Around the League '16-'17 Other Teams' Free Agent Frenzy

[LAKings88]

I think Vegas and Ship will mutually agree to terminate the contract. He’ll end up back in Russia.

 

[lumbergh]

Okay when does the first coach get canned this season? Who will it be?

Tocchet? Probably has a longer leash because he's new.
Julien? That Montreal team looks beat.

 

[kingsholygrail]

DeBoar or whatever the hell his name is in San Jose.

 

[kingsboy11]

Think if the Rangers continue to struggle Vigneault may get the axe. Personally think they'll bounce back eventually

 

[kilowatt]

Some surprising teams in the bottom third, that’s for sure. Anaheim, Washington, Minnesota, San Jose, Edmonton, and Montreal all looked good on paper.

 

[The Tikkanen]

Some surprising teams in the bottom third, that’s for sure. Anaheim, Washington, Minnesota, San Jose, Edmonton, and Montreal all looked good on paper.

Anaheim started the season without Kelser, Vatanen and Lindholm and lost a good dman to Vegas in the expansion draft. They aren't deep enough to cover those losses and I think many hockey fans discount what Kesler brings to the table night in and night out.

 

[kovacro]

Some surprising teams in the bottom third, that’s for sure. Anaheim, Washington, Minnesota, San Jose, Edmonton, and Montreal all looked good on paper.

You did look at Montreal's top 6 and defense at the start of the season, didn't you? They're Carey Price and that's it.

Drouin is no better than a No.2 centre. Galchenyuk is a mess right now and Weber's best years are behind him.

They signed Glass Hemsky hoping he would be a steady top 6 contributor.

 

[Sleeping Dog]

Drouin is no better than a No.2 centre. Galchenyuk is a mess right now and Weber's best years are behind him.

They signed Glass Hemsky hoping he would be a steady top 6 contributor.

Just waiting to see when Weber retires and that cap recapture hits Nashville. If that doesn’t get negotiated out in the next CBA, they’ll be the first team in NHL history to have 23 players at the minimum contracts. Won’t be able to pay anyone else.

 

[KINGS17]

Some surprising teams in the bottom third, that’s for sure. Anaheim, Washington, Minnesota, San Jose, Edmonton, and Montreal all looked good on paper.

The only teams which may stay down are Montreal and possibly San Jose. San Jose has a lot of talent still, but maybe they have already tuned DeBoer out. Again, it's 10 games into the season. The Kings have gotten off to a great start, and that's good because it gives them a nice cushion, but I do expect Anaheim and Edmonton to challenge for first in the Pacific Division this season.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Edmonton will come back--they may be flawed in some ways but they're not bad. Anaheim will do their usual 2nd half surge, they started with too many injuries to count. SJ? I'm not so sure, they look dead in the water like last year's Kings--the talent exists but who knows?

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Gotta love how you can't talk about other defensemen on this site. Pietrangelo is off to a phenomenal start, but don't you dare talk about it without mentioning our lord and savior.

 

[lumbergh]

Some surprising teams in the bottom third, that’s for sure. Anaheim, Washington, Minnesota, San Jose, Edmonton, and Montreal all looked good on paper.

That Washington team has some serious problems. Barry Trotz is a good coach, but their defense corp is awful. My buddy the Caps fan says the only way they win is if Ovechkin scores a hat trick. Trotz may be the victim of a poorly constructed team.
Deboer is a good coach as well. Sharks look like a bubble team this year. Their window is closing.
Winnipeg has a pretty good roster, but Paul Maurice is not a good coach and their goaltending is a revolving door. If they could only fix those two things, that team could contend.

 

[lumbergh]

Gotta love how you can't talk about other defensemen on this site. Pietrangelo is off to a phenomenal start, but don't you dare talk about it without mentioning our lord and savior.

Pretty awesome to see that 2008 draft year class all enter their primes. Don't know if we'll see a group of defensemen like that again. Doughty, Pietrangelo, and Karlsson are all potential hall of famers. Then you got Tyler Myers, Jake Gardiner, and John Carlson, who are all very good. Amazing first round. Then you have Voynov, Hamonic, and Brodie later.

 

[deeshamrock]

Some surprising teams in the bottom third, that’s for sure. Anaheim, Washington, Minnesota, San Jose, Edmonton, and Montreal all looked good on paper.

A bit of a surprise but 10 games doesn't mean much (except for montreal who have no heart. GM says the problem is in the room. I think he needs to look in the mirror.)

I still except the Oilers to win the division. They have in interesting problem they are trying to fix, McDavid is too fast and they are trying to find a winger to keep up with him. They should call Detroit, who had issues signing Athanasiou and ended up with a 1 yr deal. He's greased lightning fast and talented.

Ducks started behind the 8 ball with injuries, they'll bounce back. Capitals have issues and as much as I admire Ovie's talent, they have leadership problems, which is why despite racking up reg. season points, they fail in the playoffs. I wonder where John Carlson will sign, I can't see him staying there. He's a good d, and there are teams closer to a Cup that would ink him. I haven't seen the Wild yet and only the Sharks game vs the Flyers, so not much to go on.

 

[kilowatt]

A bit of a surprise but 10 games doesn't mean much (except for montreal who have no heart. GM says the problem is in the room. I think he needs to look in the mirror.)

I still except the Oilers to win the division. They have in interesting problem they are trying to fix, McDavid is too fast and they are trying to find a winger to keep up with him. They should call Detroit, who had issues signing Athanasiou and ended up with a 1 yr deal. He's greased lightning fast and talented.

