2017-18 Around the League Thread - Part III

[MS]

I think it's a combination of both (eg., horrible move by the Sens GM & a solid move by Benning).

I don't know if anyone has the link, but it was reported at the time (or thereabouts) that Ottawa was extremely proactive about Burrows, gave us a list of prospects they'd trade for him, and we simply selected the best one. Was a trade that fell into our laps more than a great negotiation.

Also THANK GOD they didn't buy out Burrows in the summer of 2016 as they were originally planning to (they even game him a 'farewell game' in the last game of the year where he skated next to the Sedins) before a bunch of his teammates vouched hard for keeping him in their season-end meetings.

 

[Bleach Clean]

I think the only team that really did well in that trade was NSH. Col got a lot but no great piece coming back to them.

COL did very well in that deal, IMO. Once they switched gears to a pure futures trade, instead of asking for the best prospect from a team's talent pool, they extracted as much value as they could get -- and they got more than the usual Pick + Prospect + non-established roster player. Much more.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

Who would have bet at the beginning of the season, that by the 2nd week of December the Oilers would be 4 games under .500...?.. (or conversely,the Canucks would be 2 games above .500)

 

[Addison Rae]

Who would have bet at the beginning of the season, that by the 2nd week of December the Oilers would be 4 games under .500...?.. (or conversely,the Canucks would be 2 games above .500)

compare the canucks record to this team the past two years and you'll notice there's not much of a difference.

the canucks have literally lost more games than they've won this year and you guys are are pleasantly surprised

 

[CanaFan]

Who would have bet at the beginning of the season, that by the 2nd week of December the Oilers would be 4 games under .500...?.. (or conversely,the Canucks would be 2 games above .500)

Entering the second week of December last year the Canucks were 12-13-2 for 26 pts in 27 games. Currently they are 14-12-4 for 32 pts in 30 games. Not exactly a big swing. Hell at Game 41 we were 20-18-3 and that was with a bantam coach running things. I don’t see the big difference really.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

compare the canucks record to this team the past two years and you'll notice there's not much of a difference.

the canucks have literally lost more games than they've won this year and you guys are are pleasantly surprised

Yeah..I'm happy about it...They've beaten some good teams this season (fair and square,not relying on goaltending to bail them out)...It is now players like Horvat and Boeser who are taking over the 1st line duties and being leaders on the team.I' enjoying watching them grow as players..I'm also enjoying the style we are playing under Coach Green....We don't all enjoy watching crappy hockey ,and wanting them to lose all the time there Dim.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

Entering the second week of December last year the Canucks were 12-13-2 for 26 pts in 27 games. Currently they are 14-12-4 for 32 pts in 30 games. Not exactly a big swing.

Thats just what Dim Jim was saying...However,last years team went on a full blown 10 game losing streak from late October onwards,so an entire collapse later on wasn't that surprising.

I don't see that happening this season though...When Sutter comes back next week,players can at least revert back to their normal roles..Having Baertschi and Horvat down isn't ideal,but the D is healthy and usually a player or two steps up to the plate.

 

[Addison Rae]

Yeah..I'm happy about it...They've beaten some good teams this season (fair and square,not relying on goaltending to bail them out)...It is now players like Horvat and Boeser who are taking over the 1st line duties and being leaders on the team.I' enjoying watching them grow as players..I'm also enjoying the style we are playing under Coach Green....We don't all enjoy watching crappy hockey ,and wanting them to lose all the time there Dim.

never said i wanted the canucks to lose, ever. just showing how low your measuring stick is.

team is clearly mediocre, and trending in the same direction of utter disaster as the past 2 seasons.

 

[CanaFan]

Thats just what Dim Jim was saying...However,last years team went on a full blown 10 game losing streak from late October onwards,so an entire collapse later on wasn't that surprising.

I don't see that happening this season though...When Sutter comes back next week,players can at least revert back to their normal roles..Having Baertschi and Horvat down isn't ideal,but the D is healthy and usually a player or two steps up to the plate.

I don’t think how they arrive at their record really matters. Last year they mixed that long losing streak with 6 and 4 game winning streaks. This year we haven’t had a winning streak longer than 4 or a losing streak long than 3 (so far). Less streaks I guess but the net result is about the same. And that’s far more important in the end.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

I don’t think how they arrive at their record really matters. Last year they mixed that long losing streak with 6 and 4 game winning streaks. This year we haven’t had a winning streak longer than 4 or a losing streak long than 3 (so far). Less streaks I guess but the net result is about the same. And that’s far more important in the end.

