Around the League | Round 1: FIGHT!

[mathonwy]

At least we don’t have to have Nurse in our lineup.

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

Real shame about the Oilers. Real shame.

 

[lawrence]

glad the OIlers lose. !@#kers think they are gate keepers of how fans can celebrate? gimme a damn break.

Too bad Edmonton

funny how Oiler fans are suggesting lets trade Darnell Nurse and just sign 2 top 4 free agents in the summer, like its NHL 2024.

In the 1% chance that Demko can return later in the playoffs, it's good for us if the Kings/Oilers series goes the distance.

if Canucks say its day to day, it actually means week to week, if they say its week to week, it actually makes 6-8 weeks, barring any miracle run by the Canucks, we are not seeing Demko back.

 

[wonton15]

Imagine paying Darnell Nurse 9.25m

 

[HelloCookie]

Oh grundström still plays in LA? I was in a sauna with him and couple other team sweden players during 2023 worlds. Cowards wore swimming shorts.

 

[vanarchy]

Hilarious game in Edm considering their goaltending critiques in our GDT just one night before

 

[Hammer79]

if Canucks say its day to day, it actually means week to week, if they say its week to week, it actually makes 6-8 weeks, barring any miracle run by the Canucks, we are not seeing Demko back.

Week to week is just Tocchet saying "don't ask me until next week". He tweaked his knee when he jammed his skate on a post, it wasn't a collision, just a freak accident. I think he's back for round 2.

 

[BoHorvat 53]

Dallas is just getting started. Wyatt Johnson, Logan Stankoven and Thomas Harley are in their 2nd season. That team made the WCF last year.

It's just shit luck drawing Vegas who just match up well against them. They easily beat LA or the Preds.

Thomas Harley is an RFA this offseason, and he's going to get paid after playing the way he did this season - he's been playing like an elite #1 defenseman this season. Wyatt Johnston is going to be an RFA after next season as well. To get both of these guys locked up long term, you're probably looking at 9+ million for Harley and 8+ million for Johnston at a minimum. If they bridge Harley this offseason, his contract after is probably going to be in the 11-12 million. It's just about when you wanna bite the poison pill, and so I don't think what they've got going on is going to last, especially with that albatross Seguin contract that has a NMC, and the Benn contract which expires after next season, but they're facing a cap crunch this offseason with Duchene, Pavelski, Tanev and Harley all due for raises.

 

[BoHorvat 53]

Week to week is just Tocchet saying "don't ask me until next week". He tweaked his knee when he jammed his skate on a post, it wasn't a collision, just a freak accident. I think he's back for round 2.

There's almost 0 chance he's back for round 2 imo - Jason Brough said today he'd be surprised if Demko returns in the 2nd round from what he's been told, Kevin Woodley said he doesn't see Demko coming back for this round and the next if they make it that far, Darren Dreger keeps harping on it being a significant injury, and Friedman said today he doesn't like what he's hearing. The organization has to be very pessimistic for this to be the message out there.

 

[LordBacon]

Imagine paying Darnell Nurse 9.25m

I wont even give Hronek that big of an extension lol

 

[ScottishCanuck]

Blame the cba honestly

What irks me about the whole Vegas situation more than anything, is that there have been dozens of cases of blatant cap circumvention over the years, and yet we are one of the few teams who have been punished for it in the form of the Luongo recapture.

That was also “legal” when it was signed, so where does the NHL draw the line? Frankly I think they’re all over the place.

 

[David Bruce Banner]

Well, as concerned as I am about the team without Demko... the Leafs and Oilers both lost last night, so I can't be too sad.

 

[StickShift]

Playoff goaltending is a whole bunch of witchcraft and voodoo. For as often as there is a star goalie that a team rides all the way to the SCF, there has been a historically league-average goalie that gets just as far and wins. It's not even that the goalie needs to get particularly hot. They simply need not shit the bed.

