NHL 2022-2023: FA July 13th - LET IT BEGIN

[KevShmev]

Damn, the Bruins are utterly clueless.  They rescinded their contract to Miller and then referred to his behavior as "an isolated incident." Are they really this dense?

[jingle.boy]

Neely/Sweeney done fucked up this one. Bigly.

[gmillerdrake]

He even continued it after juvenile court snd to this day shows no remorse.  That's why people are in an uproar.

He was one of those kids that someone needed to beat the crap out of in high school.  I am sure the "violent is never the answer" crowd will disagree, but a bully is never the same after getting punched in the teeth. 

I'm with you. Sometimes it takes a good person to step over the line to set things straight. 

Damn, the Bruins are utterly clueless.  They rescinded their contract to Miller and then referred to his behavior as "an isolated incident." Are they really this dense?

Neely/Sweeney done fucked up this one. Bigly.

So....I'll admit I was not 100% in the know on the backstory on this. I read a blurb about him being 14 when this all went down and that spurned my initial comment. After digging into it a bit and seeing that this wasn't just some 'teenage aloofness' issue and that this was more involved and his 'apologies' are just canned PR crap....I'm on board with how the NHL is handling this.

[jingle.boy]

After a disastrous western road trip, the Leafs have shown the fanbase why we hate them so much, by stringing 3 wins against the (at the time) 3 best points % teams in the East.  They had no right even being in the game yesterday against Carolina before it even started... back-2-back + road game + travel + backup (4th on the depth chart) goalie + less than 24 hours between games.  Yet they still gutted out a very nice win.

Damn frustrating when they play up (and down) to the level of their competition.  How does the team with these three recent wins also lose to Montreal, Arizona, San Jose, and Anaheim!?!?!   

Let's see what the Vegas game brings tomorrow.  Oh, and that 4th-string goalie is now their starter for the next couple of weeks, with the first 3 all being injured.

[TAC]

The Mitchell Miller Era is over in Boston.
Gee that was fun. The moment they announced the signing I knew the Bruins would lose in Toronto.

[gmillerdrake]

The Mitchell Miller Era is over in Boston.
Gee that was fun. The moment they announced the signing I knew the Bruins would lose in Toronto.

Well....you're playing the Blues tonight so you're win streak will start over.

[King Postwhore]

Finger's crossed. 

Between Don and Cam, they either sound like idiots who did not do the due diligence or they are most likely thought they wouldn't receive this much backlash.

[TAC]

The Mitchell Miller Era is over in Boston.
Gee that was fun. The moment they announced the signing I knew the Bruins would lose in Toronto.

Well....you're playing the Blues tonight so you're win streak will start over.

I think they'll have a much better effort than Saturday night's.

Between Don and Cam, they either sound like idiots who did not do the due diligence, or they are most likely thought they wouldn't receive this much backlash.

It's both.

[King Postwhore]

Yeah, I thought that too.

[jingle.boy]

The Mitchell Miller Era is over in Boston.
Gee that was fun. The moment they announced the signing I knew the Bruins would lose in Toronto.

Well....you're playing the Blues tonight so you're win streak will start over.

I think they'll have a much better effort than Saturday night's.

I don't think there was much wrong with their effort - it was pretty even from an offensive zone and possession standpoint.  There were a few stretches where the Bs looked like they were in control.  Looking at the box score, they didn't have a bad effort (SOG were low, but the Leafs blocked a bunch).  It was a pretty tight game for both sides the way I saw it..

[TAC]

The Mitchell Miller Era is over in Boston.
Gee that was fun. The moment they announced the signing I knew the Bruins would lose in Toronto.

Well....you're playing the Blues tonight so you're win streak will start over.

I think they'll have a much better effort than Saturday night's.

I don't think there was much wrong with their effort - it was pretty even from an offensive zone and possession standpoint.  There were a few stretches where the Bs looked like they were in control.  Looking at the box score, they didn't have a bad effort (SOG were low, but the Leafs blocked a bunch).  It was a pretty tight game for both sides the way I saw it..

So I thought Toronto had a great game plan against the Bruins. They all retreated to their blue line and stifled the bruins from gaining any speed through the neutral zone. They also clogged up the middle of their D-zone and had good sticks on a lot of passes.

