Official '19-'20 NHL Thread - v. Hedman is a cupman.

[TAC]

https://www.tsn.ca/dreger-discusses-laine-s-reported-comments-remaining-rfa-s-1.1367204

Jason, what's going on here?

[gmillerdrake]

https://www.tsn.ca/dreger-discusses-laine-s-reported-comments-remaining-rfa-s-1.1367204

Jason, what's going on here?

Not only this but Dustin Byfuglien has requested and been granted a leave of absence to 'contemplate his future'.


https://deadspin.com/the-jets-nightmare-offseason-keeps-getting-worse-1838212585

[jingle.boy]

Best quote in that article ... "It’s a jarring reminder that a contending window never stays open for long, and every missed opportunity while it’s still cracked is one opportunity that’ll never come around again."

Jets are victims of doing a good job (too good??) at drafting and developing.  Same problem the Leafs have.  Laine doesn't deserve anything other than a bridge deal to see if he's the player he was for his first two seasons, or if he's the player he was that (disregarding the 18 he scored in November last year) only scored 12 goals in 70 games.  It wouldn't surprise me to see him dealt, or out of the NHL for the whole year.

[gmillerdrake]

Just found out that my middle sons hockey team gets to go down to the Enterprise Center (Blues Arena) this Saturday after their game in the morning and go out on the ice.... and get a Team Picture with the Stanley Cup!!!!     What makes it even more cool is that I'm coaching this team so I'll be in the pic also    they then get to stay on the ice for a half hour and skate!!!

[jingle.boy]

Just found out that my middle sons hockey team gets to go down to the Enterprise Center (Blues Arena) this Saturday after their game in the morning and go out on the ice.... and get a Team Picture with the Stanley Cup!!!!     What makes it even more cool is that I'm coaching this team so I'll be in the pic also    they then get to stay on the ice for a half hour and skate!!!

Holy f'n shitballs man... that's a-fucking-mazing!!!     Wonder if it's the real cup, or the replica.  Who cares though!

Makes my excitement of going to the Leafs/Sabres preseason game tomorrow kinda miniscule.  Also picking my 6-7 games for the season on Monday.  I'm gonna make a play for the St. Louis game in December.  Hoping Buffalo can dress a competitive team this year. 

I think the Atlantic is gonna be a tough one this year:

Tampa - doubt they have 62 games in them, and I'm certain Point will get signed before the season starts.  I still think they win it.
Boston - hard to say.  If the combination of Rask/Halak can play as they did last year, they ought to be a lock for #2/#3
Florida - they'll make the leap, and it wouldn't surprise me if they were #2/#3.  Adding Bobs, Quenville, and the depth they have up front with 2 superstar defensemen... they're going to make a big improvement this year.
Toronto - guaranteed 9 new players in the starting lineup to begin the season.  Methinks October is going to be a rough start for them before they gel.  It seriously wouldn't surprise me to see them drop to a WC spot.  Plus, their salary cap issues are going to make things REAL problematic if there is any kind of minor injury trouble.  The thought around here is that there is a real possibility that they may have trouble even dressing a full lineup if/when there are injuries.
Montreal - they are going to contend again, and might surprise some people
Buffalo - they can't be any more pathetic than last year (can they?), but have to figure out what to with Ristolainen
Detroit/Ottawa - guaranteed bottom 2... though Ottawa has a lot of promise.

I think the Atlantic has a real chance to take 5 of the East playoff spots.  The Metro doesn't look all that impressive.  Washington will stay strong, but NJ (with Hall back for a full season, and other additions) is the only team that looks like they've improved.  Maybe Philli, but not enough to be a playoff contender.  CBJ, Isles, Hurricanes all look like they'll take a step back this year.  Pitt... at some point, age is going to catchup with their big 3 (Sid, Geno, and Letang).  I don't see how/where they've improved.

[gmillerdrake]

Just found out that my middle sons hockey team gets to go down to the Enterprise Center (Blues Arena) this Saturday after their game in the morning and go out on the ice.... and get a Team Picture with the Stanley Cup!!!!     What makes it even more cool is that I'm coaching this team so I'll be in the pic also    they then get to stay on the ice for a half hour and skate!!!

Holy f'n shitballs man... that's a-fucking-mazing!!!     Wonder if it's the real cup, or the replica.  Who cares though!

The 'real' cup is in town as it just had the names engraved and all the players and owners are tweeting and posting pics with it from the Rink and Offices, even their homes. But like you said.....who really cares if it isn't!? It's gonna be a cool experience.