Year​	Winning Team​	Perceived Goalie Rating​	Winning Primary Goaltender​	Losing Team​	Perceived Goalie Rating​	Losing Primary Goaltender​
2006​	Carolina Hurricanes​	Average​	Ward​	Edmonton Oilers​	Average​	Roloson*​
2007​	Anaheim Ducks​	Star​	Giguere​	Ottawa Senators​	Average​	Emery​
2008​	Detroit Red Wings​	Star​	Hasek​	Pittsburgh Penguins​	Star​	Fleury​
2009​	Pittsburgh Penguins​	Star​	Fleury​	Detroit Red Wings​	Average​	Osgood​
2010​	Chicago Blackhawks​	Average​	Niemi​	Philadelphia Flyers​	Average​	Leighton​
2011​	Boston Bruins​	Average​	Thomas​	Vancouver Canucks​	Star​	Luongo​
2012​	Los Angeles Kings​	Star​	Quick​	New Jersey Devils​	Star​	Brodeur​
2013​	Chicago Blackhawks​	Average​	Crawford​	Boston Bruins​	Star​	Rask​
2014​	Los Angeles Kings​	Star​	Quick​	New York Rangers​	Star​	Lundqvist​
2015​	Chicago Blackhawks​	Average​	Crawford​	Tampa Bay Lightning​	Star​	Vasilevskiy​
2016​	Pittsburgh Penguins​	Average​	Murray​	San Jose Sharks​	Average​	Jones​
2017​	Pittsburgh Penguins​	Average​	Murray​	Nashville Predators​	Average​	Rinne​
2018​	Washington Capitals​	Average​	Holtby​	Vegas Golden Knights​	Star​	Fleury​
2019​	St. Louis Blues​	Average​	Binnington​	Boston Bruins​	Star​	Rask​
2020​	Tampa Bay Lightning​	Star​	Vasilevskiy​	Dallas Stars​	Average​	Khudobin​
2021​	Tampa Bay Lightning​	Star​	Vasilevskiy​	Montreal Canadiens​	Star​	Price​
2022​	Colorado Avalanche​	Average​	Kuemper​	Tampa Bay Lightning​	Star​	Vasilevskiy​
2023​	Vegas Golden Knights​	Average​	Hill​	Florida Panthers​	Star​	Bobrovsky​

Stanley Cup Winners​		Stanley Cup Losers​
Star Goalie​	7​	Star Goalie​	11​
Average Goalie​	11​	Average Goalie​	7​

Total Stanley Cup Appearances since salary cap​
Star Goalie​	18​
Average Goalie​	18​

Anecdotally, it seems to me that the difference between a star goaltender and an average goaltender in the playoffs is that a star goaltender can single-handedly win you games more often than an average goaltender.

But, star goaltenders are equally as prone to shitting the bed as average goaltenders. When a goalie gets a case of the yips it is equally as troublesome whether you are a star or average.

Winnipeg is seeing this with Hellebuyck right now.

 

[SeawaterOnIce]

Playoff goaltending is a whole bunch of witchcraft and voodoo. For as often as there is a star goalie that a team rides all the way to the SCF, there has been a historically league-average goalie that gets just as far and wins. It's not even that the goalie needs to get particularly hot. They simply need not shit the bed.

Year​	Winning Team​	Perceived Goalie Rating​	Winning Primary Goaltender​	Losing Team​	Perceived Goalie Rating​	Losing Primary Goaltender​
2006​	Carolina Hurricanes​	Average​	Ward​	Edmonton Oilers​	Average​	Roloson*​
2007​	Anaheim Ducks​	Star​	Giguere​	Ottawa Senators​	Average​	Emery​
2008​	Detroit Red Wings​	Star​	Hasek​	Pittsburgh Penguins​	Star​	Fleury​
2009​	Pittsburgh Penguins​	Star​	Fleury​	Detroit Red Wings​	Average​	Osgood​
2010​	Chicago Blackhawks​	Average​	Niemi​	Philadelphia Flyers​	Average​	Leighton​
2011​	Boston Bruins​	Average​	Thomas​	Vancouver Canucks​	Star​	Luongo​
2012​	Los Angeles Kings​	Star​	Quick​	New Jersey Devils​	Star​	Brodeur​
2013​	Chicago Blackhawks​	Average​	Crawford​	Boston Bruins​	Star​	Rask​
2014​	Los Angeles Kings​	Star​	Quick​	New York Rangers​	Star​	Lundqvist​
2015​	Chicago Blackhawks​	Average​	Crawford​	Tampa Bay Lightning​	Star​	Vasilevskiy​
2016​	Pittsburgh Penguins​	Average​	Murray​	San Jose Sharks​	Average​	Jones​
2017​	Pittsburgh Penguins​	Average​	Murray​	Nashville Predators​	Average​	Rinne​
2018​	Washington Capitals​	Average​	Holtby​	Vegas Golden Knights​	Star​	Fleury​
2019​	St. Louis Blues​	Average​	Binnington​	Boston Bruins​	Star​	Rask​
2020​	Tampa Bay Lightning​	Star​	Vasilevskiy​	Dallas Stars​	Average​	Khudobin​
2021​	Tampa Bay Lightning​	Star​	Vasilevskiy​	Montreal Canadiens​	Star​	Price​
2022​	Colorado Avalanche​	Average​	Kuemper​	Tampa Bay Lightning​	Star​	Vasilevskiy​
2023​	Vegas Golden Knights​	Average​	Hill​	Florida Panthers​	Star​	Bobrovsky​

