Around the League 43: Playoff Time- Goodbye Buffalo, Goodbye Yzerplan. And Goodbye Yotes, Welcome Utah.

[Chrispy]

As my wife points out about kickers in football:

"They should get more points for hitting the post from that distance. It's harder."

 

[Brock Anton]

Matthews and Marner have to be the worst “star” players in the playoffs in recent memory.

Did either one even play tonight?

 

[Canes]

As my wife points out about kickers in football:

"They should get more points for hitting the post from that distance. It's harder."

But if it’s easier to score by doing it how the sport requires then they should do that. Are they just stupid then?

 

[AhosDatsyukian]

Florida will sweep whichever of these loser playoff choking teams advances.

 

[htdoc]

Given how much dislike I have for both teams, I have no idea why I actually watched part of that Bruins / Leafs game….. I guess a little bit of scouting of potential future opponent if we do well I guess…. But I feel the same as other posters…. Don’t know whom to wish to win as I dislike them both….

Tavares hot because McAvoy embellished the hell out of being barely touched…. Such a tough tough customer playing hard nosed playoff hockey…. Except when he wants to show up the refs and draw a call…. Given the rest of the stuff that refs were ignoring and players were pushing through it was just so jarring what McAvoy was doing…. Killed the chance of forcing overtime and wearing the players out some more by making them play more hockey



Watching the beginning of Dallas / Vegas now….. Vegas looks nothing like the mess they were at times this regular season… such a garbage league that Vegas is allowed to ice this roster with a magically well Stone to start the playoffs….

 

[chaz4hockey]

Given how much dislike I have for both teams, I have no idea why I actually watched part of that Bruins / Leafs game….. I guess a little bit of scouting of potential future opponent if we do well I guess…. But I feel the same as other posters…. Don’t know whom to wish to win as I dislike them both….

Tavares hot because McAvoy embellished the hell out of being barely touched…. Such a tough tough customer playing hard nosed playoff hockey…. Except when he wants to show up the refs and draw a call…. Given the rest of the stuff that refs were ignoring and players were pushing through it was just so jarring what McAvoy was doing…. Killed the chance of forcing overtime and wearing the players out some more by making them play more hockey



Watching the beginning of Dallas / Vegas now….. Vegas looks nothing like the mess they were at times this regular season… such a garbage league that Vegas is allowed to ice this roster with a magically well Stone to start the playoffs….

Vegas is huge and hitting everyone and everywhere. That will pay dividends later in the series. Would be a bad match up for us.

 

[sabremike]

Happy Mayday to all who celebrate:

 

[Blueline Bomber]

Okay, I hate Marchand as much as the rest of you, but holy hell, what a shot on that 3rd Boston goal. And to do it immediately after Toronto tied it? Sometimes you just gotta tip your cap.

 

[HisIceness]

Happy Mayday to all who celebrate:

That's such a great call

 

[AhosDatsyukian]

Sometimes you just gotta tip your cap.

no I don't

 

[ndp]

Watching this LAK, EDM game and I could have sworn Maroon was playing for BOS, it was just Doughty.

 

[htdoc]

That is exactly why next CBA needs to address this…. The joking posts about how Vegas is going to get Crosby at next trade deadline while Stone is on LTIR again were meant to be funny and sarcastic…. But it’s how Vegas does business compared to everyone else and there is greater than a zero percent chance that very thing happens….

We lose Pesce for rest of series and have TDA coming in….. Vegas loses a dman to injury and they sub in $5.25M Alec Martinez….on a roster with Hanifin counting only 1.75m against the cap…. Slight difference and it’s not like we are we terrible at cap management……

 

[poobags]

As my wife points out about kickers in football:

"They should get more points for hitting the post from that distance. It's harder."

4 points if your field goal attempt hits an inside post and still passes between the posts.

 

[Brock Anton]

Tavares hot because McAvoy embellished the hell out of being barely touched…. Such a tough tough customer playing hard nosed playoff hockey…. Except when he wants to show up the refs and draw a call…. Given the rest of the stuff that refs were ignoring and players were pushing through it was just so jarring what McAvoy was doing…. Killed the chance of forcing overtime and wearing the players out some more by making them play more hockey

McAvoy is Marchand-lite and always has been. Dude is a grade-A wuss.

 

[The Faulker 27]

Given how much dislike I have for both teams, I have no idea why I actually watched part of that Bruins / Leafs game….. I guess a little bit of scouting of potential future opponent if we do well I guess…. But I feel the same as other posters…. Don’t know whom to wish to win as I dislike them both….

Tavares hot because McAvoy embellished the hell out of being barely touched…. Such a tough tough customer playing hard nosed playoff hockey…. Except when he wants to show up the refs and draw a call…. Given the rest of the stuff that refs were ignoring and players were pushing through it was just so jarring what McAvoy was doing…. Killed the chance of forcing overtime and wearing the players out some more by making them play more hockey



Watching the beginning of Dallas / Vegas now….. Vegas looks nothing like the mess they were at times this regular season… such a garbage league that Vegas is allowed to ice this roster with a magically well Stone to start the playoffs….

