Around the NHL 2023-24 - playoff thread

[Brodeur]

Hintz was 2015, just imagine how more stacked that group would be if they had taken Barzal/Connor instead of Denis Gurianov. I think they had been dangling Hintz as the centerpiece of their offer for Erik Karlsson. They probably lucked out with the Sharks winning that sweepstakes.

Some luck there too, Florida was ready to take Robertson at #40. Robertson was #30 on TSN's final ranking, so it wasn't like he was total unknown.

I always enjoyed the story of them getting Jamie Benn as a late pick. Combination of Benn being out of shape plus being a high level baseball player, so teams weren't sure if he might pursue baseball full time. And then it was a pain to see Benn's BCHL junior team since it required a ferry ride to see him play a home game. So a lot of scouts thought it wasn't worth the time to scout him when it was easier to watch a WHL game instead that might have multiple draft prospects.

 

[My3Sons]

Hintz was 2015, just imagine how more stacked that group would be if they had taken Barzal/Connor instead of Denis Gurianov. I think they had been dangling Hintz as the centerpiece of their offer for Erik Karlsson. They probably lucked out with the Sharks winning that sweepstakes.

Some luck there too, Florida was ready to take Robertson at #40. Robertson was #30 on TSN's final ranking, so it wasn't like he was total unknown.

I always enjoyed the story of them getting Jamie Benn as a late pick. Combination of Benn being out of shape plus being a high level baseball player, so teams weren't sure if he might pursue baseball full time. And then it was a pain to see Benn's BCHL junior team since it required a ferry ride to see him play a home game. So a lot of scouts thought it wasn't worth the time to scout him when it was easier to watch a WHL game instead that might have multiple draft prospects.

There is always an element of luck when selecting 18 year old kids. I saw an interview with one of the Stars front office who admitted that they were concerned about Robertson's skating and it improved dramatically after he was drafted. I don't think they expected that.

 

[HBK27]

 

[britdevil]

Lou is the same age as my Grandad (who has terminal stomach cancer).

It's actually nuts that he's still working. Crazy.

 

[njdevils1982]

Lou is the same age as my Grandad (who has terminal stomach cancer).

It's actually nuts that he's still working. Crazy.

sorry to hear man... i lost mine way back in 2000 to cancer (age 83)

 

[Bleedred]

Lou is the same age as my Grandad (who has terminal stomach cancer).

It's actually nuts that he's still working. Crazy.

Sorry to hear

sorry to hear man... i lost mine way back in 2000 to cancer (age 83)

I lost mine at age 74 (he would have turned 75 twelve days later) back in 2006. He was paralyzed for quite a while at the end of his from breaking his neck from a fall in his 50s.

That was my mom’s dad. My dad’s dad died back in like 78 when I was 2. I have a few memories of going to his house.

My old man should have been outta here a long time ago. His worthless self will likely outlive me. He should have croaked decades ago. I’m gonna say about 4.5 decades ago would have been nice.

 

[MartyOwns]

it's actually just sad that he's (at least quasi) determining whether or not he'll be back. nobody has the balls to take the keys away from grandpa, it's pathetic.

 

[britdevil]

sorry to hear man... i lost mine way back in 2000 to cancer (age 83)

Thank you and sorry for your loss. I lost my other Grandad in 2010. Think about him most days.

He's doing well, he actually had a cardiac arrest in December and if not for the extensive tests, we probably wouldn't know about the cancer.

Life is crazy and special. Call your parents kids.

Sorry to hear

I lost mine at age 74 (he would have turned 75 twelve days later) back in 2006. He was paralyzed for quite a while at the end of his from breaking his neck from a fall in his 50s.

That was my mom’s dad. My dad’s dad died back in like 78 when I was 2. I have a few memories of going to his house.

My old man should have been outta here a long time ago. His worthless self will likely outlive me. He should have croaked decades ago. I’m gonna say about 4.5 decades ago would have been nice.

Sorry to hear mate. Grandfather's are special.

it's actually just sad that he's (at least quasi) determining whether or not he'll be back. nobody has the balls to take the keys away from grandpa, it's pathetic.

