NHL (2020-2021) v. Draft, sign, & trade.

[Anguyen92]

It seems like the trend this offseason is signing highly-value named defensemen at at least $9M and getting max term for it. 

[SchecterShredder]

Nurse signed $8M/$74M    What in the actual fuck.  I'll bet Nurse's agent owes Hamilton's agent a Rolex or something.  That's ridiculous.

Rich... what's the scuttlebutt up there on that contract?

It's generally mixed feelings. Fanbase knew it was going to be expensive, but the hope was less than $9M per. The front half is probably ok if he continues to trend like he has the past couple seasons, but that back half....whoof, that's going to be an anchor.

Personally, I'm disappointed it didn't come in at 8 or 8.5, but only because this team is going to be in cap hell in 5 or 6 years. The contract isn't really surprising given what the Stars doled out for Heiskanen.

[jingle.boy]

Nurse signed $8M/$74M    What in the actual fuck.  I'll bet Nurse's agent owes Hamilton's agent a Rolex or something.  That's ridiculous.

Rich... what's the scuttlebutt up there on that contract?

It's generally mixed feelings. Fanbase knew it was going to be expensive, but the hope was less than $9M per. The front half is probably ok if he continues to trend like he has the past couple seasons, but that back half....whoof, that's going to be an anchor.

Personally, I'm disappointed it didn't come in at 8 or 8.5, but only because this team is going to be in cap hell in 5 or 6 years. The contract isn't really surprising given what the Stars doled out for Heiskanen.

I can't help but believe that GMs are counting on the cap going up a fair amount in the coming years.  I've no doubt that was factored into Dubas' plan with Toronto's 'big-4', and we all know how that's playing out - they've had to let every single mid-priced forward go (Marleau, JVR, Bozak, Kapanen, Johnssen, Hyman, Foligno) and rely far too much on young or old players at or around the league minimum.

Same thing is going to happen with Reilly next off-season.

[SchecterShredder]

This was the talk among my former season ticket partners this morning (we didn't renew the 2019-2020 season, which turned out fantastic in hindsight). Generally not liking the deal.

[jingle.boy]

Plus, Makar and Heiskanen have youth on their side.

I honestly think the Devils (with Hamilton) are to blame more than the others.  Jones is already top 5 in the league (imo).  Makar got nom'd for the Norris.  I think Heiskanen is cut from the same mould as Makar.

Time will tell.

[Anguyen92]

^^ Watch Adam Fox of the Rangers get 8 digits in AAV for his next contract.

[jingle.boy]

^^ Watch Adam Fox of the Rangers get 8 digits in AAV for his next contract.

Right!?!?!

[Anguyen92]

I'm impressed of what the Lightning did in their off-season.



Sure, they lost like four guys from their cup-winning roster to either Free Agency, the expansion draft, or trade, but they were still make moves, sign guys to small deals, and be able to get 22 roster players and ready to go for the season and be Cap Compliant by $10k (Seabrook's contract which is now LTIR is at $6,875,000).

[TAC]

RIP Tony Esposito

[jingle.boy]

RIP Tony Esposito

Yeah, I just saw that. We’re entering that time where our earliest idols will be passing on. 

[King Postwhore]

RIP Tony Esposito

Yeah, I just saw that. We’re entering that time where our earliest idols will be passing on. 

Just said this to my brother.

[pg1067]

RIP Tony Esposito

Yeah, I just saw that. We’re entering that time where our earliest idols will be passing on. 

Both sports and music.  The next decade is going to be tough in that regard.

[Hyperplex]

Thornton is a Panther for a year.

https://www.nhl.com/news/joe-thornton-signs-deal-with-florida/c-325963208?tid=281072352

[gmillerdrake]

Thornton is a Panther for a year.

https://www.nhl.com/news/joe-thornton-signs-deal-with-florida/c-325963208?tid=281072352

Man…..I can’t believe they wouldn’t or couldn’t find someone that would be a better fit. I get wanting ‘experience’ but the dude isn’t really useful anymore. Unless you’re just wanting the handful of cheap shots he will administer his year.

[romdrums]

Thornton is a Panther for a year.

https://www.nhl.com/news/joe-thornton-signs-deal-with-florida/c-325963208?tid=281072352

Man…..I can’t believe they wouldn’t or couldn’t find someone that would be a better fit. I get wanting ‘experience’ but the dude isn’t really useful anymore. Unless you’re just wanting the handful of cheap shots he will administer his year.

