Confirmed with Link: NHL & NHLPA Reach tentative agreement on 56 game schedule

[The Iceman]

Anyways, I'd be surprised if the Leafs start the season in Toronto given the imminent lockdown coming.

Unfortunately this appears to be the case...I wonder where they will call home for the start of the season, or if they will just schedule Toronto on the road to begin?

 

[Wiseguys]

Question. I dont know if it has been brought up. If teams make trades, for example a Canadian team and a US team, do the players involved in the trades need to be quarantined for upto 2 weeks? Wouldn't that in a way be a disadvantage to the teams making the trades, compared to the teams in their own division, especially if the players are important parts of the roster and on a playoff run? There will probably be other implications as well because of the trades.

 

[CabanaBoy5]

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter where the games are played (from a fan standpoint). I'm sure the league is already working on contingency plans to be in place to house the Canadian teams in American cities just in case.

I agree. It's not like there are any fans in the arenas anyways. These games could be played anywhere and the atmosphere of the game would be the same. I just want to get started asap so if that's January 13, let's make it happen.

 

[Advanced stats]

Anyways, I'd be surprised if the Leafs start the season in Toronto given the imminent lockdown coming.

It will be interesting considering they had the bubble in Toronto during the last lockdown

 

[Golden_Jet]

So looks like he does the worst vs Ottawa, looking at save percentage.

 

[Golden_Jet]

It will be interesting considering they had the bubble in Toronto during the last lockdown

Ontario was doing well in August, wasn’t locked down like now.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Where do da Canuckles play? I'm assuming Edmonton hub for Oilers and them.

 

[ToneDog]

Question. I dont know if it has been brought up. If teams make trades, for example a Canadian team and a US team, do the players involved in the trades need to be quarantined for upto 2 weeks? Wouldn't that in a way be a disadvantage to the teams making the trades, compared to the teams in their own division, especially if the players are important parts of the roster and on a playoff run? There will probably be other implications as well because of the trades.

Negative test should suffice IMO (if governments agree of course).

 

[MapleLeafs9]

So are we only playing against Canadian teams this season?

This means 10-10-9-9-9-9 games against each I'm assuming?

 

[Burnie97]

So are we only playing against Canadian teams this season?

This means 10-10-9-9-9-9 games against each I'm assuming?

Yup pretty sure that's it. Probably Ottawa and Montreal 10. The rest 9.

Itll be the closest you'll ever see to back how it was in the 60s in terms of games played against same teams. Should create some awesome rivalries.... and a few brawls.

 

[Marshy]

So are we only playing against Canadian teams this season?

This means 10-10-9-9-9-9 games against each I'm assuming?

Yup. My guess is 10 against one of MON/OTT and 10 against one of the western teams.

 

[Burnie97]

 

[LeafChief]

Four gamer lmao this is going to be wild.

 

[Eternal Leaf]

We're going to see multiple line brawls with how many times these teams see each other over a short period.

 

[MapleLeafs9]

We're going to see multiple line brawls with how many times these teams see each other over a short period.

Not in 2021

 

[MapleLeafs9]

We are gonna hate Matt Tkachuk 100x times more than we do now by the end of the season

 

[Riellyfan04]

I feel like this season is gona bring back old time hockey!!!

 

[Big Muddy]

Of those 24 US teams 12 are guaranteed to make the playoffs, and 6 are guaranteed to be in round #2 no matter what happens. You're never going to get any better odds than that !!!.

Considering last year 9 out of 11 of the worst teams in the standings all played in the USA, so that puts over 70% of CDN division in the top 20 of strength of competition, and 70% of the US competition in the bottom 20 of strength of competition. So you're injecting 2/3 of the leagues worst teams into the US division competition, while guaranteeing 3 of those a final 4 spot in the playoffs in round #3.

So while Boston gets to play Buffalo and NJ 16 times in the regular season, a team like Toronto from their original Div needs to play Edm (McDavid/Draisaitl), Van (Pettersson, Q. Hughes) and Cgy 9-10 times etc just to qualify for the playoffs. Strength of Schedule of Div is not balanced, where equal odds of advancement would assume all teams are equal in strength so it doesn't matter whom you play.

For a US team to win the Stanley Cup they only have to beat 7 other US teams, and max of 1 or 2 Canadian teams or 9 teams total to hoist the Cup and potentially never face Toronto, St. Louis, Colorado, Dallas etc even a single game.

Sounds like the excuses are starting early

Me I just want to watch some hockey with some fans in the arena.

I'm not sure why we would fear or have reservations about playing against other Canadian teams. I like the division we are in, and like the idea that the regular season and the first 2 playoff rounds are pure divisional play.



22.6% of NHL teams are Canadian.

Last year's Regular season results for Canadian teams:

1 team placed in the top 10. (10% of total teams), Edmonton was 9th seed

2 teams placed in the top 12 (6.5% of total teams), or from this perspective, the only other top 12 team besides us was Edmonton

Calgary was the next highest seed at 17th.

