Around the NHL 2024-25 regular season

[Eggtimers]

Not directly NHL related, but USA/Canadian WJC camp rosters are out:





No Yakemchuk (final year of eligibility and the tournament is in Ottawa), Parekh, or Iginla is a little surprising.

USA/Canada will be new year's eve. I'm debating whether to go the Devils@Ducks game that night, or save the money for a rainy day and nerd out at home and watch the games.

Weird …. Nashville with 2 D men on the team …. They always seem to find multiple NHL dmen and pump them out like a factory

 

[Devils731]

How the hell could you want Trocheck over Tage?

How are Thompson’s defensive numbers this year? I think I read they improved but that they were horrific last year.

If you think you have a bunch of guys ahead of him for offensive roles then you might decide Thompson isn’t the best fit for the the team as a one way type player.

Trochek isn’t a black hole for offense either.

——————

I’m not even saying they’re right but when you have a plethora of options you sometimes talk yourself into “fits”. When you pick good “fits” your complementing your own hockey intelligence by smartly complicating the selection process and showing off how you know slightly less talented guys are the way to go.

None of it matters unless you win anyway. Sometimes the team that is just the most talented players wins and sometimes it’s the one assembled with the best players for each role; then the media acts like that is the 1 good way to assemble a team when you can actually win any number of ways.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

How are Thompson’s defensive numbers this year? I think I read they improved but that they were horrific last year.

If you think you have a bunch of guys ahead of him for offensive roles then you might decide Thompson isn’t the best fit for the the team as a one way type player.

Trochek isn’t a black hole for offense either.

——————

I’m not even saying they’re right but when you have a plethora of options you sometimes talk yourself into “fits”. When you pick good “fits” your complementing your own hockey intelligence by smartly complicating the selection process and showing off how you know slightly less talented guys are the way to go.

None of it matters unless you win anyway. Sometimes the team that is just the most talented players wins and sometimes it’s the one assembled with the best players for each role; then the media acts like that is the 1 good way to assemble a team when you can actually win any number of ways.

This year he has a 61% expected goal share (62.5% actual goal share). He seems to be blossoming under Lindy. Far too good to leave off the team for some guys.

 

[MadDevil]

It's not an international tournament if either the US or Canada isn't galaxy braining their roster.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

taking those bums Kreider or Trochek over actual good, exciting, young players is hilarious

 

[Guttersniped]

Winnipeg’s hot start:

+39 Goal Differential lol
4.56 GF/G
2.13 GA/G

And since:

-11 Goal Differential
2.20 GF/G
3.30 GA/G

They’re still 18-8-0
3.65 GF/G (T-4th)
2.58 GA/G (4th)

Curious if they sink more.

 

[HBK27]

Appears to be the Swedish roster:

 

[DerekDevils30]

Winnipeg’s hot start:
View attachment 939961
+39 Goal Differential lol
4.56 GF/G
2.13 GA/G
View attachment 939963

And since:
View attachment 939962
-11 Goal Differential
2.20 GF/G
3.30 GA/G
View attachment 939964

They’re still 18-8-0
3.65 GF/G (T-4th)
2.58 GA/G (4th)

Curious if they sink more.

As I mentioned in the out of town thread their D at the moment is a big problem with Samberg hurt. No one is scared of Fleury-Pionk and Stanley-Heinola as their 2nd and 3rd pairs. They’ve had a tendency to start hot and then eventually fade as the season goes on the past couple years so we will see if it’s more of the same this go around. It’s a solid roster when healthy but not 15-1 start good.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

am I the only one that doesn't really care about the 4 Nations thing? I know we'll have a bunch of guys going, I just pray none of them get injured.

 

[njdevils1982]

am I the only one that doesn't really care about the 4 Nations thing? I know we'll have a bunch of guys going, I just pray none of them get injured.

youre not alone

plenty of people do not give a f***. i wish our guys werent even playing

also, first prague nonesense and now (february) twelve days between games.

thank gary

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Bratt and Markstrom on Team Sweden
Haula on Team FInland

 

[Brodeur]

It's not a perfect tournament, but the NHL (and the TV partners) are doing it during the sleepy period right after the Super Bowl and while the NBA goes into their All-Star break. Aside from college basketball, there won't be much on for the channel surfers. Hockey/NHL has struggled with drawing in the casual viewer, so the tournament is probably better suited to get a fair weather fan to watch than a typical regular season game.