Hertl also came back early april (8th maybe?).

 

[Blueline Bomber]

no I don't

I love the quote from Dangle in his video after this loss. Specifically talking about the Marchand goal.

"You can't call the Bruins your Boogeyman. You can't call Brad Marchand your Boogeyman because you're talking about a mythical monster that kids are afraid of. The difference between the Leafs and Marchand and kids and the Boogeyman is kids NEVER FORGET ABOUT THE BOOGEYMAN. HOW DO YOU LEAVE THAT GUY ALONE?!"

 

[bleedgreen]

Other than Foegele, Bean, Svech, Necas, Wallmark, Nedeljkovic, Kochetkov, Drury, Maenalanen (end of 19), Geekie, Lorentz, Chatfield and Jarvis. Other than that, he hasn't used any prospects in his tenure.

Seriously though, the difficult part the last 3 seasons is the Canes have been the second best team in the NHL with cup aspirations and a veteran team with not many holes to fill so it's hard to fill those roles. On top of that, we haven't had a top half of the 1st round draft pick other than Jarvis and most of our best prospects weren't available to play in the NHL (Nikishin, Morrow, Nadeau). Hard to crack the line-up on a team like that. About the only guy that was probably "ready" but with no spot was Pono.

That said, I thought one of the issues the Canes had with Warofsky and why they wanted to fire him was because he wasn't playing the prospects over vets in Chicago, Kochetkov specifically.

He uses them when he has no other options. Pretty much the case with all of those guys, other than the very few that forced their way onto roster. I’m thinking Jarvis there, though we had holes in the top six in his case too. Drury is an interesting addition there too, as we had him for years before we kept him. He was only used sparingly when others were hurt previously? Manalameho was older and a bit of a pro vet. I feel like Svech being such a high pick was going to play unless he really failed, and he back checked hard enough to stay. I think Rod was told he was staying though.

Rod has shown overall he would rather have a vet over a youngster going back to his first year. Fleury outplayed TVR in camp but Rod gave TVR the spot because he was a vet, and wasn’t going to sit him and said so at the time. Fleury maybe had minors as an option still. Rod chose Stastny and Stepan over Drury, Drury could play that role. There’s other examples but it’s always been clear youngsters can play, but typically when there isn’t a more reliable and proven vet in the way….even if the youngster has something to offer and seems like a possible or probable improvement.

After this season we’ll maybe be in a space to see this play out again for the first time really since the first year. Back then we just didn’t have the depth, this coming year we may not have cap space and there could be roles up for grab if you’re a cheap addition. Could come down to a cheap vet vs a prospect again in multiple spots and we’ll see what the preference is then.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

He uses them when he has no other options.

Meh....There's always an excuse as to why he uses rookies so that the facts don't get in the way of the narrative. "He had no choice." "They forced their way onto a team". "An injury caused it." "He was a high draft pick." Etc..etc

I get it, the facts don't fit the narrative. Pretty much every NHL coach that coaches a really good team does exactly the same thing and HF posters complain they don't give rookies a chance. Lavi wouldn't play Ladd. Maurice didn't give Boychuk, Bowman, etc. a chance. I remember the uproar over Mo not giving Patrick O'Sullivan a chance.

Pretty much the case with all of those guys, other than the very few that forced their way onto roster. I’m thinking Jarvis there, though we had holes in the top six in his case too. Drury is an interesting addition there too, as we had him for years before we kept him. He was only used sparingly when others were hurt previously? Manalameho was older and a bit of a pro vet. I feel like Svech being such a high pick was going to play unless he really failed, and he back checked hard enough to stay. I think Rod was told he was staying though.

I can just cut and paste what I wrote above.

You're free to put whatever reasons you want on why he used a rookie, that's your prerogative, but the facts are he has used them.

Rod has shown overall he would rather have a vet over a youngster going back to his first year. Fleury outplayed TVR in camp but Rod gave TVR the spot because he was a vet, and wasn’t going to sit him and said so at the time.

Meh..Fleury didn't outplay him and as we've seen ever since them, TVR has been a reliable NHL defender and Fleury is an AHL/NHL tweeter. Fleury was too unreliable. He had a stretch one season where it looked like he might turn the corner and then was terrible ever since.

Fleury maybe had minors as an option still. Rod chose Stastny and Stepan over Drury, Drury could play that role. There’s other examples but it’s always been clear youngsters can play, but typically when there isn’t a more reliable and proven vet in the way….even if the youngster has something to offer and seems like a possible or probable improvement.