I felt the Bruins were off, especially offensively. They weren't skating and creating, as they seemed to telegraph a lot of their passes in the Leafs' zone. Lots of pucks bouncing over sticks and whiffs on pucks. Pasta and Marchand particularly.

Like I said, not downplaying the Leafs' role in it..

[jingle.boy]

No disagreement there.  The Leafs had a couple games like that - Matthews nearly outright whiffed on a one-timer, and I couldn't believe the number of passes that hit his stick on the tape, then bounced away.

[jingle.boy]

Also, that pass Ovi made to Kuznetsov for the GWG last night was absolutely filthy.

Edmonton does not look good, no matter who they have in net.  Dubas is looking like a genius in letting Campbell walk.

But they still look better than the Blues.  Sheesh.  I almost feel bad for Gary/Kev .  As the old saying goes, you can't play your way IN to the Playoffs by November, but you sure can play your way OUT of the playoffs.  2019 was lightning in a bottle.  They better get their act together quick, or it's gonna be a fire-sale, and they might find themselves in the running for Bedard!

[King Postwhore]

That 3rd period of the B's/Blues was an onslaught of pressure in the Blues zone for it felt like most of the period.

[gmillerdrake]

  2019 was lightning in a bottle. 

Ehh...I get what you're saying BUT had Covid never happened they're defending their cup against the Lightning that season. They were on a heater heading into the playoffs....Binnington was in the zone....every other team in the Western conference was playing like ass.....zero doubt in my mind they roll through the West to defend their title. Then we know what happened.....Covid and that little joke of a tournament. BUT...I know what you're saying....their window was brief.

And the reason it was brief is because Doug Armstrong....for all the 'good' deals and signings he made...his EGO has put the Blues where they're at now. His refusal to give Petrangelo (and any other player for that matter) a 'no movement' clause essentially was the beginning of the end. The $$$ was there with Petro...he wanted the no movement and Armstrong has never given out one of those. Something he continually brags about and pounds his chest on like it's some sort of crowning achievement. What the Blues are experiencing right now is ALL on him. Period.

He could have re-signed Perron...yes....an aging veteran who is streaky in his play and has a concussion history BUT was also an incredible teammate and a vital locker room presence. By not resigning him you changed the chemistry of the room AND showed O'Reily the writing on the wall after this...his final season in his contract. Armstrong has historically taken a 'my way or the highway' approach with aging veterans....he did it with Backes, Petro and Perron and he'll do it with O'Reily and Tarasenko. So what's their incentive to commit to the team?

And, there are rumblings that several veteran players are LIVID about the 8 year $65 million dollar contract that Kyrou was signed to given he really hasn't 'earned' it. He's a massive defensive liability and hasn't 'learned' to play a full 200 ft game AND shows no signs of being able to after 2-1/2 years in the league.

So, while I appreciate the 'almost' feel sorry Chad....in my eyes....Armstrong is reaping what he has sewn with this team. Paryako, Schenn, Faulk and Krug all have these no trade deals and full term (7) year deals so he could keep the AAV down...but Paryako, Schenn and Krug are already starting to look like horrible deals and they have YEARS left on their contracts. It's a cluster  for sure and while it sucks to watch the bottom was always going to fall out at some point. I just thought we had another couple seasons before it did. Might as well get it over with and usher in the next era. 

[gmillerdrake]

That 3rd period of the B's/Blues was an onslaught of pressure in the Blues zone for it felt like most of the period.

Yep. And, if not for Binnington.....that's a 8-1 game. He's not been the problem this season. He's played great and has looked sharp. The issue is we have zero heart and buy in on the team.

[King Postwhore]

That 3rd period of the B's/Blues was an onslaught of pressure in the Blues zone for it felt like most of the period.

Yep. And, if not for Binnington.....that's a 8-1 game. He's not been the problem this season. He's played great and has looked sharp. The issue is we have zero heart and buy in on the team.

For sure.  My brother was text swearing at him to me.  LOL

[TAC]

He was giving me G7 1st period flashbacks. I almost vomited.

[gmillerdrake]

He was giving me G7 1st period flashbacks. I almost vomited.

