News From Around The League - Part XXXVII

[Wingman77]

Anaheim Ducks ‏@AnaheimDucks
The #NHLDucks are proud to announce that Scott Niedermayer will join the staff as an assistant coach.

Anaheim Ducks ‏@AnaheimDucks
Niedermayer: "I’m very excited to expand my role with the Ducks and take on a new challenge. I can't wait to get started."

Click to read more...

 

[Nick0930]

Stevens on one bench, Niedermayer on the other. Can't wait for the next Ducks/Devils game.

 

[MartyOwns]

good, good. lets retire his number again. maybe build him a statue

 

[kamil27]

damn he will do good things there

 

[Classic Devil]

damn he will do good things there

I'm not convinced Niedermayer will make a great coach. This actually surprises me a lot.

 

[Wingman77]

Looks like it won't be full time per say

Anaheim Ducks ‏@AnaheimDucks
Niedermayer says he will coach the team mostly at home at practices and watch the games from the press box. Won't join on road initially.

 

[Richer's Ghost]

can't stray too far from the mountain and his zen garden.

 

[Bleedred]

Looks like it won't be full time per say

Anaheim Ducks ‏@AnaheimDucks
Niedermayer says he will coach the team mostly at home at practices and watch the games from the press box. Won't join on road initially.

Special assignment coach I guess?

 

[Zippy316]

Should we do a prediction of east and west before the season, to see if anyone manages to accurately pick both (or one) right? I know they are usually so inaccurate, but with like a lot of people, I would think someone would be able to guess right.

 

[apice3*]

Willing to bet no one on this board gets 1-15 in the right order in either conference. Hard enough to do as is, but with a shortened season theres going to be some surprises.

Weren't the Wild the top team in the West about 40 games in last year?

 

[Zippy316]

Willing to bet no one on this board gets 1-15 in the right order in either conference. Hard enough to do as is, but with a shortened season theres going to be some surprises.

My picks will be off the board. I'm likely going to have Flyers out of the playoffs and the Rangers in like 5/6. Shortened season will be all about the unexpected.

 

[apice3*]

I think a shortened season benefits the Rangers a lot, personally.

 

[Zippy316]

I think a shortened season benefits the Rangers a lot, personally.

It could, but I'm confident there's going to be some wild card, a team that is awful we don't expect to be (see Capitals last year) And they are my bet for it.

If I had to pick, I'd say something like:

1. Penguins
2. Bruins
3. Hurricanes
4. Capitals
5. Devils
6. Rangers
7. Sabres
8. Jets
9. Senators
10. Flyers
11. Canadiens
12. Lightning
13. Islanders
14. Leafs
15. Panthers

Just based off some hunches.

 

[Brodeur]

Willing to bet no one on this board gets 1-15 in the right order in either conference. Hard enough to do as is, but with a shortened season theres going to be some surprises.

Weren't the Wild the top team in the West about 40 games in last year?

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1318945

Minnesota started hitting their descent by then. The above link had each teams' record after 48 games:

EAST
======

1.NY Rangers 67 31-12-5
2.Boston 66 32-14-2
3.Washington 55 26-19-3
4.Philadelphia 63 29-14-5
5.Pittsburgh 58 27-17-4
6.Ottawa 58 26-16-6
7.New Jersey 55 26-19-3
8.Florida 55 22-15-11
9.Toronto 53 24-19-5
10.Winnipeg 50 22-20-6
11.Tampa Bay 46 21-23-4
12.NY Islanders 45 19-22-7
13.Montreal 45 18-21-9
14.Buffalo 43 19-24-5
15.Carolina 40 16-24-8



WEST
======

1.Detroit 65 32-15-1
2.Vancouver 62 29-15-4
3.San Jose 62 28-14-6
4.St. Louis 64 29-13-6
5.Chicago 64 29-13-6
6.Nashville 60 28-16-4
7.Los Angeles 56 23-15-10
8.Minnesota 53 23-18-7
9.Colorado 52 25-21-2
10.Dallas 52 25-21-2
11.Calgary 50 22-20-6
12.Phoenix 50 21-19-8
13.Anaheim 43 18-23-7
14.Edmonton 40 18-26-4
15.Columbus 32 13-29-6

 

[Bleedred]

It could, but I'm confident there's going to be some wild card, a team that is awful we don't expect to be (see Capitals last year) And they are my bet for it.

