NHL 2023-2024: Playoff Time. Hello Darkness.....

[Nick]

Yeah, that's a hilariously bad contract.

[jingle.boy]

It's remarkably similar to the contract the Oil gave Lucic ... and we all remember how fast that one turned ugly as shit.

[TAC]

I can't believe he's back in Boston. The Bruins have had a shit offseason.

[jingle.boy]

I can't believe he's back in Boston. The Bruins have had a shit offseason.

[TAC]

I knew that was coming.

[Anguyen92]

It's pretty funny how the Capitals gave Tom Wilson that contract at that length.  You would think the length at that number would be around the same amount of years that Bäckström and Ovi has left in their active NHL careers.  I would think this contract is to ensure Ovi does his thing in attempting to break the goals record while Wilson handles the dirty business and then once Ovi goes back to Russia (since I think he wants to finish his active playing career there once his current deal is up) and the Capitals are forced to rebuild their team around younger talent (whoever that might be in five years), Tom Wilson will still be there doing the dirty business while the youth does their thing.

This could end up (down the line, not in the now) being something similar to what the Blackhawks are doing getting guys like Foligno and Perry to ensure Bedard play at the high-end superstar caliber level he needs to be while they care of the dirty work and to ensure someone does not try to make a name for himself at Bedard's expense.  The problem for the Capitals is that they don't have a high-end potential young player yet that I know of.  Also, I just don't think Wilson would be as effective at 35 than what he has shown at his most useful.  Guys that play that style falls off hard in their 30s.

[Anguyen92]

Well, it's done.  Somehow, the Sharks were able to move Erik Karlsson to the Penguins with four years left on the contract.  A lot of movement happening.  I don't hate it for the Penguins if this move was done 10 years ago, because if Letang and Karlsson are healthy and playing well, that's a good 1-2 punch on the blueline where teams have to play against one of them for 45 minutes per game.  Of course, they are in their 30s and trends are leaning towards them declining, so who knows.  Big bold move for Kyle Dubas in his 1st season as GM and President for the Pens.



https://twitter.com/penguins/status/1688213357734641664

[TAC]

He really only gave up a 1st Rounder, and a lot of flotsam & jetsam, though some decent f&j. It's all about Crosby's window.

[jingle.boy]

Rick Jeanneret, the voice of the Buffalo Sabres for five decades, died Thursday. He was 81.

Adieu to the voice of two of the most memorable calls in NHL history.   :'(

He retired as the longest-tenured play-by-play announcer in NHL history when he called his final game April 29, 2022, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as the recipient of the Foster Hewitt Award in 2012.

[Anguyen92]

This was a pretty good call.

Rick Jeanneret's famous 'May Day' Broadcast Call

[axeman90210]

Not gonna lie, I just about had a stroke scrolling through Facebook the other night and seeing "RIP RJ" as a post from someone who's a Sabres fan.

[jingle.boy]

This was a pretty good call.

Rick Jeanneret's famous 'May Day' Broadcast Call

The fact this goal completed an unbelievably improbable sweep of the Bruins pleases me to no end. 

Oh, and the fact he undressed Borque even more so than Lemieux’s famous beat down on Borque was simply *chefs kiss*

[King Postwhore]

It's Bourque you heathen.  Lol

[jingle.boy]

It's Bourque you heathen.  Lol

You?!?  You are going to call out typos!?!?!!!

[King Postwhore]

Finally!  It's my time now. Lol

[Stadler]

Jeanneret was good but he's no Jack Edwards.

[Stadler]

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/connor-mcdavid-shows-up-to-beer-league-hockey-game-team-loses-in-blowout-182724373.html

Patrice Bergeron wouldn't have lost that game. 

[Anguyen92]

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/connor-mcdavid-shows-up-to-beer-league-hockey-game-team-loses-in-blowout-182724373.html

Patrice Bergeron wouldn't have lost that game. 

At least, someone on the Kings finally gets to one-up McDavid in something and it's the right one.

The Richmond Hill, Ontario, native wasn’t the only ringer on the ice, as Los Angeles Kings forward Quinton Byfield — who signed autographs post-game — lined up on the winning side against his Pacific Division rival.

[SchecterShredder]

Div 1 be league is legit hockey.  Most players played junior A or better,  and, around the Edmonton leagues,  there's always a handful of pro players. Even the ball hockey leagues usually get an AHL player or two.

I'm glad some players go out and enjoy a game or two.  I remember an interview with Ales Hemsky years and years ago where he said the thing he looked forward to the most after his pro career ended was to play beer league roller hockey with his non-pro buddies back home.

[Anguyen92]

Well, last year, it was announced that Nathan MacKinnon would be the highest paid AAV player in the NHL at $12.6M starting this season.  Now, Auston Matthews has agreed to an extension that is $13.25M per year for four years starting in the 2024-2025 season.  He will be the highest paid AAV player in the league until McDavid or Draisaitl gets their extensions.  I don't know why Matthews wants 4 years instead of 8 years.  Does he really think he can get a higher AAV at age 31 even if the cap spikes significantly by then?

