What is your solution to the Pre-season problem?

[Habby4Life]

For the Habs.

Sign enough bordline line NHLers to PTOs. Play them as much as you can with the kids early in the preseason. That way you meet the nhl requirements about vets in the lineup.

The top guys don’t play until the last game of the preseason and then use them sparingly. The vets hate these games and realistically they don’t need them to be ready.

 

[Kennerback]

DEL

 

[BLONG7]

At the beginning of the camp, I had 3 rookies wich they could maybe make the club, Mailloux, Kapanen and Hutson. believe it or not, maybe those player will make the main team. I didnt have to watch Condotta play, or Gignac, hayes to know that they are still AHL level caliber. I would have 30 players at the camp and it would be allright. I remember when Bergevin was saying, : « anybody may make a surprise, we will see ». But in fact, 90% of the roster is already set at day 1. Then, we don’t need 6 pre season game imo.

Too many games.................play 4 games, and give your best players the last 2 games.
Run a camp with a lot less bodies around. Make the entire league bring 28-30 guys to camp.
Tell the gang, be ready to play..., everyone on the squad could make the team.

Treat the games exactly like an inseason game, hustle and hits, and injuries are part of it................when vets play now, they are trying to not get hurt, and look what happens. Not to mention teams dress garbage some nights, and those guys have no business being there.
Will Pare ever get a real shot with the Leafs?? Not likely, and yet he derailed the habs season.

 

[Canadiens Ghost]

2nd option ;

• Keep the current format.​
• If there's a player (that doesn't make the official roster) that receives a suspension for a cheapshot, the opposing team can choose which player has to serve the suspension.​
• All suspensions shall be served from game1 of the regular season.​
• Exemple : Pare receives a 3 games suspension, MTL request that the suspension has to be served by Auston Matthews.​
• Arber Xhakej is suspended for 1 game. He's making the team roster so he is suspended for game #1 of the regular season.​

This is a horrible proposition. Why punish a player that had nothing to do with the play?
It's akin to suspending Suzuki or Slafkovsky because Florian Xhekaj did something stupid.

 

[Sasha Orlov]

All preseason games are played on NHL 24 on the Xbox

 

[HomaridII]

Limit the participation in the games to people on the 50 contract list plus unsigned drafted players. Have less games and lower the mandatory minimum requirements.

Life Losers like Pare who didn't even have a two way contract, have no business in an NHL camp. You like him, sign him and put him on your contracts list. Don't bring into an NHL training camp and NHL game a loser who does two handed baseball grip swings at people in ball hockey games (the clip is on x, but lets just say Pare is dangerous).

 

[Frankenheimer]

Dont play roster players during preseason. They play when regular season starts. Sure, they'll be rusty a few games, but there's way more deterrents in regular season.

-- star players need to play against players who actually have a stake in avoiding injury. No way a multimillionaire player sticks his knee out like that on that play. But a guy fighting to make the freaking AHL shouldnt be on the ice with a star player. All the microdecisions that result in that kind of collision change slightly when its a high caliber player averse to getting injured himself. Its like a well piloted plane avoiding danger edging by the obstruction because he anticipates the danger well before. However, a poorly piloted plane, as was the case here, finds itself in a situation it cant pull out from. Looking at the final split second of impact for a sign of intention is pointless. The poor piloting decisions started before. Thats why its nearly impossible to find a fault. Sure, not directly his fault at an intentional level, just a poor pilot with limited control of his monstrous frame directing unholy momentum and energy at multimillion dollar assets. Good job NHL!

-- so a proper analysis would look at the question of deterrent. Are there deterrents in the game itself that ensure players respect each other? Take for instance a major ingame or even post game suspension. Even if you suspend a player for a year it will have no bearing on the overall balance of the competition. Its a symbolic penalty as it has zero impact on the team. The player is a spare tire in a lower level league. But that player can ruin a teams future. How is it the NHL has created a situation in which no real punishment is possible for ending a players season? A real deterrent is having all your star players on the ice facing off against guys like Xman. Hey maybe now he thinks twice before sending his uncoordinated mound of flesh and limbs into oncoming traffic.

So really, its about making sure a game has real deterrents and real comparable consequences for actions, and making sure that a player that has absolutely no future in the nhl and skates around like he was born five minutes ago to a mare is nowhere in proximity to talent that ultimately pays his salary. That game was a joke. Why on earth is a preseason game a tryout for players trying to make the marlies?? Go play in ahl preseason games dude. Take your demonic knees and go wreck players of your own caliber if you want to make a career of it.

 

[yianik]

I actually don't have an issue with the preseason as it is. I think it is quite fine and allows for youngsters to effectively showcase themselves.

I hate the Laine and Reinbacher injuries but they are unfortunate/unlucky outcomes. I don't think the model itself is flawed.

It's flawed. One of the rules I had was never fight an ugly dude ( or at least uglier than me ) as he had less to lose. Alot of these guys know they have a hope in hell to latch onto an extra game let alone hit as an extra player on the roster. They are desperate so this clown knows he's beat and instead of letting it go he pushes out his knee. Or some guy wants to drop them with Xhekaj or Pezz because thats the only thing he can do to make an impression and lands a lucky shot that causes injury.

So fine. Rookie games and NHL players games

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

Dumb topic which should digress into even dumber ideas.

There is no way around the fact that players need a few games to get ready and asit is they already know that the away team is going to dress the minimum number of NHLers.

This is just reactionary babble and needn't go any further than this post.

