Around the NHL - Part XLV (Playoffs edition)

[NCRanger]

This is an interesting point because it seems to make the assumption that after the 45 hour game where everything is called, the players won't start adjusting how they play the game to match the changed criteria of officiating.
For every other sport I'd say that's weird. For hockey, where we still see a tonne of 'puck over glass' penalties 20 years after the the rule was introduced, it does make sense...

The puck over glass penalty is frankly stupid.

Players know it's a penalty. Nobody is purposely shooting the puck into the crowd.

 

[Harbour Dog]

The puck over glass penalty is frankly stupid.

Players know it's a penalty. Nobody is purposely shooting the puck into the crowd.

But they would do it on purpose if it wasn't a penalty.

 

[Boris Zubov]

Anson Carter making an ass of himself...again.

 

[gabevh3]

Anson Carter making an ass of himself...again.

What did he say

 

[LeetchisGod]

Not many smiles from either side. They clearly don't like one another.

There shouldn't be. Two of the most unlikable teams in the league.

 

[mike14]

The puck over glass penalty is frankly stupid.

Players know it's a penalty. Nobody is purposely shooting the puck into the crowd.

Exactly. They know, but they don't care. They are still clearing the puck out the same as was being done 25+ years ago, they just accept the risk. Most guys playing now have had that rule their entire lives, yet there's no been 'evolution' in the way pucks are cleared to avoid it.
I can't think of another sport where there's a resistance to change like that.

 

[WhereO Is Kakko]

Gotta give Brind’Amour some credit.

This year he inherited the ugliest collection of runts and got them to forecheck like madmen and put up 50 SOG night…

…but come playoff time they meet their match against “heavier” teams. When the Panthers are able to register 50-60 hits per playoff game - true scorekeeping or not - the HomelyCanes wilted.

And yet as always they’ll be battling for a top two spot next REGULAR season in the weak-ass Metro.

 

[Matt Rentfree]

Is there a bigger loser than Anson Carter? Ace? Who the f*** is Ace? Bro nobody remembers you or your made up nickname cuz you wanna look cool next to Biz and Hank. If you really wanna see how much of a clown Anson Carter is just google his back and forth with Minnesota writer Mike Russo.

I will always love Anson Carter for being the trade chip that got us Jagr and ended the dark ages.

 

[haohmaru]

All we need is a Barkov, Tkachuck & a Reinhart.

I've seen lots of posts about the impossibility of winning with a goalie inked to a contract like Shesterkin's which is clearly patently false.

What we're putting in front of that goalie clearly hasn't been the answer.

 

[Boris Zubov]

What did he say

Biz made the point about the last 6 finalists from the East coming from Florida & their obvious cap advantage with their tax situation. Carter tried to shoot him down claiming that Toronto's rabid fanbase was equally advantageous because their crowd is supposedly loud.

 

[Boris Zubov]

I've seen lots of posts about the impossibility of winning with a goalie inked to a contract like Shesterkin's which is clearly patently false.

What we're putting in front of that goalie clearly hasn't been the answer.

They are two separate issues, IMO. I completely agree that what we have up front isn't nearly good enough, but it's also possible to win a cup without overpaying your goalie. I also don't like the idea of building from the goalie out.

At this point it's moot, this is where we are. We're going to be a middling playoff contender for the next few seasons, but not close to a Cup contender without major roster turnover.

 

[haohmaru]

They are two separate issues, IMO. I completely agree that what we have up front isn't nearly good enough, but it's also possible to win a cup without overpaying your goalie. I also don't like the idea of building from the goalie out.

Conflating what I said - I ONLY said that Bobrovsky is proof that you can pay an elite goalie a large contract and win. I've seen many posts on these NYR boards that say you can't - which isn't saying that's how I'd go about building a team.

I mean, I've also seen plenty of teams lose because they didn't pay an elite goaltender so there's that and the Cup teams that win with a middling goalie who gets hot are far fewer than the teams that lose because of goaltending (Toronto, Carolina, etc...)

At this point it's moot, this is where we are. We're going to be a middling playoff contender for the next few seasons, but not close to a Cup contender without major roster turnover.

Yeah, pretty much where I'm at with this group. Hopefully this summer has a lot more going on than the last one.

 

[Boris Zubov]

Conflating what I said - I ONLY said that Bobrovsky is proof that you can pay an elite goalie a large contract and win. I've seen many posts on these NYR boards that say you can't - which isn't saying that's how I'd go about building a team.

I mean, I've also seen plenty of teams lose because they didn't pay an elite goaltender so there's that and the Cup teams that win with a middling goalie who gets hot are far fewer than the teams that lose because of goaltending (Toronto, Carolina, etc...)



Yeah, pretty much where I'm at with this group. Hopefully this summer has a lot more going on than the last one.