If I had to pick, I'd say something like:

1. Penguins
2. Bruins
3. Hurricanes
4. Capitals
5. Devils
6. Rangers
7. Sabres
8. Lightning
9. Jets
10. Flyers
11. Canadiens
12. Senators
13. Islanders
14. Leafs
15. Panthers

Just based off some hunches.

I can see this being the way the conference ends up, but maybe throw a few teams in different spots. However I would personally replace the Lightning with the Panthers. I don't see Tampa Bay finishing dead last, but I don't see them making the playoffs. They need more than goaltending, and I see them being one of the worst teams in goals against again.

Maybe I'd replace Flyers with Capitals, although I'm not sure the Flyers will finish 3rd. I can easily see the Capitals falling out this year. They're due for a letdown year, and Oates as a head coach I think will be a failure. However in a shortened season anything is possible.

 

[kiwidevil]

Where did we finish last year? 7th?

 

[Bleedred]

Where did we finish last year? 7th?

Nope 6th.

 

[Bleedred]

If Toronto gets Luongo which I can see announced tomorrow I think they still finish in 9th or 10th. Luongo posted a 919 save percentage last year, and even if he posts that this year, it still might not be good enough. Plenty of goalies in the league last year on non playoff teams posted numbers that good. Price, Ward, Miller,Kiprusoff, Backstrom, Harding, etc. There is a chance they can make it, because we were tied for 7th with them last year at the 48 game mark.

 

[Zippy316]

I can see this being the way the conference ends up, but maybe throw a few teams in different spots. However I would personally replace the Lightning with the Panthers. I don't see Tampa Bay finishing dead last, but I don't see them making the playoffs. They need more than goaltending, and I see them being one of the worst teams in goals against again.

Maybe I'd replace Flyers with Capitals, although I'm not sure the Flyers will finish 3rd. I can easily see the Capitals falling out this year. They're due for a letdown year, and Oates as a head coach I think will be a failure. However in a shortened season anything is possible.

****, I need to fix that, I forgot about Lightning goaltending.

 

[NJDevs26]

Well any predictions now are subject to change based on what happens the next week, but I'm not sold on the Canes. All they did for this year was upgrade Brandon Sutter to Jordan Staal (who never stays healthy anyway), and add a much moodier Russian than Kovy ever was. Do they even have a real backup behind Ward? I'm not sure they can run him out 45-48 games this year. Tampa could surprise 'again' if Lindback pans out, their goaltending wasn't just bad last year - it was AHL-backup caliber.

It would be comical if Toronto finally makes the playoffs after Burke gets canned though

 

[EliasFTW]

Anaheim Ducks ‏@AnaheimDucks
The #NHLDucks are proud to announce that Scott Niedermayer will join the staff as an assistant coach.

Anaheim Ducks ‏@AnaheimDucks
Niedermayer: "I’m very excited to expand my role with the Ducks and take on a new challenge. I can't wait to get started."

The main reason i didnt want his number in the rafters. he considers himself a duck instead of a Devil.

 

[Classic Devil]

The main reason i didnt want his number in the rafters. he considers himself a duck instead of a Devil.

That's nonsense. Is Larry Robinson not a deserving Canadien's retiree because he chose to coach for Los Angeles and New Jersey (and now San Jose) rather than New Jersey? Or Messier in Edmonton?

 

[davebenj]

I agree about not trusting Carolina. They are an absolutely terrible team more often than not. (when they aren't, we are usually on the damn receiving end so I'm going to say they suck this year as usual)

 

[davebenj]

That's nonsense. Is Larry Robinson not a deserving Canadien's retiree because he chose to coach for Los Angeles and New Jersey (and now San Jose) rather than New Jersey? Or Messier in Edmonton?

I see what you're saying but Messier by far considers himself a Ranger and pretty much acts as if he was never an Oiler at all.

 

[New Jersey Devils]

The main reason i didnt want his number in the rafters. he considers himself a duck instead of a Devil.

I don't think so. His family is all settled in Cali, it makes sense for him to take a job nearby rather than move across the country.

Besides, I'll always remember the first thing said at his retirement ceremony, "To put this jersey on again feels right."