheet being presented to him. Dallas isn't in the degree of cap hell Edmonton is so I think it would take a very sizeable AAV to get him out of Dallas. I could see interested teams ultimately deciding that the odds of actually landing him are too low to make it worth the eventual retaliation. He would 100% need to have an AAV high enough to send an unprotected 1st and that brings its own set of risks.

I'd love to know. I'd also love to see one the closer we get to camp. I'd love to see more and more offer sheets used in the NHL. And I'd love to see a division rival either lose a damn good young player or have to pay much more than hoped/expected to keep that player.

It's making me darned curious. You know I've been keeping close tabs on Dallas for a minute. It's been quiet af regarding Harley. The Dallas Stars are really keeping their lips tight on this and good on them for doing so.

I called a Harley holdout, but it could be that will be offered something Dallas can't handle. However, Harley won't go to a shitty team with the cap space to play with OS.

Dallas has enough to bridge him and take care other needs, but they don't have the enough to extend him at term & AAV (ala Guhle vicinity) AND also get done the other things they need to do. They have the money right now only because we took Faksa off their hands.

I posit that Harley does not want to be bridged, otherwise it's a no-brainer and should've been done by now.....if he wanted that. Apparently, he does not want a bridge. This is all making me wonder how Jim Nill won GM of the Year two times in a row. It is his hedging-style of management that has them in this pickle. They overachieved with a roster wrought with age disparity and now their new, young rock star D-man is hedging his own funds.

I know you guys hate this take on Dallas, but most of this is playing out.

It's like all Epiphonous and Angel Heart n stuff.

 

[Brian39]

It's making me darned curious. You know I've been keeping close tabs on Dallas for a minute. It's been quiet af regarding Harley. The Dallas Stars are really keeping their lips tight on this and good on them for doing so.

I called a Harley holdout, but it could be that will be offered something Dallas can't handle. However, Harley won't go to a shitty team with the cap space to play with OS.

No shitty team is offer sheeting him. No one wants to risk sending a lottery pick in an offer sheet. That's one of the reasons offer sheets are so rare. A team likely (or even just somewhat likely) to finish bottom 10 just absolutely can't send an unprotected 1st as part of an offer sheet.

Dallas has enough to bridge him and take care other needs, but they don't have the enough to extend him at term & AAV (ala Guhle vicinity) AND also get done the other things they need to do. They have the money right now only because we took Faksa off their hands.

I posit that Harley does not want to be bridged, otherwise it's a no-brainer and should've been done by now.....if he wanted that. Apparently, he does not want a bridge.

I think every guy like him would prefer the $60M+ bag to a bridge deal if they have their choice. But that doesn't mean that he's opposed to a bridge deal. You've talked about Seguin being physically broken in the past. It could be as simple as the team waiting for a late summer evaluation on something that could require surgery (like Kane in Edmonton). They very well could have two potential agreements: a bridge if Seguin is playing this year or the long term bag contract if he needs a surgery that lands him on LTIR for the whole year. Or it could be that both sides are fine with a bridge, but they are $2M apart on the dollars for that bridge.

This is all making me wonder how Jim Nill won GM of the Year two times in a row. It is his hedging-style of management that has them in this pickle. They overachieved with a roster wrought with age disparity and now their new, young rock star D-man is hedging his own funds.

I know you guys hate this take on Dallas, but most of this is playing out.

It's like all Epiphonous and Angel Heart n stuff.

We signed Kyrou to his bridge deal on August 3rd. We didn't get Thomas done on his until September 21. Not having a young RFA signed in August is pretty far from a disaster.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

No shitty team is offer sheeting him. No one wants to risk sending a lottery pick in an offer sheet. That's one of the reasons offer sheets are so rare. A team likely (or even just somewhat likely) to finish bottom 10 just absolutely can't send an unprotected 1st as part of an offer sheet.