I think I have a little bit more faith in the coach than you do...

 

[CanaFan]

I think I have a little bit more faith in the coach than you do...

I guess. Coaches matter but at the end of the day they don’t set foot on the ice. Green may be wringing more out then than Willie but the results are still more similar than dissimilar.

 

[me2]

I think I have a little bit more faith in the coach than you do...

Of course you do, this one was brought into the organisation by Gillis not by Benning (see Willie D). Hard not to be more confident in the one Benning didn't bring in.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

Of course you do, this one was brought into the organisation by Gillis not by Benning (see Willie D). Hard not to be more confident in the one Benning didn't bring in.

Yeah,but Gillis had to hire Torts...right man for the job.........obviously!

 

[racerjoe]

Yeah,but Gillis had to hire Torts...right man for the job.........obviously!

You mean the guy who won coach of the year last year?

 

[Hit the post]

You mean the guy who won coach of the year last year?

Not to mention...look where the Blue Jackets are now in the NHL standings.

 

[MS]

Yeah..I'm happy about it...They've beaten some good teams this season (fair and square,not relying on goaltending to bail them out)...It is now players like Horvat and Boeser who are taking over the 1st line duties and being leaders on the team.I' enjoying watching them grow as players..I'm also enjoying the style we are playing under Coach Green....We don't all enjoy watching crappy hockey ,and wanting them to lose all the time there Dim.

After our 'surprise start' where we've 'overachieved' we're sitting 11th in the conference and 20th in the NHL. This is not a good team and will probably trend further downward as the year goes along.

Also, you're excited because the games are closer. This is one of the most boring, ultra-conservative teams in the league and the lowest net scoring team in the NHL at ES. Being so low-scoring has resulted in a lot of closer games with 'exciting' finishes but this isn't remotely a team like Winnipeg or Toronto that's actually exciting to watch.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Of course you do, this one was brought into the organisation by Gillis not by Benning (see Willie D). Hard not to be more confident in the one Benning didn't bring in.

Based on the 'Gillis prospect' narrative shouldn't that have ensured Green's firing rather than promotion???

....or we trade him for Buffalo's minor league special teams coach (he's got a lot of potential being held back by the depth of coaches in their organization).

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

After our 'surprise start' where we've 'overachieved' we're sitting 11th in the conference and 20th in the NHL. This is not a good team and will probably trend further downward as the year goes along.

Also, you're excited because the games are closer. This is one of the most boring, ultra-conservative teams in the league and the lowest net scoring team in the NHL at ES. Being so low-scoring has resulted in a lot of closer games with 'exciting' finishes but this isn't remotely a team like Winnipeg or Toronto that's actually exciting to watch.

Well..too bad you cannot enjoy watching Canucks hockey MS.(why even bother putting yourself through it?)...

 

[MS]

Well..too bad you cannot enjoy watching Canucks hockey MS.(why even bother putting yourself through it?)...

Is that honestly your response to my post?

I watched pretty much every game for the past two years when we finished 28th and 29th. Clearly I still enjoy watching crappy hockey. And yes, I'm going to call you on it when you're claiming what an exciting product this is.

This is a hyper-conservative team with a hyper-conservative coach. Lowest scoring aggregate team in the NHL at ES. 28th in the NHL offensively. Lowest-scoring blueline in the NHL. Played a non-offense checking line centered by Brandon Sutter nearly 20 minutes/game for the first 1/4 of the season.

The notion that we're playing 'exciting hockey' and 'activating the defense more' is nothing but complete rubbish. This is a trapping coach leaning on veterans to play the lowest-event hockey possible. It's worked pretty well, and we've been in a lot of close, low-scoring games that definitely seem more exciting that being down 5-2 every night like we were for most of last year. But this is absolutely not an exciting team and we do not play up-tempo hockey. At all.

 

[HankNDank]

Is that honestly your response to my post?

I watched pretty much every game for the past two years when we finished 28th and 29th. Clearly I still enjoy watching crappy hockey. And yes, I'm going to call you on it when you're claiming what an exciting product this is.

This is a hyper-conservative team with a hyper-conservative coach. Lowest scoring aggregate team in the NHL at ES. 28th in the NHL offensively. Lowest-scoring blueline in the NHL. Played a non-offense checking line centered by Brandon Sutter nearly 20 minutes/game for the first 1/4 of the season.