[jingle.boy]

No, but maybe he can get 5 x $16M by then.  There's no way he'd get anything north of $14M for an 8 year deal now.  I think some of today's players are adverse to signing max-term deals.the #1

Plus, he makes way more money off the ice than he does on the ice.  It's more a matter of principle for the guys at the top end - especially playing in the #1 (maybe #2) market in the league.

[Anguyen92]

Well, only a few more weeks to go before training camp.  I might as well get this out of the way.  So I've been reading this Hockey Manga series called Dogsred (which so far is about a former figure-skater in Japan that's transitioning into hockey and playing against a good high school team and getting his ass kicked so far.) and I'm having a good read of it and they seem to have a good grasp of the logic that would only work in the game of hockey.  The author referenced Crosby and the Golden goal and even drew an image of him.  It's really well-drawn that it is blinding.  I want to see what Ovechkin looks like drawn in a manga for a contrast.

[TAC]

I consider myself a reasonably informed NHL fan. I watch every Bruins game and as many out of town games as I can.

I saw the news that the Senators signed Jake Sanderson to an 8 yr/$64m contract, and my first thought was....I've never heard of the guy.

[Anguyen92]

^^ I think you had a similar reaction when Miro Heiskanen got his lengthy 8 years, $8M+ a year contract with the Stars.  Based on what I have observed and read on a Discord group that has way too many Senators fans than one would think, Sanderson was the Senators 2nd 1st round pick they selected in the 2020 draft (5th overall behind Tim Stützle who they picked at #3).  Only 77 games at the NHL level and 30+ pts as a defenseman.  Apparently, fans and non-bias media really felt like the Senators really had a hit on the 1st round picks over teams like Rangers, Kings, Ducks, etc. picking those two players at the spots they did.

The main logic behind this signing from what I'm reading is that the Senators are really impressed with this guy and that they think he's only going to get better from here and thus they feel the need to lock him to term at the AAV now before his perceived value goes up?  The contract does not kick in until the 24-25 season.  I question if that's what Sanderson got, what will Owen Power of the Sabres will get (when he was drafted #1 overall in 2021, had a good debut season, came in with more buzz than Sanderson, and finish 2nd in Calder voting)?  Plus, the Sabres will need to extend Dahlin as well.  The rumor is that Dahlin is going to get $10.5M x 8 years that will kick in at the 24-25 season.  Going to be interesting to see how this Senators' extension will influence what the Sabres need to do to lock their two centerpiece defensemen.

[TAC]

I at least heard of Miro Heiskanen.


One thing the NHL seems to get right is that they are paying players in their prime years.

[crazy climber dude]

Tomas Tatar....stats were decent last year. Anyone have some intangible/anecdotal insights? A lot of analysts are saying he will be an excellent fit for the Avalanche.

[Anguyen92]

I heard good regular season things about Tatar and was kinda confused on why he didn't get a contract with a team sooner.  Apparently, the knock on him, and probably why he didn't get a contract sooner, is that he doesn't perform in the playoffs.  Honestly, at the low price the Avs paid for him, I hate that he is signed in the West.  I think he's going to be fine with the Avs and they'll deal with the playoff stuff when the time comes.

[SchecterShredder]

Not surprised to see that it took a mere 2 months for classic Babcock to show up in Columbus. One can only hope he never resurfaces in the NHL after this latest shit show.

[King Postwhore]

Not surprised to see that it took a mere 2 months for classic Babcock to show up in Columbus. One can only hope he never resurfaces in the NHL after this latest shit show.

What an odd request to see players pictured on their cell phones.

[Anguyen92]

He was a questionable hire for the Columbus Blue Jackets when it was announced.  This whole "He wants to do icebreakers by getting players to show pictures of their families or whatnot," was weird, but not nefarious, but people will still observe him on a tight leash.  Apparently, the NHLPA found that it was something way deeper than it was and even traveled to Columbus to see what's going on and it seemed really bad that his time is already up.  Didn't make it to official training camp or even coached a game for the Blue Jackets.

I imagine the President and the GM of the team is under huge hot water for making this hire, which was already bad in the first place due to his prior history, but now it's even worst in hindsight because of this revelation.

[King Postwhore]

Funny how the NHL handles this while the NFL wanted Tom Brady's personal cell phone.

[axeman90210]

Well yeah, Tom Brady was cheating

[King Postwhore]

Well yeah, Tom Brady was cheating

 

Hand over your personal cell phone to your management Bill.  Also, maybe the league could get the ball pressure right before the game starts. Nee ner, nee ner. Lol

[TAC]

Well yeah, Tom Brady was cheating

 

Hand over your personal cell phone to your management Bill.  Also, maybe the league could get the ball pressure right before the game starts. Nee ner, nee ner. Lol

Get over it!

[King Postwhore]

 

Never. The offices can choke on it. 

Crazy though that Babcock though it was OK to ask for their cellphones.