5 of 7 Canadian teams placed in the bottom half of the standings

Last year's Playoff results for Canadian teams:

0 teams in the Conference finals

 

[ToneDog]

I'm not sure why we would fear or have reservations about playing against other Canadian teams. I like the division we are in, and like the idea that the regular season and the first 2 playoff rounds are pure divisional play.



22.6% of NHL teams are Canadian.

Last year's Regular season results for Canadian teams:

1 team placed in the top 10. (10% of total teams), Edmonton was 9th seed

2 teams placed in the top 12 (6.5% of total teams), or from this perspective, the only other top 12 team besides us was Edmonton

Calgary was the next highest seed at 17th.

5 of 7 Canadian teams placed in the bottom half of the standings

Last year's Playoff results for Canadian teams:

0 teams in the Conference finals

You might be overrating the Leafs and underrating the rest.

Leafs lost to CBJ who are goal scoring challenged in qualifier.

Flames beat Jets in qualifier and lost to Stars who went to the finals.

Canucks beat Blues in round #1 and lost to SC winner Dallas in round #2.

Oilers have McJesus and Draisaitl.

Habs knocked off the Pens and made significant adds since.

Leafs might win the division but IMO it won't be easy. Said we were underselling the Jackets last year when many Leaf fans were calling the Leafs to beat them easily.

 

[Golden_Jet]

I'm not sure why we would fear or have reservations about playing against other Canadian teams. I like the division we are in, and like the idea that the regular season and the first 2 playoff rounds are pure divisional play.



22.6% of NHL teams are Canadian.

Last year's Regular season results for Canadian teams:

1 team placed in the top 10. (10% of total teams), Edmonton was 9th seed

2 teams placed in the top 12 (6.5% of total teams), or from this perspective, the only other top 12 team besides us was Edmonton

Calgary was the next highest seed at 17th.

5 of 7 Canadian teams placed in the bottom half of the standings

Last year's Playoff results for Canadian teams:

0 teams in the Conference finals

sorry to screw up your analysis
But Winnipeg 2 spots behind leafs

 

[Big Muddy]

You might be overrating the Leafs and underrating the rest.

Leafs lost to CBJ who are goal scoring challenged in qualifier.

Flames beat Jets in qualifier and lost to Stars who went to the finals.

Canucks beat Blues in round #1 and lost to SC winner Dallas in round #2.

Oilers have McJesus and Draisaitl.

Habs knocked off the Pens and made significant adds since.

Leafs might win the division but IMO it won't be easy. Said we were underselling the Jackets last year when many Leaf fans were calling the Leafs to beat them easily.

I'm not saying its going to be easy. And, I recognize lots of things can happen.

But, if you look at last year's results or standings, there isn't a lot there to fear. Not sure why we would.

My big bugaboo is what do we do in the playoffs. That's my biggest concern. Past playoff history has not been good.

 

[Warden of the North]

It will be interesting considering they had the bubble in Toronto during the last lockdown

Yes, but it was a bubble. Nothing about what is happening now is a bubble. It's players and staff going home each night and teams from across Canada coming in. No bubble

 

[Big Muddy]

sorry to screw up your analysis
But Winnipeg 2 spots behind leafs

I used this and counted three spots behind.

2019-20 NHL Standings | ESPN

Need to revise part of it though - your right on the Jets. So, I'll do the edit and repost it (below). Don't think I'd change my conclusion though based on the change. Do you think its a strong division?

22.6% of NHL teams are Canadian.

Regular season results for Canadian teams:

1 team placed in the top 10. (10% of total teams), Edmonton was 9th seed

2 teams placed in the top 12 (6.5% of total teams)

Winnipeg was the next highest seed at 15th.

4 of 7 Canadian teams placed in the bottom half of the standings, one was middle of the pack.

Playoff results for Canadian teams:

0 teams in the Conference finals

 

[Menzinger]

While it won't be a complete cake walk, Leafs should comfortably get in the top 2 spots in the divison by seasons end

 

[BoredBrandonPridham]

I'm not sure why we would fear or have reservations about playing against other Canadian teams. I like the division we are in, and like the idea that the regular season and the first 2 playoff rounds are pure divisional play.



22.6% of NHL teams are Canadian.

Last year's Regular season results for Canadian teams:

1 team placed in the top 10. (10% of total teams), Edmonton was 9th seed

2 teams placed in the top 12 (6.5% of total teams), or from this perspective, the only other top 12 team besides us was Edmonton

Calgary was the next highest seed at 17th.

5 of 7 Canadian teams placed in the bottom half of the standings

Last year's Playoff results for Canadian teams:

0 teams in the Conference finals

The point of the post you're quoting is that you can find arbitrary buckets to make any point you want. You're just creating another set of buckets, but I've created buckets as well and they paint different pictures. As such, bucketing is not a helpful way to highlight strength of opposition.

Average wins of Canadian opponents last season: 33.6
Average wins of US opponents last season: 34.6

Average strength of competition is going to look similar, and the young Canadian teams are only getting better.