Stanley Cup Winners​		Stanley Cup Losers​
Star Goalie​	7​	Star Goalie​	11​
Average Goalie​	11​	Average Goalie​	7​

Total Stanley Cup Appearances since salary cap​
Star Goalie​	18​
Average Goalie​	18​

Anecdotally, it seems to me that the difference between a star goaltender and an average goaltender in the playoffs is that a star goaltender can single-handedly win you games more often than an average goaltender.

But, star goaltenders are equally as prone to shitting the bed as average goaltenders. When a goalie gets a case of the yips it is equally as troublesome whether you are a star or average.

Winnipeg is seeing this with Hellebuyck right now.

I hate the prick but Tim Thomas was an elite goaltender for 4-5 seasons. His numbers in 2010-2011 were ridiculous.

Cory Crawford was also a star goaltender in the 2010's.

Agree on the rest of the guys though.

 

[iRageWin]

Playoff goaltending is a whole bunch of witchcraft and voodoo. For as often as there is a star goalie that a team rides all the way to the SCF, there has been a historically league-average goalie that gets just as far and wins. It's not even that the goalie needs to get particularly hot. They simply need not shit the bed.

Year​	Winning Team​	Perceived Goalie Rating​	Winning Primary Goaltender​	Losing Team​	Perceived Goalie Rating​	Losing Primary Goaltender​
2006​	Carolina Hurricanes​	Average​	Ward​	Edmonton Oilers​	Average​	Roloson*​
2007​	Anaheim Ducks​	Star​	Giguere​	Ottawa Senators​	Average​	Emery​
2008​	Detroit Red Wings​	Star​	Hasek​	Pittsburgh Penguins​	Star​	Fleury​
2009​	Pittsburgh Penguins​	Star​	Fleury​	Detroit Red Wings​	Average​	Osgood​
2010​	Chicago Blackhawks​	Average​	Niemi​	Philadelphia Flyers​	Average​	Leighton​
2011​	Boston Bruins​	Average​	Thomas​	Vancouver Canucks​	Star​	Luongo​
2012​	Los Angeles Kings​	Star​	Quick​	New Jersey Devils​	Star​	Brodeur​
2013​	Chicago Blackhawks​	Average​	Crawford​	Boston Bruins​	Star​	Rask​
2014​	Los Angeles Kings​	Star​	Quick​	New York Rangers​	Star​	Lundqvist​
2015​	Chicago Blackhawks​	Average​	Crawford​	Tampa Bay Lightning​	Star​	Vasilevskiy​
2016​	Pittsburgh Penguins​	Average​	Murray​	San Jose Sharks​	Average​	Jones​
2017​	Pittsburgh Penguins​	Average​	Murray​	Nashville Predators​	Average​	Rinne​
2018​	Washington Capitals​	Average​	Holtby​	Vegas Golden Knights​	Star​	Fleury​
2019​	St. Louis Blues​	Average​	Binnington​	Boston Bruins​	Star​	Rask​
2020​	Tampa Bay Lightning​	Star​	Vasilevskiy​	Dallas Stars​	Average​	Khudobin​
2021​	Tampa Bay Lightning​	Star​	Vasilevskiy​	Montreal Canadiens​	Star​	Price​
2022​	Colorado Avalanche​	Average​	Kuemper​	Tampa Bay Lightning​	Star​	Vasilevskiy​
2023​	Vegas Golden Knights​	Average​	Hill​	Florida Panthers​	Star​	Bobrovsky​

Stanley Cup Winners​		Stanley Cup Losers​
Star Goalie​	7​	Star Goalie​	11​
Average Goalie​	11​	Average Goalie​	7​

Total Stanley Cup Appearances since salary cap​
Star Goalie​	18​
Average Goalie​	18​

Anecdotally, it seems to me that the difference between a star goaltender and an average goaltender in the playoffs is that a star goaltender can single-handedly win you games more often than an average goaltender.