Wasn't trying to twist your words, was just giving my opinion of the high paid goalie. Clearly it's worked out for Florida & they don't sniff the Finals in 23 without Bob. Which is ironic because Zito isn't the one who signed him & they already drafted his assumed replacement in Knight.

They made some really shrewd moves with Bennett & Forsling, & then went all in by getting Tkachuck after making the Finals. Zito also made moves that didn't work out such as Giroux & Chiarot, but you gotta respect that he's got the balls to go for it.

 

[Mike in Houston]

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

And the Canes new life was short lived

Barkov is a monster

Why can we never be lucky enough to draft a Finn at 2nd overall…

 

[Boris Zubov]

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Pretty much sums up why I never take either of them seriously or bother reading any articles they write. I not entirely convinced they actually watch games, but solely look at stats & post their opinions.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

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2 absolute clown dumbasses , go figure

 

[Oscar Lindberg]

Dom whatever-the-f***-his-name is a moron and I think his takes are laughable but this one I can’t clown him on that much.

Paul Maurice was an all time career loser before this run the Panthers have gone on

I hate that he’s won a cup because he truly is a loser and now he’s even more smug

 

[Bob Richards]

3 cup appearances in a row for Florida? Just once in my life time, i'd like to experience a run like that from the Rangers. I wouldn't care if we sucked for a decade after that.

It oddly does give me some kind of hope. Things can change suddenly and quickly.

For the overwhelming majority of my life the Panthers have been one of the most hapless franchises in the sport. One of the most irrelevant too. If you stopped people on the street and asked them to name hockey teams the Panthers would’ve probably been one of the most commonly skipped after like the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Now they’re this unstoppable killing machine.

Maybe one day….

 

[Raspewtin]

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there was reason to believe this at the time. Paul Maurice was a career loser until the Panthers rehabilitated his image. It turned out to not be the case.

 

[Boris Zubov]

It oddly does give me some kind of hope. Things can change suddenly and quickly.

For the overwhelming majority of my life the Panthers have been one of the most hapless franchises in the sport. One of the most irrelevant too. If you stopped people on the street and asked them to name hockey teams the Panthers would’ve probably been one of the most commonly skipped after like the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Now they’re this unstoppable killing machine.

Maybe one day….

They won the presidents trophy the year before they made it to the Finals the first time...plus they took the Lightning to 6 games the year before in the playoffs, so it's not like it was completely out of left field.

 

[Raspewtin]

It oddly does give me some kind of hope. Things can change suddenly and quickly.

For the overwhelming majority of my life the Panthers have been one of the most hapless franchises in the sport. One of the most irrelevant too. If you stopped people on the street and asked them to name hockey teams the Panthers would’ve probably been one of the most commonly skipped after like the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Now they’re this unstoppable killing machine.

Maybe one day….

Gonna be a pessimist here but I interpret it as the opposite....,..a totally hapless franchise becomes the terminator overnight, what's stopping any of the other 30 teams from doing the same?

Took two absolute grand slam trades that probably won't happen again in a long time to get the Panthers where they are and an aggressive GM that does a nice blend of moneypuck and team building. The Rangers did this, once, 10 years ago and basically never tried it again.

The Rangers responded to having one of the worst puck moving defenses in the league by adding Carson Soucy lol. This is not an organization I can take seriously right now.

 

[Mike in Houston]

there was reason to believe this at the time. Paul Maurice was a career loser until the Panthers rehabilitated his image. It turned out to not be the case.

I just love how people speak in absolutes and then they're later found to be completely wrong. I think it's ok for us to say that we don't know how anything will work out. None of us are clairvoyant.

 

[Raspewtin]

I just love how people speak in absolutes and then they're later found to be completely wrong. I think it's ok for us to say that we don't know how anything will work out. None of us are clairvoyant.

counterpoint: It's fine to have an opinion based on the current facts and turn out to be wrong.

a world where everyone resigns themselves to "well who knows!" for something as low-stakes as sports predictions is boring and uninteresting.

 

[Machinehead]

Yeah, the Rangers really did everything right around the leadup to the 2014 team. They had some banger trades, so obviously luck is involved, but still...

They rehabilitated high picks with skill as role players (that's where Florida got Bennett from, let's not forget, not paying $69 million for somebody's third liner). They rebuilt their defense around passing ability (McDonagh, Stralman, Klein). They got everyone to play a system that was based on straight hockey with speed.

By 2015-16, they were an East-West team that was already slowing down, had an immobile defense, and lost their speedy forecheckers only to replace them with useless grinders like Stoll and Glass. It took them two years.

They looked at the loss to LA, blamed it on everything they did well, and doubled down on everything about the team that was a negative.

Florida got lucky with some acquisitions like all winning teams do, but recognizing what makes you good is an ability, and it's one we don't seem to have.

A decade after 2015-16, we still have one of the least skilled defense corps in the NHL and we just keep shoving our chips to the middle of the table on it.