I think every guy like him would prefer the $60M+ bag to a bridge deal if they have their choice. But that doesn't mean that he's opposed to a bridge deal. You've talked about Seguin being physically broken in the past. It could be as simple as the team waiting for a late summer evaluation on something that could require surgery (like Kane in Edmonton). They very well could have two potential agreements: a bridge if Seguin is playing this year or the long term bag contract if he needs a surgery that lands him on LTIR for the whole year. Or it could be that both sides are fine with a bridge, but they are $2M apart on the dollars for that bridge.


We signed Kyrou to his bridge deal on August 3rd. We didn't get Thomas done on his until September 21. Not having a young RFA signed in August is pretty far from a disaster.

Okay, but it would be much easier to understand your position if you left out all of that hyperbole. It’s very distracting from the quality of the post.

A shitty team throwing an OS at Harley and paying the draft capital for him is perfect. He’s a former first rounder who is developing extremely well.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

Okay, but it would be much easier to understand your position if you left out all of that hyperbole. It’s very distracting from the quality of the post.

A shitty team throwing an OS at Harley and paying the draft capital for him is perfect. He’s a former first rounder who is developing extremely well.

Disagree. Who wants to be the team that gives up chance at Hagens or McKenna? That is the concern. Anyone would likely be willing to give up 10th pick for Harley at this point, but what if that is 1OA? Risk is too high for bad team, as Brian said.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

Disagree. Who wants to be the team that gives up chance at Hagens or McKenna? That is the concern. Anyone would likely be willing to give up 10th pick for Harley at this point, but what if that is 1OA? Risk is too high for bad team, as Brian said.

But Harley is already shaping up to be an excellent #2 D. Defensive prospects can take a while to shine, if at all.

Having a much more developed and somewhat proven NHL D right now is worth it to me.

This is the same as our ideas we’ve discussed to get our #1D through a trade. A Harley-aged defenseman with some proof of concept and tons of upside.

I understand that many people here are more concerned about Hockey’s Future, but I’m sometimes more concerned with Hockey’s Now.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

But Harley is already shaping up to be an excellent #2 D. Defensive prospects can take a while to shine, if at all.

Having a much more developed and somewhat proven NHL D right now is worth it to me.

This is the same as our ideas we’ve discussed to get our #1D through a trade. A Harley-aged defenseman with some proof of concept and tons of upside.

Nobody is disputing that.

 

[Brockon]

I have the same with Bolduc. As a european that name seems very slavic. Too me it's weird that a name written like that is pronounced 'Bol-dook' instead of 'Bol-dootshj'.

And if we get even weirder, why is Byfuglien (Norwegian name?) pronounced as Buff-lin? Questions...

I posted with some Canadian French speakers that I hear Boldjzook. Like they inflect the 'd' to make it sound like 'djz'. They told me I was flat out wrong and that I was just hearing things. Point being, we perceive the same thing in different ways.

--

I'll bet ya the Ceci family is from somewhere between Bologna and Venice.

Zach Bolduc is from Trois-Rivières, Québec in Canada. The Québécois version of French is a slightly bastardized version of Parisian French - but its unquestionably a French name pronounced Bol-Duke or Bol-Dook phonetically depending on the regional inflection for the English accent speaker. It's not Slavic in the slightest.

If you're hearing something else, it's because the announcers are injecting something that doesn't belong in the proper pronunciation. I mean there are a number of broadcasters that trip up on Toropchenko stumbling over Tor-po-cheka in some of the broadcasts, Peter-Angelo rather than Pet-ran-gelo for Pietrangelo, Gud-row vs Good-ro for Johnny Gaudreau, PL Dub-wows vs PL Dew-bwo off the top of my head (the second PLD one is a bit more of a stretch seeing as there really isn't a good comparable for the oi sound in English compared to the French version).