 

So true! Reminded me of this "fight" with Ryan Getzlaf.  Two "leaders" trying to "fire up their teams." Couple of whiners mad about getting cheap shotted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ki2ZKK9dLGQ

[Zydar]

Henrik Lundqvist retires from the game.

https://twitter.com/hlundqvist35/status/1428708803919364105?s=20

[jingle.boy]

Unsurprising.  Should be a 1st ballot HOF inductee.

[TheCountOfNYC]

While part of me is sad to see him retire, another part of me is happy that he never played an NHL game in another jersey. He’s one of the greatest Rangers of all time, and his number should be retired by the organization as soon as possible. No Ranger should wear the number 30 again. The impact he had on the team and the city can never be overstated. He will always be the King of New York.


EDIT: The Rangers officially announced that they will retire Lundqvist’s number this season.

[jingle.boy]

EDIT: The Rangers officially announced that they will retire Lundqvist’s number this season.

 

[romdrums]

EDIT: The Rangers officially announced that they will retire Lundqvist’s number this season.

 

It's a shame he wasn't able to win a Cup with the Rangers.  I was rooting pretty hard for them in 2014 against the Kings.  It always seemed like he was the primary reason those Rangers teams were competitive in the first place.  I always wish he had ended up in the Swedish Mafia in Detroit.

[KevShmev]

First off, this is not meant to imply that it was his fault they did not win a Cup, but are we sure that Lundqvist is a no-brainer HOFer?  0 Cups and only 1 Vezina doesn't exactly scream Hall of Famer to me when it comes to goalies.  Goalies are like QB's are to football, meaning that championships, fair or not, count for a lot, and if you don't have any, you had better have some ridiculous regular season accomplishments (see: Dan Marino) to be a no-brainer for the Hall, IMO.  And I am not sure Lundqvist passes the sniff test in that regard. Not saying he is not a HOFer by any means, just that he's one I have to give some thought to and do a little digging.

[pg1067]

First off, this is not meant to imply that it was his fault they did not win a Cup, but are we sure that Lundqvist is a no-brainer HOFer?  0 Cups and only 1 Vezina doesn't exactly scream Hall of Famer to me when it comes to goalies.  Goalies are like QB's are to football, meaning that championships, fair or not, count for a lot, and if you don't have any, you had better have some ridiculous regular season accomplishments (see: Dan Marino) to be a no-brainer for the Hall, IMO.  And I am not sure Lundqvist passes the sniff test in that regard. Not saying he is not a HOFer by any means, just that he's one I have to give some thought to and do a little digging.

These are my feelings as well, and I've always thought the whole "King" nickname was pretty amusing for a guy who only made one SCF and didn't win.

Looking at all-time GAA leaders, Lundqvist is #23.  That's pretty good...until you consider that two of the three guys immediately ahead of him are Manny Legace and Cory Schneider.  Of the top 22 (i.e., the guys ahead of Lundqvist) who are not active, six are not in the HOF (and the real number is probably eight because Ben Bishop and Cory Schneider both show up as active despite not having played in the NHL in 2020-21.  Also, the six active guys immediately behind Lundqvist aren't in the HOF.

Looking at save percentage, Lundqvist is #10.  Of the nine guys ahead of him, two are active (Rask and Vasilevskiy), four are in the HOF, one is Ben Bishop (again), and the other two are Tim Thomas (not gonna make it) and Roberto Luongo (likely gonna make it when eligible).

Career wins?  Luongo is #6.  Of the five guys ahead of him, three are in the HOF, and the other two are Luongo and Fleury (a shoe-in for the HOF).  Of the next seven guys after Lundqvist, five are in the HOF, and the other two are CuJo and Chris Osgood.

Lundqvist's numbers in the playoffs were generally better than his regular season numbers (except for win percentage, which was significantly worse).

He'll get in, but I don't think it's quite as much of a no-brainer as "no doubt first ballot."

[TheCountOfNYC]

He was the top goalie in the league for several years in an era with better goalies than ever. And look at the guys he’s had to stop pucks from. Crosby, Malkin, Ovechkin, Giroux, Kane, Stamkos, McDavid, Tavares, Matthews, MacKinnon, and so many other great players. In an era with more superstar talent spread throughout the league than ever before, Lundqvist consistently frustrated every team he played against. He stole games that the Rangers really had no business winning, standing on his head and bringing an era of sustained success to MSG that New York hockey fans had never seen before. Unfortunately one guy can’t win a championship, and the team that he gave everything to couldn’t bring him the championship that he deserved. Make no mistake about it though, with or without a Stanley Cup, he is still one of the greatest goalies to ever play the game.