The notion that we're playing 'exciting hockey' and 'activating the defense more' is nothing but complete rubbish. This is a trapping coach leaning on veterans to play the lowest-event hockey possible. It's worked pretty well, and we've been in a lot of close, low-scoring games that definitely seem more exciting that being down 5-2 every night like we were for most of last year. But this is absolutely not an exciting team and we do not play up-tempo hockey. At all.

Well technically Buffalo is worse, they have only 1 goal by their entire defence core, we have 6. Though their shooting percentage is insanely bad. We have taken 216 shots, they have taken 217 shots for a 0.46 SH%. (Detroit only has 5 goals as well)

 

[sandwichbird2023]

Is that honestly your response to my post?

I watched pretty much every game for the past two years when we finished 28th and 29th. Clearly I still enjoy watching crappy hockey. And yes, I'm going to call you on it when you're claiming what an exciting product this is.

This is a hyper-conservative team with a hyper-conservative coach. Lowest scoring aggregate team in the NHL at ES. 28th in the NHL offensively. Lowest-scoring blueline in the NHL. Played a non-offense checking line centered by Brandon Sutter nearly 20 minutes/game for the first 1/4 of the season.

The notion that we're playing 'exciting hockey' and 'activating the defense more' is nothing but complete rubbish. This is a trapping coach leaning on veterans to play the lowest-event hockey possible. It's worked pretty well, and we've been in a lot of close, low-scoring games that definitely seem more exciting that being down 5-2 every night like we were for most of last year. But this is absolutely not an exciting team and we do not play up-tempo hockey. At all.

I think Boeser's performance so far, and Horvat's development this season, is making Canucks hockey 'appears' more exciting, because those are talented players making great plays and gives the fans some hope for the future.
As for the actual product on the ice, everybody's opinion of 'exciting' is different. In the past on the main board, people argues 2-1 games are exciting because 'real fans appreciate good defensive plays' or something like that. While some prefers lots of chances and end to end rushes. Everybodys different I guess.

 

[me2]

Is that honestly your response to my post?

I watched pretty much every game for the past two years when we finished 28th and 29th. Clearly I still enjoy watching crappy hockey. And yes, I'm going to call you on it when you're claiming what an exciting product this is.

This is a hyper-conservative team with a hyper-conservative coach. Lowest scoring aggregate team in the NHL at ES. 28th in the NHL offensively. Lowest-scoring blueline in the NHL. Played a non-offense checking line centered by Brandon Sutter nearly 20 minutes/game for the first 1/4 of the season.

The notion that we're playing 'exciting hockey' and 'activating the defense more' is nothing but complete rubbish. This is a trapping coach leaning on veterans to play the lowest-event hockey possible. It's worked pretty well, and we've been in a lot of close, low-scoring games that definitely seem more exciting that being down 5-2 every night like we were for most of last year. But this is absolutely not an exciting team and we do not play up-tempo hockey. At all.

No surprises there. Green's only hope of winning is to turn every game into a coin toss he simply doesn't have the cattle to let skill win out. Willie found that out the hard way, he was a crap coach but he was given a dud team. I'll be shocked if Green gets within 10 points of the playoffs at the end of season (>82 points).

 

[MS]

No surprises there. Green's only hope of winning is to turn every game into a coin toss he simply doesn't have the cattle to let skill win out. Willie found that out the hard way, he was a crap coach but he was given a dud team. I'll be shocked if Green gets within 10 points of the playoffs at the end of season (>82 points).

I'm not for a second saying it's the wrong strategy. If you're trying to win games, it's absolutely the best way to get the most out of this roster.

It's just insane to me how many people are talking about what an exciting brand of hockey we're playing. Like, it's literally the exact opposite.

 

[PG Canuck]

Entering the second week of December last year the Canucks were 12-13-2 for 26 pts in 27 games. Currently they are 14-12-4 for 32 pts in 30 games. Not exactly a big swing. Hell at Game 41 we were 20-18-3 and that was with a bantam coach running things. I don’t see the big difference really.

And I would say Green has the better roster on top of it all.

 

[CanaFan]

And I would say Green has the better roster on top of it all.

I would agree. Now some of that was definitely self-inflicted as no one was forcing Willie to play Megna on the top line for half the season but in the end Green has a fully evolved Boeser while Willie had only a proto Boeser.