Anglisizing French names isn't uncommon and it becomes even more strange when an English speaker starts mangling a French originating name and it get accepted over time here in a English speaking country then broadcasters might have to fight their instincts to correct it if that's in their repertoire. The closest my Parisian French substitute teacher ever managed to Brock growing up was a mangled Brick or Bra-ack, I eventually grew tired of it and told her to just call me Josh so I didn't have to listen to her butcher it every time... There are some sounds that just don't exist in the other language, so it's utterly alien and very deceptive looking at the name and trying to push out the phonetically correct version they have only hear a couple of times.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

Torpocheka It's a thing.

 

[Brian39]

Okay, but it would be much easier to understand your position if you left out all of that hyperbole. It’s very distracting from the quality of the post.

A shitty team throwing an OS at Harley and paying the draft capital for him is perfect. He’s a former first rounder who is developing extremely well.

It's not hyperbole. A shitty team has a legit chance at a top 3 pick. They aren't giving that up to get a guy like Harley who is shaping up to be an excellent #2D. You can't lottery protect the picks given up in an offer sheet. You have to make the offer sheet months before you know where you're going to pick and a shitty team has a good chance of their pick being very high in the draft.

Harley is not good enough for a team with a legit chance at a top 3 pick to give up their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round picks. That is the absolute bare minimum to have a chance to land Harley and it might take two 1sts, a 2nd, and a 3rd.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

It's not hyperbole. A shitty team has a legit chance at a top 3 pick. They aren't giving that up to get a guy like Harley who is shaping up to be an excellent #2D. You can't lottery protect the picks given up in an offer sheet. You have to make the offer sheet months before you know where you're going to pick and a shitty team has a good chance of their pick being very high in the draft.

Harley is not good enough for a team with a legit chance at a top 3 pick to give up their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round picks. That is the absolute bare minimum to have a chance to land Harley and it might take two 1sts, a 2nd, and a 3rd.

The hyperbole came in the form of your characterization of my positions.

Anyway, Harley is a proven concept, but if that compensation is close to accurate, then it swings to risky territory.

Factoring in the likelihood of 2nd and 3rd rounders being future NHLers, relative to Harley's 100% likelihood, the impetus for a deal of this type lies in the motivation to win sooner rather than later. Even 1st rounders are not sure-fire future NHLers. It will depend on the team's trajectory.

Again, I will wager that teams have already explored these avenues with Harley and his agent and that an OS was on the table.

high reward v high risk
sure thing vs a future maybe

We will see this season if Harley has #1 potential.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

Of the defensemen listed below who were picked in the top ten, who is/was a "true" #1 or #2?

2008
Drew Doughty
Zach Bogosian
Alex Pietrangelo
Luke Schenn

2009
Victor Hedman
Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Jared Cowen

2010
Erik Gudbranson
Dylan McIlrath

2011
Adam Larsson
Dougie Hamilton
Jonas Brodin

2012
Ryan Murray
Griffin Reinhart
Morgan Rielly
Hampus Lindholm
Matt Dumba
Derrick Pouliot
Jacob Trouba
Slater Koekkoek

2013
Seth Jones
Darnell Nurse
Rasmus Ristolainen

2014
Aaron Ekblad
Haydn Fleury

2015
Noah Hanifin
Ivan Provorov
Zach Werenski

2016
Olli Juolevi
Mikhail Sergachev

2017
Miro Heiskanen
Cale Makar

2018
Rasmus Dahlin
Quinn Hughes
Adam Boqvist
Even Bouchard

2019
Bowen Byram
Moritz Seider
Philip Broberg

2020
Jake Sanderson
Jamie Drysdale

2021
Owen Power
Luke Hughes
Simon Edvinsson
Brandt Clarke

EDIT:

Pouring over this list, it is fairly easy to see that losing some draft picks to sign Harley to an OS is a good move. It's really not that risky. The risk lies in the drafted players who may never pan out. In fact, it's a 50-50 coin flip that any D-man drafted top-ten will become a true and solid #1 or #2. It is 100% guaranteed that Harley is and will continue to be an excellent #2 at the very least, if not a #1. AND he turns 23 in two days.

 

[Stelmacki]

Will the Central be the most competitive division next year?

 

[Snubbed4Vezina]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1824847209638089128