[romdrums]

I think the Atlantic is gonna be a tough one this year:

Tampa - doubt they have 62 games in them, and I'm certain Point will get signed before the season starts.  I still think they win it.
Boston - hard to say.  If the combination of Rask/Halak can play as they did last year, they ought to be a lock for #2/#3
Florida - they'll make the leap, and it wouldn't surprise me if they were #2/#3.  Adding Bobs, Quenville, and the depth they have up front with 2 superstar defensemen... they're going to make a big improvement this year.
Toronto - guaranteed 9 new players in the starting lineup to begin the season.  Methinks October is going to be a rough start for them before they gel.  It seriously wouldn't surprise me to see them drop to a WC spot.  Plus, their salary cap issues are going to make things REAL problematic if there is any kind of minor injury trouble.  The thought around here is that there is a real possibility that they may have trouble even dressing a full lineup if/when there are injuries.
Montreal - they are going to contend again, and might surprise some people
Buffalo - they can't be any more pathetic than last year (can they?), but have to figure out what to with Ristolainen
Detroit/Ottawa - guaranteed bottom 2... though Ottawa has a lot of promise.

Ottawa may have promise, but you know Melnyk's gonna Melnyk that right up.  I'm very interested in seeing how Florida comes together this year.  They are the true wild card in that division, in more ways than one.  I think Detroit will start moving up next year, once they clear the dead weight from their defense.  This is the last year for Ericsson, Daley and Green, which I'm really happy about.  As long as Filip Hronek continues to grow and Cholowski can take the next step, and with Seider and McIsaac about a year away, they could start making some noise in the division within the next few years as Tampa and Boston age, Toronto gets sucked into cap hell, and Buffalo and Ottawa continue to be raging dumpster fires.

[gmillerdrake]

So, it was a pretty incredible experience yesterday getting to go out on the Enterprise Center's ice...sit with the Owner of the Blues, Tom Stillman, and get a team photo with the cup. They they let us have about 5 minutes with the Cup to touch it and take some quick pics.....then let the team skate on the ice for about 15 minutes. It was so cool. I had moments of some tears welling up as it was just such a cool thing to share with my son. I can say this....that Cup is WAY shinier in person that it seems on television. Anyway, here are a couple pics...



As they were setting up the team shot:




My kiddo touching the Cup for the first time: (notice the owner right there...in the top/back left)




I got down in there for a second as well:




Some more of the team:






Tom Stillman skating with the kids:  (I had the chance to speak with him for 5 minutes or so. Very humble man, very grateful for the fans...So Happy for him to get the cup. He's one of the 'good guys')




Kiddos Skating:  (I took my skates also. There was no way I was missing that chance to skate on the ice)








Finally...a quick team pic by the Benches:

[TAC]

Awesome!!

[jingle.boy]

That is absolutely amazing!

[Anguyen92]

Can we name Gmillerdrake, father of the year of DTF yet or no?  Seriously, though.  That's awesome.  These are the kinds of moments that kids will hold onto forever.

[gmillerdrake]

I'm digging the trade the Blues and 'Cane's made.

Blues get Justin Faulk and a 5th round pic. Cane's get Joel Edmunson, prospect Dominik Bokk and a 7th round pic. And, Faulk signs a 7 year, $45 mil extension with the Blues which I like. What I like about it is the breakdown of payment per year. They are paying him well during  his 'prime' years and the final two are not bad hits at all.
(Y1 $9 mil  Y2 $9 mil  Y3 $5.85 mil   Y4 $7.9 mil   Y5 $4.75 mil   Y6 $4.5 mil   Y7  $4.5 mil)  First five years there's a full no trade, last two it's a limited no trade.

There's a lot of talk around StL now that this means they won't be resigning Petrangelo after his deal expires this year. The Blue's GM says that when they talked to Faulk he understood they had guys the Blues wanted to resign (Petro and Schenn) and that's why they structured his contract the way they did.

I like Petro....he came a long way in my eyes last year in the playoffs. He eats a lot of ice time and is one of the better Dmen in the league. BUT....at the end of his contract he'll be close to 31 years old. It's rumored he wants 7 years, $8+ mil a year. There's no way I could give him 7 years at his age and amount of hard minutes he's logged. I may give him 3-4 year deal at $8 mil....but he's not 'worth' a 7  year term IMO. He has deep ties to St. Louis as his wife is a StL girl....so maybe he takes less money or less term.

As far as Schenn goes....I like him but he'd be my least priority to sign. The Blues have Klim Kostin, Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas, Robby Fabbri and a few more young guys that are ready or that have burst into the scene that can fill that void IMO. Schenn is an intense player who can fire up your team....but he also disappears for games at a time. He's rumored to want $7-7.5 mil a year and I just don't know if he's worth that.