But, star goaltenders are equally as prone to shitting the bed as average goaltenders. When a goalie gets a case of the yips it is equally as troublesome whether you are a star or average.

Winnipeg is seeing this with Hellebuyck right now.

The vast majority of those average goalies were either consistent starters or soon became consistent starters after their cup run. And of those, most played above their personal average skill level. There seems to be no precedent of a career backup making it deep in the playoffs, or a goalie prospect that doesn't end up being a consistent starter the next season. Unless you think Silovs is that close to being an NHL starter

 

[Vector]

 

[timw33]

I think they might regret not getting the extra couple of years but I can understand from Vlasic's camp cause I believe that will walk him to UFA and an option to not stay in CHI if the rebuild doesn't go so hot.

 

[Orr4Norris]

What irks me about the whole Vegas situation more than anything, is that there have been dozens of cases of blatant cap circumvention over the years, and yet we are one of the few teams who have been punished for it in the form of the Luongo recapture.

That was also “legal” when it was signed, so where does the NHL draw the line? Frankly I think they’re all over the place.

I’ve been around this world long enough to know where there is money, there is corruption. I highly doubt Stone had such a convenient injury.

And the league has been very consistent. Just not in a fair way. But fair isn’t their goal?

 

[SeawaterOnIce]

I’ve been around this world long enough to know where there is money, there is corruption. I highly doubt Stone had such a convenient injury.

And the league has been very consistent. Just not in a fair way. But fair isn’t their goal?

Thing is...Vegas was not a lock to hold a playoff position. There is a massive risk in sitting out your best two-way winger, especially when you were bleeding goals against and also having a cast of defenseman that were perpetually injured.

 

[StreetHawk]

I’ve been around this world long enough to know where there is money, there is corruption. I highly doubt Stone had such a convenient injury.

And the league has been very consistent. Just not in a fair way. But fair isn’t their goal?

With Stone's back, he probably could end up on LTIR at some point each season for the remainder of his career.

 

[tantalum]

Thing is...Vegas was not a lock to hold a playoff position. There is a massive risk in sitting out your best two-way winger, especially when you were bleeding goals against and also having a cast of defenseman that were perpetually injured.

That's exactly it.

Not only do you have to ignore the numerous executives (current and ex) including a former canuck AGM who was on vancouver radio recently talking about how impossible it is to fake these things but it makes ZERO sense for the Knights to have held their best player out of the lineup for 26 games just to acquire an long-term INJURED player at the deadline when in a tight race. Yes the Knights used the LTIR but they did so like every other team. If Miller went down right before the deadline with a long term injury we would have been expecting some big salary to come into the team as well. We'd demand it because that is what the LTIR is for.

I'm also tired of seeing if he was ready for game 83 then he was ready for game 82. Why? A guy comes back in game 51 was he ready for game 50? Or people thinking that teams not delay returns to figure out cap complications during the season? Of course they do. Or ignoring that the Vegas is not the only team over the cap and relying on LTIR space (ahem canucks and like 5 others).

Stone was cleared to return to practice 10 days before he was in a game. He missed a third of the season with an injury that essentially has you at no strenuous activity until scans say it's healed. More than a week of practice sounds about right to me. Not to mention his timeline matches case studies of other pro hockey players with a similar injury.

 

[supercanuck]

I hate the prick but Tim Thomas was an elite goaltender for 4-5 seasons. His numbers in 2010-2011 were ridiculous.

Cory Crawford was also a star goaltender in the 2010's.

Agree on the rest of the guys though.

Would also say that Pekka Rinne was a star as well. Vezina winner, and 4 other times as a finalist.

 

[Huggy43]

RIP Bob Cole

 

[Vector]

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

RIP Bob Cole..Great voice for hockey..He obviously enjoyed his job which lasted decades.