League News: NHL Talk - (News n' Scores n' Stuff) - COVID Season Edition - Vol. 2

[kicksavedave]

I'm hoping the league makes them finish all of their games. They play Edmonton FIVE times in about 7 days and I want McDavid to get 100 points.

And I don't care about "blah blah weak division, tired teams etc". Gretzky piled up lots of points against cardboard cutout goalies and defencemen who couldn't skate backwards.

LOL that is a funny image!

 

[Calicaps]

So per the NHL release, three of the next 7 SCFs will be on TNT, which I guess means you must either have cable or some kind of live-stream service to watch it. The other 4 will be on ABC, so you could, conceivably, just get a broadcast antenna for those. Either way, meh.

 

[Devil Dancer]

Man, the Canucks are just terrible. They were supposed to take a big step this year, acquiring a bunch of guys, including former Caps, but instead they stink. At one point do they declare this build a failure and start over?

I don't know, I wouldn't mind starting a forward corps with Horvat, Petterson and Boeser. Plus Hughes and Demko, and Hoglander might be a player. They don't look nearly as hopeless as some other perennial losers.

 

[AussieCapsFan]

I'm not that big of a McD fan. He's a terrific player, but I just don't get the thrill watching him that I do with some other greats. Sure 99 feasted on the bottom-dwellers of the league, but he also did the unimaginable, more with his brain than even his body. His vision and IQ were just off the chart, though he clearly had incredible physical gifts too. Crosby and Backstrom are in that mold. McD IMO is more a mainly physical specimen/amazing skater, which is somehow less interesting to me.

FWIW, Ovie is probably more like McD, in that his talent is more in the body, but he's so unique, being a heavy, physical player who also possesses an unmatched scorer's touch.

I just love the pure stats (not the advanced ones) of hockey. Goal, Assists, Points. Wins, Save percentage. The more the better.
And I don't really enjoy watching McDavid either, tbh. Highlight reels are enough for me. I much prefer watching Avs games and MacKinnon. That is one heck of a team to watch play.

 

[Calicaps]

I don't know, I wouldn't mind starting a forward corps with Horvat, Petterson and Boeser. Plus Hughes and Demko, and Hoglander might be a player. They don't look nearly as hopeless as some other perennial losers.

On paper they seem like they should be competitive, which is why I asked the question. Somehow the the whole is proving less than the sum of the parts.

 

[AussieCapsFan]

On paper they seem like they should be competitive, which is why I asked the question. Somehow the the whole is proving less than the sum of the parts.

They have the talent, but they have some pretty ugly contracts that create cap problems for them thru to end of next season. And their GM Jim Benning seems to be a buffoon who needs to go. Apparently the fans just did a gofundme to fly a "Fire Benning" banner over the city.

 

[ALLCAPSALLTHETIME]

Yup. They are pretty angry in Vancouver. Lol.

Edmonton beats Winnipeg 3-1. McD with 3 assists. 84 points on the year. Needs 16 points in 9 games to hit 100 points. BTC.

 

[Melkor]

Canucks should not start a rebuild. That shouldn't even be discussed internally. They have one of the best young cores in the entire league that has already showed they can play together and at least make playoffs when they're healthy. They need to sacrifice their draft picks in coming years to unload their useless contracts and compliment their stars with needed pieces. Starting a rebuild while having guys like Demko, Hughes, Horvat, Pettersson, Boeser, Miller would be unbeliveably stupid.

 

[Kuz]

Canucks should not start a rebuild. That shouldn't even be discussed internally. They have one of the best young cores in the entire league that has already showed they can play together and at least make playoffs when they're healthy. They need to sacrifice their draft picks in coming years to unload their useless contracts and compliment their stars with needed pieces. Starting a rebuild while having guys like Demko, Hughes, Horvat, Pettersson, Boeser, Miller would be unbeliveably stupid.