 

[Rapala]

One of the things I'd like to see happen is all NHL pre games require a full compliment of NHL players and a limited number of prospects.
Stop the idiotic two games on successive nights with B teams and f***ing C teams don't call those NHL pre season games because we all know they are not.
I'd also like to have unlimited player substitution so everyone can get some work in. e.g. Suzuki gets a solid first period in and then off to the showers.
With six pre season games there is no reason all your top guys and prospects can't get some quality playing time in against better competition.

 

[Rapala]

Dumb topic which should digress into even dumber ideas.

There is no way around the fact that players need a few games to get ready and asit is they already know that the away team is going to dress the minimum number of NHLers.

This is just reactionary babble and needn't go any further than this post.

Sorry man but this is dumb. There are easy ways to fix things so that paying fans get what they pay for.
What percentage of the games that are held should even carry the NHL Logo?

 

[WeThreeKings]

Sorry man but this is dumb. There are easy ways to fix things so that paying fans get what they pay for.
What percentage of the games that are held should even carry the NHL Logo?

Plus the solution is actually working with your opponent to ensure you are both icing an equal complement of NHLers. What we are seeing right now is NHLers staying home and playing the goon squad being sent on the road. Leading to a bunch of nonsense around the league.

 

[HuGort]

I know saves travel expenses but not play rival teams. Games seem to be more chippy

 

[Gaud]

First off, i think if this is Condotta getting a knee injury, this debate doesn't exist. This stems from the disappointment of Laine getting injured before he could show anything.

I think cutting the number of games down isnt an option because it cuts owner profit. Lowering the number of veterans also lowers engagement from fans and prevents teams from evaluating their prospects against NHL talent.

I also get the sense that teams negotiate who will be on the ice to some degree. For example, Montreal will put their A team in a home game vs the Leafs, and the very next game, will put a B or C team the next game in Toronto. That way, you can see how Team B fares against an NHL team and the fans get to see their hometown faves. So i dont think that lowering or removing vets is the answer either.

I think changing the rules for preseason games is what would happen if the league chooses to make a change. For example, if something like this happens where the refs know there will be retaliation for a cheap shot, remove the offender from the games between the two teams. If not to prevent escalation, then to protect the other player from retaliation. I dont think Paré hit Laine with his knee on purpose, but it was obvious he would get jumped or have to fight.

Finally, should we simply have preseason games against teams that aren't divisional rivals? I feel like there would be less bad blood if Mtl was playing the Utah Yeti than the Leafs.

 

[slybel]

Nothing... its been like this forever.

 

[sandviper]

I think the best solution is hit them in the pocketbooks. Any sort of play that is fine-worthy or suspension worthy not only dings that player, but results in an automatic fine for the team and coach.

This should also reduce retaliatory hits, whether it’s a player taking matters into their own hands or coaches’ orders.

 

[Darz]

I think the easiest way to deal with this is to expand rosters for preseason games. Let teams dress like 15 forwards and 8 dmen. That way teams can play there top 6 forwards and top 4 dmen for like 5-10 minutes of games time and play more of the bottom tier players whom are fighting for jobs, kinda like preseason NFL. The starters play a drive or two then the backups take over.

 

[domiwroze]

So they are basically looking at the option #1. But making the 2 games season official instead.

Sometimes I feel smart and I laugh at people like @Estimated_Prophet that only cry over people's reactions and opinion on a FORUM. You might want to take a break brother, I don't know what you're going through but this season so far all you do is complain that people are talking on a forum. Maybe take a step back instead of attacking everyone saying that everyone is dumb all day.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1841277604067737707

 

[McGuires Corndog]

I’d rather see the NHL clamp down further on kneeing and slewfooting. The kneeing we keep seeing is being sold as “standing your ground” and that’s just bullshit.

There’s no reason a player should miss 6 months of action because you were gonna get beat 1-v-1 so you left your knee extended to make it harder to get around.

 

[Team_Spirit]

swap AHL and NHL camps, rookies and minor leaguers start early, the best ones are invited to the main camp.
 
3 ahl games 3 nhl games

 

[McGees]

Oh I know, more regular season games!
- said the billionaire owners

 

[Leon Lucius Black]

Reduce it to 3 games. This way teams will probably play most of their actual roster for at least 2 while letting guys fighting for chances get an opportunity.

Most teams only have a couple open spots that players are fighting for, there is no reason for actual NHL players to have to play against some random career AHL/ECHL plugs who will never come close to the NHL.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

So they are basically looking at the option #1. But making the 2 games season official instead.

Sometimes I feel smart and I laugh at people like @Estimated_Prophet that only cry over people's reactions and opinion on a FORUM. You might want to take a break brother, I don't know what you're going through but this season so far all you do is complain that people are talking on a forum. Maybe take a step back instead of attacking everyone saying that everyone is dumb all day.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1841277604067737707

I complain about the same scourge that infects all social media and people like me are needed to hold the toxic, pointless babble to a minimum. I am not the one who needs to go on a message all of the time board to vent angrily about a sport that I am just a spectator in. I am here for intelligent discussion and frankly am tired of parsing through pages of anti intellectual babble. In my actual life I have zero problem calling out people for poor behaviour and challenging their pointless rants.....the same goes here except there is a lot more push back from anonymous keyboard tough guys lol. I have no problem admitting when I am wrong or owning bad behaviour.

Just ignore me if you don't like my opinion, it does not matter to me at all.

 

[the valiant effort]

Reducing the preseason and adding to the regular season is peak-NHL-solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

 

[Habs13]

A top veteran line of Gallagher, Anderson and Dvorak, throw in Armia and Evans and then nobody cares if they get injured. Ok, maybe Evans...