[jingle.boy]

Hell, the talk around Toronto TV/Radio was that Pietro just might be dealt before the season starts.  Blues are VERY deep at defense now, and in paying Faulk $6.5M AAV, that's EXACTLY what Pietro is making right now.  That's a lot to be paying a guy who may potentially be on the 3rd pairing.  Question to you/Kev... has last year's turmoil between he and the club been resolved, or are there still hard feelings?

One hypothesis tossed out was trading Pietro for Laine.  Jets aren't going to pay Laine what he thinks he deserves, and they went from very deep at D, to shockingly thin - especially if Buff retires.

Got my games established for the Sabres seats I have - Dallas, San Jose, St. Louis, Florida, Winnipeg, Chicago and NYR.  Really wanted the Dallas, Florida, St. Lou and Wpg games, so I'm pleased with what I got.

[gmillerdrake]

Question to you/Kev... has last year's turmoil between he and the club been resolved, or are there still hard feelings?

Well......both he and the club 'say' the right things....but it's tough to tell. In a recent article on The Athletic Jeremy Rutherford asked him how contract talks were going and he shut down the question very abruptly. It feels like to me that he believes he's 'owed' this contract in some way.....maybe thinking his current contract wasn't exactly at the level it should have been? I don't know? Like I said....I like him and he's a solid player but up until that Cup Run last year he was always just a really good D Man....not top tier. Even now, I feel like he's just got one foot on the top tier and one still on the step below.

With how deep the Blues are at D and his age.....I personally wouldn't be devastated if the Blues moved on from him. I know he eats a lot of valuable ice time and plays the 'hard' minutes....but that's a mantle I believe Paryako will easily take over were Petro to leave.


And...considering the Jets are a direct rival to the Blues a trade with them would seem silly....even if it were for a pre-madonna player like Laine.

[jingle.boy]

I hear ya ... inter-division trades are always risky, in case ya end up blowing the deal, and the other team gets the best of it.  I believe guys like Pietro ... late 20s/early 30s guys that are looking to cash in on their UFA contract years, are gonna be sorely disappointed. 

The game is changing, and with all these bridge deals for the youngins being given out now, teams are just kicking the can down the road for the big pay day.  Brayden Point at $6.75M right now is great ... in 3 years, after the new CBA, and assuming he keeps performing/improving, I can see him coming close to doubling that.  The BIG money is now going to younger players and teams are paying for potential, as opposed to paying for the expectation that past performance will continued.  There's just too much analytics in the game that the organizations are going to base decisions on (ie, Moneyball)... and I don't see it in putting the most money into contracts that will last to the time a player is in or past his mid-30s.

I mean, look at Doughty's contract.  That's about to become a bloody cluster for his age/performance - $11M for the next 7 years    Same with Karlsson - $11.5M AAV when he's 35/36?  Those two are NOT the best D-men in the league, and shouldn't (won't?) be paid as such for the next 5 years.  Now, Giordano just won the Norris, and Lidstrom won 4 after the age of 35, so maybe I'm way off base here.

[SystematicThought]

That’s why, it’s a controversial opinion to have, I’m fine with Karlsson not being in Ottawa anymore. He’s really injury prone and was demanding money that wouldn’t exactly be helpful to a team that would eventually need to be in a rebuild. Plus when he’s 38, he’s not gonna be worth 11.5 million. I realize too that in 8 years, the cap should be much higher to the point that 11.5 is small compared to today, but I just don’t see giving an injury prone defenseman 11.5 million for so long.

[TAC]

With how deep the Blues are at D and his age.....I personally wouldn't be devastated if the Blues moved on from him. I know he eats a lot of valuable ice time and plays the 'hard' minutes....but that's a mantle I believe Paryako will easily take over were Petro to leave.

Pietrangelo had such a beastly Finals. The Blues would not have won the Cup without him, as he was easily the best D Man on the ice for both teams. Parayko was invisible, I thought.

That said, Parayko is the future stud there.

The Jets would be nuts to trade Laine for Pietrangelo though.

But I agree that with Faulk, which was a great move, Pietrangelo could and should be had for the right price.

[jingle.boy]

The issue with Laine is *which* Laine is going to show up... this year, and/or for the rest of his career.  The one that lit up November and is easily a future 50-goal / Rocket winner?  Or the guy that couldn't hit the broadside of a barn, skates like he's in mud, and is a constant defensive liability.

The guy might have the potential to score like Ovi, but the rest of his game is nothing like Ovi, that's for sure.

[chknptpie]

Can someone just let me know if the Avs are worth watching yet? I don't care to watch shitty hockey.

[TAC]

The issue with Laine is *which* Laine is going to show up... this year, and/or for the rest of his career.  The one that lit up November and is easily a future 50-goal / Rocket winner?  Or the guy that couldn't hit the broadside of a barn, skates like he's in mud, and is a constant defensive liability.