Yeah they took Vegas to 7 last year. Ferland that was supposed to improve the team have been injured the entire time for them. After next year they get out of the Beagle, Eriksson, Luongo (Recapture), Holtby and Rouseel contracts so they have a lot of capspace after that. Still they have to give one or both of Pettersson and Hughes a bridge contract this year unless they are able to move some players as they only have 16 million of cap space with only 2 defencemen signed for next year. They probably want Hughes, Juolevi, Hamonic and Edler back in defence and Pettersson in offence.

 

[Ovie's Neighbor]

Just saw that Stephenson already has 30 points. I have to admit I am shocked at that. He was Hagelinesque with us and a complete black hole offesnsivley.

 

[Devil Dancer]

On paper they seem like they should be competitive, which is why I asked the question. Somehow the the whole is proving less than the sum of the parts.

My solution for young teams like that has been the same for a while now. Hire Bruce Boudreau!

 

[txpd]

They have the talent, but they have some pretty ugly contracts that create cap problems for them thru to end of next season. And their GM Jim Benning seems to be a buffoon who needs to go. Apparently the fans just did a gofundme to fly a "Fire Benning" banner over the city.

Caps fans said similar about McPhee who short of winning a cup had rebuilt the Caps into the best or 2nd best team of its era. Meanwhile Yzerman is a God King

 

[txpd]

Just saw that Stephenson already has 30 points. I have to admit I am shocked at that. He was Hagelinesque with us and a complete black hole offesnsivley.

Connollys and Sprongs go both ways. The salary cap and development window restrictions force teams to fish or cut bait on promising players on the regular. Its part of how they try and create parity.

 

[Ovie's Neighbor]

Connollys and Sprongs go both ways. The salary cap and development window restrictions force teams to fish or cut bait on promising players on the regular. Its part of how they try and create parity.

True. I just didn’t view Stephenson as promising. Probably why I am not a GM lol.

 

[kicksavedave]

Just saw that Stephenson already has 30 points. I have to admit I am shocked at that. He was Hagelinesque with us and a complete black hole offesnsivley.

Well he's getting opportunity with linemates and PP Ice time that he would never have gotten here. Same with Burky. Good for him, but it would not have happened here.

 

[895]

I consider Chandler's production not as evidence of how we messed up but evidence of how good Mark Stone is.

 

[Melkor]

Well he's getting opportunity with linemates and PP Ice time that he would never have gotten here. Same with Burky. Good for him, but it would not have happened here.

Sometimes you have to show something to be trusted. Stephenson couldn't skate more than 15 feet with the puck without turning it over back when he was here. I'm talking Reirden era btw, he looked a bit better under Trotz.

 

[IafrateOvie34]

I hate to say it but I'm rooting for the Isles tonight against the NYR.

 

[HTFN]

Just saw that Stephenson already has 30 points. I have to admit I am shocked at that. He was Hagelinesque with us and a complete black hole offesnsivley.

I mean, Hagelin was a 30-40 point forward with a little youth and opportunity behind him. I still don't see a gigantic difference, honestly.

 

[895]

When Leipsic said Virtanen was part of "easily the worst crew in the world." maybe he was onto something?

 

[Calicaps]

Is there a more disappointing recent top pick than Dahlin?

 

[Melkor]

Is there a more disappointing recent top pick than Dahlin?

Umm..I'd say pretty much every recent top pick has been rather disappointing. 2017-2020 all flops for a top pick.

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

Umm..I'd say pretty much every recent top pick has been rather disappointing. 2017-2020 all flops for a top pick.

Crazy that Ovi and Sid were MVP level players at age 18. And all these new kids look like busts

 

[Melkor]

Crazy that Ovi and Sid were MVP level players at age 18. And all these new kids look like busts

I mean those two are quite possibly top-10 players of all time. Top-20 no question. I woudn't judge kids by those standards but you have to be at least Eric Staal/John Tavares/Rick Nash good to match the top pick expectations. And these guys clearly don't have the talent for that. Dahlin actually does have the talent but something happened to him this season that he doesn't seem right on the ice.

 

[Hivemind]

Is there a more disappointing recent top pick than Dahlin?

Hughes, Hischier, and Lafreniere