Drury had never played a single game of professional hockey in the Canes organization. Of course they were going to get him some minor league time before giving him a spot. He wasn't that good of a player to warrant it.

Other than maybe Pono and Drury, which prospects do you think warrented NHL time over who we have on the squad now, or even last year? Pono is even debatable.

Suzuki could never get healthy. Rees didn't really develop (maybe not all his own fault). Other than Nikishin or Morrow, we don't have an NHL ready defenseman.

When a prospect shows he is ready and when he shows he can play the game the way the Canes play, he'll get time. Otherwise, he won't. It's not that complicated.

 

[bleedgreen]

Happy Mayday to all who celebrate:

My favorite tv moment maybe in my life. A perfect season, and this moment was a wonderful part of it. As a whalers fan my hate for the B’s was nearly as strong as my love for the Whale. I was in a small basement and jumped up so high I hit my head on the ceiling and knocked down a drop panel…

The unbeatable Ray Bourque getting undressed by a rookie to lose a series….magic.

Happy belated May Day to all!!

 

[bleedgreen]

Meh....There's always an excuse as to why he uses rookies so that the facts don't get in the way of the narrative. "He had no choice." "They forced their way onto a team". "An injury caused it." "He was a high draft pick." Etc..etc

I get it, the facts don't fit the narrative. Pretty much every NHL coach that coaches a really good team does exactly the same thing and HF posters complain they don't give rookies a chance. Lavi wouldn't play Ladd. Maurice didn't give Boychuk, Bowman, etc. a chance. I remember the uproar over Mo not giving Patrick O'Sullivan a chance.



I can just cut and paste what I wrote above.

You're free to put whatever reasons you want on why he used a rookie, that's your prerogative, but the facts are he has used them.


Meh..Fleury didn't outplay him and as we've seen ever since them, TVR has been a reliable NHL defender and Fleury is an AHL/NHL tweeter. Fleury was too unreliable. He had a stretch one season where it looked like he might turn the corner and then was terrible ever since.

Drury had never played a single game of professional hockey in the Canes organization. Of course they were going to get him some minor league time before giving him a spot. He wasn't that good of a player to warrant it.

Other than maybe Pono and Drury, which prospects do you think warrented NHL time over who we have on the squad now, or even last year? Pono is even debatable.

Suzuki could never get healthy. Rees didn't really develop (maybe not all his own fault). Other than Nikishin or Morrow, we don't have an NHL ready defenseman.

When a prospect shows he is ready and when he shows he can play the game the way the Canes play, he'll get time. Otherwise, he won't. It's not that complicated.

The season in question Fleury was still young but had an NHL season under him, you’re using generalities with him that we know now that wasn’t known then. TVR did not outplay him that camp.

It’s a tired argument for both of us, we agree to disagree.

 

[chaz4hockey]

For those that have watched HNIC broadcasts over the years a legend, Bob Cole just passed today.

Worth a listen on Jeff marek podcast with various thoughts from those that worked with him, ie JD, Dick Irwin, etc.

 

[Unsustainable]

Paul Bissonnette has been screaming about this since game 1, and said he’s asked all his sources to no avail.

2 things:
NHL franchises are more tight lipped than usual regarding injuries during the postseason.

NHL franchises are not making an exception to this policy for Paul Bissonnette.

So someone said he is having migraine issues likely caused by a concussion.

As someone who suffers from the occasional migraine. I can sympathize.

 

[NotOpie]

The season in question Fleury was still young but had an NHL season under him, you’re using generalities with him that we know now that wasn’t known then. TVR did not outplay him that camp.

It’s a tired argument for both of us, we agree to disagree.

I believe it had as much to do with TVR being a right shot and Fleury a left shot. While Rod says it doesn't matter to him, he clearly prefers righty's on the right side and so forth.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

I believe it had as much to do with TVR being a right shot and Fleury a left shot. While Rod says it doesn't matter to him, he clearly prefers righty's on the right side and so forth.

Not really. That season we had Faulk (RHD), Hamilton (RHD), Pesce (RHD) and TVR (RHD). If Rod was really keen on only keeping the RH-LH pairings, he would have gone with Fleury.

Coach just liked TVR better and didn't like Fleury as much. I don't think it was that complicated. Coaches get to see a lot more of players than we do. Subtle parts to their game. How well do they gel with others. How hard do they work off the ice or in practice. How he handles pressure. etc...

We fans like to think that by watching training camp/pre-season games, we know who the better player is or how is doing better, like when people wanted Gauthier to always make the team over other guys (like Necas for instance). In reality, we get glimpses of the whole thing and it gives us fodder for message boards. I do it too, so I'm not picking on others, just pointing it out in general.

 

[DaveG]

I believe it had as much to do with TVR being a right shot and Fleury a left shot. While Rod says it doesn't matter to him, he clearly prefers righty's on the right side and so forth.

Iirc didn't Fleury still have a minor league option left that year?