The guy might have the potential to score like Ovi, but the rest of his game is nothing like Ovi, that's for sure.

I think it's too early to give up on him. but…

Is it a work ethic thing with him?

[SystematicThought]

Can someone just let me know if the Avs are worth watching yet? I don't care to watch shitty hockey.

I actually think they are going to be fun to watch this year and only going to get scarier as the next few years roll on. In my opinion, yes, they are worth watching. They have a lot of weapons in their arsenal

[chknptpie]

Can someone just let me know if the Avs are worth watching yet? I don't care to watch shitty hockey.

I actually think they are going to be fun to watch this year and only going to get scarier as the next few years roll on. In my opinion, yes, they are worth watching. They have a lot of weapons in their arsenal

Okay... I'll give em a few games to impress me lol

[gmillerdrake]

Parayko was invisible, I thought.

Well....I think Petro might have gotten the coverage but Paryako wasn't invisible by any means. Not sure how hard you were looking at the Blues though  . He and Boumeester literally shut down each respective teams top lines series after series. There were many reasons the Blues won the cup and their pairing and Paryako's play in particular was one of them. He played a lot of minutes and is nearly impossible to get by as a forward....even if you do he will catch you.

I'm not trying to diminish what Petro did in the playoffs last year....I even stated such when I said he finally reached that top tier echelon. BUT.....his age will work against him when it comes to wanting that 7 year   $8+ mil contract that has been coming out of his camp. He may get it....but it won't be from the Blues.

[TAC]

He really didn't stand out to me. His play was solid. I expected him to stand out a lot more.

Boumeester had a great Finals. I thought Parayko was a passenger.

[SystematicThought]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/2019/09/24/auston-matthews-faces-disorderly-conduct-hearing/2434848001/

What the hell was he thinking? Worse, he didn't tell the Maple Leafs. Dubas just said that he found out about it on Twitter. It's stupid stuff that he was doing, but to not tell the team about it?

[TAC]

Marner is thinking I should've held out 3 more weeks.

[jingle.boy]

I dare anyone to tell me they didn't do anything even stupider during a night of drinking in their early 20s. Society is so godamn judgmental and puts everyone under a microscope in doing so.  This should be a non-issue. He mooned Paula Blart, ffs. How is this news worthy?  That USA article didn't provide half the details the Toronto media is reporting, and makes it out like he was on the verge of assaulting her. I for one know that police often have a tendency to embellish actual events, and have no doubt that's what's happening here.

[SystematicThought]

I don't have an issue with what he did so much, just more of that he didn't tell the team. If I'm paying someone 15 million a year to represent my brand, I'd like to know if something happened where the police got involved. Maybe it was a non-issue to him, but from her perspective maybe it was a really uncomfortable situation and unwanted interaction. But like I said, tell the team. He told his parents, told his agent, but didn't think to call the team? I'd be pissed if I was the TMLs and I had to find out about this when the rest of us did.

[jingle.boy]

I hadn't seen anything suggesting the team JUST found out when he rest of us did?

[gmillerdrake]

Thank goodness this ‘gotcha’ culture wasn’t around during Brett Hulls era. He’d have been screwed.     There are some stories about he and that Blues teams partying days.

For his 60th birthday I took my Dad to a private charity vent where Hulk, Kelly Chase, Federko, Plager, Unger and a few other alumni we’re at. It was a nice dinner and a night of them on a small stage telling story after story of their shenanigans. It was insane.

I’m not excusing Matthews actions.....but like Chad said......this dude is young and let those who have not sinned cast the first stone.

[SchecterShredder]

I hadn't seen anything suggesting the team JUST found out when he rest of us did?

Dubas himself said he found out on Twitter, so...yeah Matthews never told the team.

Is this as big a deal as the media are making it out to be? No.

Does this show that Matthews is too immature to be an NHL captain? Absolutely.

Yes, young people do all kinds of stupid shit. Even more so if you're young, famous and rich as fuck. That's still no excuse to try to hide this behaviour from your team, and it's a clear sign you don't have the leadership you'd expect from a captain.

[SchecterShredder]

https://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/leafs-dubas-says-he-learned-of-charge-against-auston-matthews-via-twitter-1.4611116

The title of the article says it all.

[jingle.boy]

https://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/leafs-dubas-says-he-learned-of-charge-against-auston-matthews-via-twitter-1.4611116

The title of the article says it all.

Fair enough... I just hadn't heard/seen it.  And yeah, not telling the team was the bigger (professional) blunder than the actual event itself.  I'd say it definitely affects whether or not he gets the "C" now.

[jingle.boy]

So much for that Laine theory ... 2 year deal, $6.75M AAV.  Man, they do NOT have a lot of faith in him.

[TAC]

That's an interesting contract.