[Anguyen92]

EDIT: The Rangers officially announced that they will retire Lundqvist’s number this season.

 

It's a shame he wasn't able to win a Cup with the Rangers.  I was rooting pretty hard for them in 2014 against the Kings.  It always seemed like he was the primary reason those Rangers teams were competitive in the first place.  I always wish he had ended up in the Swedish Mafia in Detroit.

If I'm honest, when it was down to the conference finals in 2014, despite rooting for the Kings, the Rangers were the one team I really had no issues with winning the cup (mainly due to Lundqvist) since I really didn't want to see Blackhawks or Habs win it.

[KevShmev]

To play Devil's Advocate a little more, if he was really the top goalie in the league for years, why didn't he win more than 1 Vezina?  Heck, he was only All-NHL first team once and All-NHL second once, meaning only twice was he considered one of the top two goalies in the league that season.

As for better goalies than ever, not sure about that.  Maybe there are good goalies, but there are less great ones, ones who have longevity.  Since I started watching hockey, Roy, Brodeur and Hasek are the three best by a massive distance.  Not sure who is 4th, but whoever it is is lagging by a margin to large too calculate.

Roy - 4 Cups, 3 Conn Smythes, 3 Vezinas
Brodeur - 3 Cups, 0 Conn Smythes, 4 Vezinas
Hasek - 2 Cups, 0 Conn Smythes, 6 Vezinas
Lundqvist - 0 Cups, 0 Conn Smythes, 1 Vezina

But it is probably unfair to compare him to the three best ever, so let's compare him to his peers from his own era.

Lundqvist - 0 Cups, 0 Conn Smythes, 1 Vezina
Price - 0 Cups, 0 Conn Smythes, 1 Vezina
Fleury - 3 Cups, 0 Conn Smythes, 1 Vezina
Bobrovsky - 0 Cups, 0 Conn Smythes, 2 Vezinas
Thomas - 1 Cup, 1 Conn Smythe, 2 Vezinas
Vasilevskiy - 2 Cups, 1 Conn Smythe, 1 Vezina
Quick - 2 Cups, 1 Conn Smythe, 0 Vezina

So, he really doesn't even stand out in his own era.  Sure, there is more to it, but, again, I am not arguing that he is not a Hall of Famer, merely that he is not a lock.

[jingle.boy]

Perhaps not a lock on statistics, but I think he’ll also get a sentimental swing to his votes. I think Luongo is the most accurate “comp”.

[Anguyen92]

Here's an interesting note about Lundqvist's draft year.  He was drafted in 2000 at #205.  Round 7.  You know never what you can find in those later rounds.  You can probably find a golden goalie that can keep your franchise in a deep playoff run hunt for a lengthy period of time.  The guy that got drafted at #1?  Goalie Rick DiPietro of the Islanders who got bought out and then is paid $1.5 million a year for 16 years due to the buyout since 2013.  Probably sucks for him that he couldn't play healthy till the end of his contract, but getting paid $1.5 million a year for 16 years and not have to do anything for it sounds nice.

[TAC]

Lundqvist is easily a first ballot HOFer. I've always thought of him as a tad overrated, but it's not a hill I'd die on over.

To play Devil's Advocate a little more, if he was really the top goalie in the league for years, why didn't he win more than 1 Vezina?  Heck, he was only All-NHL first team once and All-NHL second once, meaning only twice was he considered one of the top two goalies in the league that season.

As for better goalies than ever, not sure about that.  Maybe there are good goalies, but there are less great ones, ones who have longevity.  Since I started watching hockey, Roy, Brodeur and Hasek are the three best by a massive distance.  Not sure who is 4th, but whoever it is is lagging by a margin to large too calculate.

Roy - 4 Cups, 3 Conn Smythes, 3 Vezinas
Brodeur - 3 Cups, 0 Conn Smythes, 4 Vezinas
Hasek - 2 Cups, 0 Conn Smythes, 6 Vezinas
Lundqvist - 0 Cups, 0 Conn Smythes, 1 Vezina

But it is probably unfair to compare him to the three best ever, so let's compare him to his peers from his own era.

Lundqvist - 0 Cups, 0 Conn Smythes, 1 Vezina
Price - 0 Cups, 0 Conn Smythes, 1 Vezina
Fleury - 3 Cups, 0 Conn Smythes, 1 Vezina
Bobrovsky - 0 Cups, 0 Conn Smythes, 2 Vezinas
Thomas - 1 Cup, 1 Conn Smythe, 2 Vezinas
Vasilevskiy - 2 Cups, 1 Conn Smythe, 1 Vezina
Quick - 2 Cups, 1 Conn Smythe, 0 Vezina

So, he really doesn't even stand out in his own era.  Sure, there is more to it, but, again, I am not arguing that he is not a Hall of Famer, merely that he is not a lock.