    I actually thought about that. Like, what do Tim and Joe 'think' when Binnington makes another really good save. Does the blood start to boil.....

[King Postwhore]

He was giving me G7 1st period flashbacks. I almost vomited.

    I actually thought about that. Like, what do Tim and Joe 'think' when Binnington makes another really good save. Does the blood start to boil.....

See my post about my brother texting me. 

[romdrums]

Loved watching the Wings in the past few games.  Ville Husso has been a stud so far in net (4-1-1, 1.86 GAA, .941 save percentage, and 2 shutouts), and David Perron has been a nice glue guy on special teams (see the game winning goal against the Rangers on Sunday).  Blackhawks castoff Dominik Kubalik has been even more impressive.  With injuries to Todd Bertuzzi and Jakob Vrana entering the NHL Player Assistance Program, he's really shined with more ice time, to the tune of a team-leading 15 points in 12 games.  Dylan Larkin has been off to a great start as well with 15 pts in 12 games, and Lucas Raymond has started to come on as well.  It's their best start since 2010-2011, when they went 8-3-1 to start the year.

[gmillerdrake]

He was giving me G7 1st period flashbacks.

Every now and then I'll go back and re-watch that first period.....he 100% won the Cup for StL that period. No doubt about it. And, had that little BS fanned on knuckle puck goal not been scored at the end of the game when it didn't matter....he wins MVP.

Anyway.....the Bruins are looking legit. Happy for Montgomery (and you two). He's a good dude. He was the referee at a scrimmage game the team I coached played last year....we played it at the Centene Center which is the Blue's practice facility. One of the Blues alumni had a kid on the other team so I guess he lined up Montgomery to be the Ref. Super nice guy. Talked to us coaches a lot and was really vocal with all the kids playing....kind of helping them out and 'coaching' them as he officiated.

[King Postwhore]

That's very cool Gary.  Guys seem to react well to him.  Funny, look at Golden Knights.  They are reacting to Cassidy.  Both teams needed different approaches for their teams.

[Nick]

Taking out the Ducks who I expected to be not great at a goal differential of -22, the gap between a surprising -16 blues and a -25 Columbus is astounding. I haven't seen any of their games, are they really as bad as that early number would suggest?

[gmillerdrake]

Taking out the Ducks who I expected to be not great at a goal differential of -22, the gap between a surprising -16 blues and a -25 Columbus is astounding. I haven't seen any of their games, are they really as bad as that early number would suggest?

Blues - YES

The Blues have very inconsistent pressure in the 'O' zone....for the most part.....it's a lot of one and done scenarios. Hardly any cycling of the puck, just lazy play. They over pass and routinely miss the net. 

[KevShmev]

The Blues are done.  I am gonna be ticked if Berube takes the fall for this. This is on the players. Time to trade the veterans who don't want to be here anymore and start planning for the future.  If you are pissed about Kyrou's contract, go cry about it somewhere else.  Sadly, I doubt anyone is dumb enough to trade for Parayko and take on that contract, so that is an albatross that will linger, but it is what it is. 

[gmillerdrake]

The Blues are done.  I am gonna be ticked if Berube takes the fall for this. This is on the players. Time to trade the veterans who don't want to be here anymore and start planning for the future.  If you are pissed about Kyrou's contract, go cry about it somewhere else.  Sadly, I doubt anyone is dumb enough to trade for Parayko and take on that contract, so that is an albatross that will linger, but it is what it is.

Yeah…..it’s ugly right now.

[Nick]

The Blues are done.  I am gonna be ticked if Berube takes the fall for this. This is on the players. Time to trade the veterans who don't want to be here anymore and start planning for the future.  If you are pissed about Kyrou's contract, go cry about it somewhere else.  Sadly, I doubt anyone is dumb enough to trade for Parayko and take on that contract, so that is an albatross that will linger, but it is what it is.

Yeah…..it’s ugly right now.

Man, I was watching the Red Wings on both sides of the hockey game I was playing in, but I checked in on the Flyers stats and my worst fears for you guys were confirmed.