They can probably count anybody on HF posting about it to tune in even if they know the format is flawed. I know the 1996 World Cup helped ramp up my hockey fandom, albeit back in those days I didn't have the Internet and didn't know which players were American or Canadian. But I like to think there'll be some young kids who haven't had an Olympics (and don't care about the WC/WJC) who will geek out seeing a National team.

 

[Clam Jensen]

am I the only one that doesn't really care about the 4 Nations thing? I know we'll have a bunch of guys going, I just pray none of them get injured.

youre not alone

plenty of people do not give a f***. i wish our guys werent even playing

also, first prague nonesense and now (february) twelve days between games.

thank gary

I don’t care either and do not want any avoidable injuries.

 

[TheBeerNerd]

Part of me wants best-on-best international hockey. It really is cool to watch.

Another, bigger part of me wants nothing to do with it due to injuries.

 

[Brodeur]

If it were a longer tournament like the Olympics, I'd be more concerned about injuries. But it's just three round robin games and potential championship game. I don't think it'll be as brutal physically as the 1996 World Cup, although Team USA will have double the Tkachuks this time.

-------------------

Ballpark depth charts for Sweden. Not sure if they have certain guys playing wing or center:

LW: Forsberg-Kempe-W.Carlsson-Nyquist
C: Pettersson-JEE-Lindholm-Zibanejad-Carlsson
RW: Nylander-Bratt-Raymond-Arvidsson

LD: Hedman-Ekholm-Brodin-Forsling-Dahlin
RD: E.Karlsson-Andersson

G: Markstrom-Gustavsson-Ullmark


Hampus Lindholm seems to be the biggest snub, although I'm not sure who I'd bump off for him. Sweden is thinner with RHD than I would have expected. Dahlin plays the right side for Buffalo, so he can probably slide over there. Rasmus Andersson seems like the #7, but maybe he plays due to the lack of RHD?

Arvidsson seems like an odd choice, maybe Nyquist too. Probably could make an argument for Fabian Zetterlund, William Eklund, or Rickard Rakell.

 

[TheBeerNerd]

As much as I want our division rivals to suffer, the Islanders are absolutely miserable under Lou, and I'd be fine with his ancient ass being kicked to the side of the LIE.

 

[Bleedred]

As much as I want our division rivals to suffer, the Islanders are absolutely miserable under Lou, and I'd be fine with his ancient ass being kicked to the side of the LIE.

What does that even mean? That he's in danger of being fired mid-season? I figured he's there until they miss the playoffs again.

Which is looking like this year. I expect him to be let go in the summer if they miss the playoffs. I do wonder if they'll offer him a ceremonial role like the one we gave him before he jumped ship to Toronto a couple of months later. At this point in his life he'd probably accept that or just retire.

At 82 years old, would anyone actually hire him to be GM or POHOPS? I don't think so. Is he already the oldest active GM in NHL history?

 

[MasterofGrond]

Lou please retire

It’s just getting sad at this point

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

those Canadian goalies are stinky

lol @ those bottom of the lineup USA forwards outside of Larkin

 

[MB3]

need a Tkachuk-Hughes-Tkachuk line

 

[Emperoreddy]

A few of those USA choices are baffling. So obsessed with veteran grit

 

[MasterofGrond]

those Canadian goalies are stinky

lol @ those bottom of the lineup USA forwards outside of Larkin

Brock Nelson is a good pick and i will die on this hill

 

[Ripshot 43]

need a Tkachuk-Hughes-Tkachuk line

Even on the same team, I would rather Tkachuk to not be on the ice while Jack is.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Brock Nelson is a good pick and i will die on this hill

he is a fine enough player, there are just so many better options

namely Tage and Tuch

 

[Lou is God]

those Canadian goalies are stinky

lol @ those bottom of the lineup USA forwards outside of Larkin

Canadian team pretty underwhelming.