Ducks started behind the 8 ball with injuries, they'll bounce back. Capitals have issues and as much as I admire Ovie's talent, they have leadership problems, which is why despite racking up reg. season points, they fail in the playoffs. I wonder where John Carlson will sign, I can't see him staying there. He's a good d, and there are teams closer to a Cup that would ink him. I haven't seen the Wild yet and only the Sharks game vs the Flyers, so not much to go on.

Of course, and I fully expect many of them to be in playoff contention as well. But these beginning of the season “meaningless” games make all the difference down the stretch.

Ten games can make a big difference though. To get to 95 points, the Coyotes would need to go 44-22-6 the rest of the way. That’s a tall order.

 

[tsanuri]

10 games can't win you a season but it sure can come close to losing it for you.
We've already got nearly 25% of the total points we had last year and are at nearly 20% of a total that guarantees a playoff spot.
This is a position we've not been in quite some time. I'm just enjoying the ride. We should all know we won't stay on a. 850 point percentage. But having it now and with injuries gives us room to lose when it happens as long as it's not too long of a time we lose for.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Yeah, the Caps situation has looked like the 13-14 and 14-15 Bruins since the offseason started. Boston had the top record in 13-14. That summer they lost Iginla and Boychuk to the cap. The following season, they already started with less depth, had an injury or two over the course of the season, didn't have the depth to overcome it, and they dropped 21 points in the standings. That's a swing of about 10 games, which isn't really that many. It's one extra loss out of every 8 games, and the Caps have already lost a couple games that they wouldn't have lost last year. They're 2-5-3 in regulation, and they were the lead dog in regulation the last couple years. That's with Ovechkin, Kuznetsov, Backstrom, and Oshie at a point per game.

If some depth emerges, they might be alright. If it doesn't, maybe it won't even matter if 4 guys have 80+ points on the same team.

 

[KINGS17]

Vegas is crushing Colorado tonight 6-0 in the 3rd period. What is an Oscar Dansk?

The Golden Knights will be going out on a 6-game round trip after this game. All but two of their games have been at home thus far.

 

[Fishhead]

Vegas is crushing Colorado tonight 6-0 in the 3rd period. What is an Oscar Dansk?

The Golden Knights will be going out on a 6-game round trip after this game. All but two of their games have been at home thus far.

If they go .500 on that trip, it's apparent that they are a playoff level team. The wheels could also fall off, time will tell. Regardless their start was predicted by no one, and is incredibly impressive. They are well coached and have pulled together.

McNabb had his issues here, but many forget he was having success for a long period before a major injury. Guys like Sbisa and Schmidt are similar, journeymen with the same consistency issues. Engelland is their leader back there. On defense, they are all playing solid and are experiencing success. I think much of it has to do with less worrying about a roster spot and more focus on their own games.

The expansion rules meant guys being exposed that teams didn't want to lose. Hell, Florida traded them Smith so they wouldn't take someone they thought was better. Neal obviously is a first line talent. Perron has always put up solid numbers. Like the defense, I think the forwards are just playing and expectations aren't a part of the equation right now.

The real test is going to come as the season rolls on. Expectations are harder to handle than any opponent you face.

 

[ScoreZeGoals]

The Vegas start to the season is absolutely insane

 

[Stimpythecat]

they've beaten some really decent teams. Props to them. They're a great story for the early season.

Dallas, Chicago, St. Louis...

 

[Reaper45]

Edmonton is poorly built still. Chiarelli loves his depth players, and Lucic is an anchor. Its all McDavid. If they don't right the ship by game 20, they'e done imo.

 

[Basilisk]

If they go .500 on that trip, it's apparent that they are a playoff level team. The wheels could also fall off, time will tell. Regardless their start was predicted by no one, and is incredibly impressive. They are well coached and have pulled together.

McNabb had his issues here, but many forget he was having success for a long period before a major injury. Guys like Sbisa and Schmidt are similar, journeymen with the same consistency issues. Engelland is their leader back there. On defense, they are all playing solid and are experiencing success. I think much of it has to do with less worrying about a roster spot and more focus on their own games.

The expansion rules meant guys being exposed that teams didn't want to lose. Hell, Florida traded them Smith so they wouldn't take someone they thought was better. Neal obviously is a first line talent. Perron has always put up solid numbers. Like the defense, I think the forwards are just playing and expectations aren't a part of the equation right now.

The real test is going to come as the season rolls on. Expectations are harder to handle than any opponent you face.

I checked their stat thingy last week. With the exception of 1 skater & the goalies, everybody on the roster was a multi-point player. Some guys had 1 goal and 2 assists, some guys had 3 goals and no assists, some goals had no goals, but 3 assists. It's essentially a team of Trevor Lewises. If you can imagine....

Trevor Lewis / Trevor Lewis / James Neal
Trevor Lewis / Trevor Lewis / Trevor Lewis
Trevor Lewis / Trevor Lewis / Trevor Lewis
Trevor Lewis / Trevor Lewis / Trevor Lewis


......that's basically their forwards. Nobody on that team takes shifts off. It's looking like the 1995-1996 Florida Panthers all over again. HARD TO BEAT!!!

 

[Winger23]

they've beaten some really decent teams. Props to them. They're a great story for the early season.

Dallas, Chicago, St. Louis...

so

I'm guessing by milbury standards they are the cup favorites....

 

[kingsholygrail]

Vegas is gonna have their first big road trip coming up. Will be interesting to see how they do away from Vegas.