I can see the Flyers, though otherwise okay at best, beating any team as long as Carter Hart stays in Carey Price god carry mode. So losing 5-1 you'd still have given up way too many goals than you should have. But you gave the previously 0-8 Felix Sandstrom his first win with only one goal against. And that's... not great.

[gmillerdrake]

The Blues are done.  I am gonna be ticked if Berube takes the fall for this. This is on the players. Time to trade the veterans who don't want to be here anymore and start planning for the future.  If you are pissed about Kyrou's contract, go cry about it somewhere else.  Sadly, I doubt anyone is dumb enough to trade for Parayko and take on that contract, so that is an albatross that will linger, but it is what it is.

Yeah…..it’s ugly right now.

Man, I was watching the Red Wings on both sides of the hockey game I was playing in, but I checked in on the Flyers stats and my worst fears for you guys were confirmed.

I can see the Flyers, though otherwise okay at best, beating any team as long as Carter Hart stays in Carey Price god carry mode. So losing 5-1 you'd still have given up way too many goals than you should have. But you gave the previously 0-8 Felix Sandstrom his first win with only one goal against. And that's... not great.

Well....there was a perfect example of how things are going that happened early in the first. Robert Thomas had a WIDE open net from a foot away and he went to tuck it bar down and fired it over the net. I think the Blues hit another post that period also. It's just not good at all.

Last week Armstrong held a press conference (since then we've lost three more straight) and said this was ALL on the players....that Berube was 'safe'.....and that if they didn't turn it around he'd tear the team down and start over. Which, I get....BUT....without looking I'd say 90% of his 'tradable' players have No Trade Clauses. Not that you can't trade them but they pretty much control where they go.

Anyway, as I lamented earlier.....this whole thing is on HIM....not the players. His ego is the reason they are where they are.

[axeman90210]

Make it 7 in a row for the Devils. I would have liked to have seen a stronger overall performance given that we were well rested and Calgary was on the second half of a back-to-back, but a win's a win. Feels like games where we've won when maybe we should have lost thanks to our goalie have been hard to come by the last few years, but Vitek Vanecek has been great for us in almost every start this season.

[jingle.boy]

I gotta say, I think the Devils might be the most shocking / surprising team so far this season, imo.

[King Postwhore]

I gotta say, I think the Devils might be the most shocking / surprising team so far this season, imo.

For sure. Refreshing to see.

[pg1067]

So...Tkachuk got 2 games for trying to poke out Jonathan Quick's eye, while Kirill Kaprizov got a match penalty last night for trying to lop off Drew Doughty's chin with his stick.  WTF?!

I get that Doughty's an irritant, but is it open season on the Kings or something?!

[SchecterShredder]

So...Tkachuk got 2 games for trying to poke out Jonathan Quick's eye, while Kirill Kaprizov got a match penalty last night for trying to lop off Drew Doughty's chin with his stick.  WTF?!

I get that Doughty's an irritant, but is it open season on the Kings or something?!

I don't think it's a Kings issue.

Can't speak to the Kirill situation,  but Tkachuk is an easy answer: he's kind of a piece of garbage.

[Anguyen92]

So...Tkachuk got 2 games for trying to poke out Jonathan Quick's eye, while Kirill Kaprizov got a match penalty last night for trying to lop off Drew Doughty's chin with his stick.  WTF?!

I get that Doughty's an irritant, but is it open season on the Kings or something?!

It's always open season when teams see the Kings' PP success rate.  The Kings have the most amount of PPs drawn in the league so far.  I imagine the refs will pick up on that and maybe "miss" a few calls that could be Kings PPs. That means other teams will take liberty on playing the Kings a little more rough since it either means they can get away with a call when it could have been warranted or give a Kings a PP that would not convert.  That's something I did feel like the Oilers pick up on well during the playoff series when they had the clear special team edge.

Now in their defense with the Kings/Wild game yesterday, MAF was playing a lot better in net than he did the last two times he played against the Kings.  I just wished they converted on that Kaprizov major to put the dagger in early for the game.  I will settle for Gabe Vilardi scoring another game winning goal with a couple minutes left in the 3rd.  The Kings did dominate the possession game for most of the game.  Didn't think the Wild had as much threatening looks the other way and they got deflated hard after Kaprizov got ejected.