He's a definite lock.

Safe to say he never played on a team that any of the guys you listed played on.


Again, I think he's a tad overrated, but I'd never hold his lack of a Cup against him.

[KevShmev]

Here's an interesting note about Lundqvist's draft year.  He was drafted in 2000 at #205.  Round 7.  You know never what you can find in those later rounds.  You can probably find a golden goalie that can keep your franchise in a deep playoff run hunt for a lengthy period of time.  The guy that got drafted at #1?  Goalie Rick DiPietro of the Islanders who got bought out and then is paid $1.5 million a year for 16 years due to the buyout since 2013.  Probably sucks for him that he couldn't play healthy till the end of his contract, but getting paid $1.5 million a year for 16 years and not have to do anything for it sounds nice.

Ah, so he is hockey's Bobby Bonilla.

Lundqvist is easily a first ballot HOFer. I've always thought of him as a tad overrated, but it's not a hill I'd die on over.
 
He's a definite lock.

Safe to say he never played on a team that any of the guys you listed played on.


Again, I think he's a tad overrated, but I'd never hold his lack of a Cup against him.

I am not holding it against him per se, merely pointing out that his lack of regular season dominance is a bit more glaring without any Cups (in the context of calling him a lock for the Hall).  I don't think anyone would say Fleury has been a dominant regular season goalie all-time, but he has 3 Cup wins, so he will get in.  Fair or not, Cup victories do matter when it comes to goalies and the Hall of Fame, similar to Super Bowl wins and QB's.  Some actually think Chris Osgood is a legit Hall of Fame candidate, and his Cup success is the only reason why.

[pg1067]

He was the top goalie in the league for several years in an era with better goalies than ever. And look at the guys he’s had to stop pucks from. Crosby, Malkin, Ovechkin, Giroux, Kane, Stamkos, McDavid, Tavares, Matthews, MacKinnon, and so many other great players. In an era with more superstar talent spread throughout the league than ever before, Lundqvist consistently frustrated every team he played against. He stole games that the Rangers really had no business winning, standing on his head and bringing an era of sustained success to MSG that New York hockey fans had never seen before. Unfortunately one guy can’t win a championship, and the team that he gave everything to couldn’t bring him the championship that he deserved. Make no mistake about it though, with or without a Stanley Cup, he is still one of the greatest goalies to ever play the game.

THE top goalie?  I don't think so.  As Kev pointed out, he only won one Vezina, and his post season accolades are, at best, pedestrian when compared to others of his era.  However, for his first ten years in the league, he never finished lower than 7th in Vezina voting.  I only looked at the years Lundqvist was active, and no one else during that time had that kind of consistency (Luongo came close).  But there was (almost) always someone better.  Initially, it was Kiprusoff and Brodeur.  Then you had Tim Thomas and Ryan Miller.  Then Price and Bobrovsky.  Even the year he won the Vezina, he was outshined by Jonathan Quick, who, despite having an inferior team around him, had a better GAA and SV% and who put his team on his back to win the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe.

I don't think that, in the last 15 years (or maybe just the time since Brodeur retired) there has been A top goalie in the NHL.  But Lundqvist was probably the most consistently really good goalie for a decade-plus, and that definitely makes him HOF-worthy.  I don't put any stock in "first ballot," though, and figure whether he gets in on the first ballot depends on who else becomes eligible when he does.

[TAC]

RIP Jimmy Hayes.
Fucking 31 y/o.

WTF??

[Hyperplex]

Rod Gilbert passed away as well.

https://www.nhl.com/news/rod-gilbert-dies-at-80-hall-of-fame-forward-with-rangers/c-326007750

[jingle.boy]

Not NHL, but that was a great Gold Medal game last night. Did the ladies get any espouse down south?

Parayko at 8/52 is a great deal, imo

Isles finally announced their signings. Not surprising, and those are some great players they have locked up.

[Anguyen92]

Looking at the Blues' cap space on CapFriendly, they only got one more RFA to sign (Robert Thomas) and only $1.5M of Cap Space left.  You guys think that gets the job done or are they still hopeful that they can trade Tarasenko and free up some space?

[jingle.boy]

I can’t see anyone taking him at face value.  You’d think the Blues will need to eat part of his AAV.