I somewhat agree, but the man has taken them to 5 out of 6 playoff seasons.

They were a f***ing joke before he got there. That says something I guess...

 

[My3Sons]

Sorry to hear

I lost mine at age 74 (he would have turned 75 twelve days later) back in 2006. He was paralyzed for quite a while at the end of his from breaking his neck from a fall in his 50s.

That was my mom’s dad. My dad’s dad died back in like 78 when I was 2. I have a few memories of going to his house.

My old man should have been outta here a long time ago. His worthless self will likely outlive me. He should have croaked decades ago. I’m gonna say about 4.5 decades ago would have been nice.

I know you've done a great job coming to grips with it, but it always breaks my heart to hear that someone had a crappy dad.

 

[Bleedred]

I know you've done a great job coming to grips with it, but it always breaks my heart to hear that someone had a crappy dad.

I think it sucks and all, but way worse things have happened to people than anything I went through. People have been physically and sexually abused, people have literally been kept in cages. That never happened to me. So lots of people have it way or worse or had it way worse.

 

[My3Sons]

I think it sucks and all, but way worse things have happened to people than anything I went through. People have been physically and sexually abused, people have literally been kept in cages. That never happened to me. So lots of people have it way or worse or had it way worse.

You aren't kidding. I can't read or watch those stories. It just turns my stomach.

 

[NJDevs26]

Honestly I think Lou would be hired again if he was to leave the Isles this offseason, he made the playoffs almost every year except last year with the Isles when they barely missed and every season after the Shanaplan in Toronto, it's not like he's been the disaster he's portrayed as here. People here scoff at just 'making the playoffs' but he's done it a heck of a lot more than we have still and they've had multiple good runs in them.

He's bit of a caricature of himself at this point yes, no future, bubble team, the day is coming where it catches up with the Isles if he's there long enough yadda yadda yadda but you could do a lot worse at GM if you need a 3-5 year plan.

 

[MartyOwns]

Honestly I think Lou would be hired again if he was to leave the Isles this offseason, he made the playoffs almost every year except last year with the Isles when they barely missed and every season after the Shanaplan in Toronto, it's not like he's been the disaster he's portrayed as here. People here scoff at just 'making the playoffs' but he's done it a heck of a lot more than we have still and they've had multiple good runs in them.

He's bit of a caricature of himself at this point yes, no future, bubble team, the day is coming where it catches up with the Isles if he's there long enough yadda yadda yadda but you could do a lot worse at GM if you need a 3-5 year plan.

yeah he's great if you want to be a middling, pointless team that will be left in ruins when he leaves. he won't get you a cup, you won't end up with a top 5 pick, you'll just kind of exist. but hey, at least the team will be clean shaven. and if you're a terrible, one dimensional player like pierre engvall, you'll looove him.

 

[NJDevs26]

yeah he's great if you want to be a middling, pointless team that will be left in ruins when he leaves. he won't get you a cup, you won't end up with a top 5 pick, you'll just kind of exist. but hey, at least the team will be clean shaven. and if you're a terrible, one dimensional player like pierre engvall, you'll looove him.

The Isles were in ruins for the better part of twenty years before he got there lol, almost a decade of being competitive with a couple of deep runs before they’re in ‘ruins’ again by 2028 or so any Islander fan would have taken seven years ago.

 

[Bleedred]

Lou is so old that I’m not sure anyone wants him to be their GM. I’m sure almost every team would want him in their front office in some capacity if he were available. I’m just not sure it would be as GM.

Sometimes I think he’ll be back here in a celebratory role if he can’t get a GM gig, but I’m not sure if he’s still salty for getting booted here.

 

[NJDevs26]

And people also accuse Lou of being set in his ways, in some respects yes but the dude ganked his coach midseason and brought in a radical outside choice who did make the playoffs. We ganked our coach too late, and replaced him with another Fitz good old boy pick from within.

 

[Darkauron]

Lou sucks and is not a good GM anymore

 

[Bleedred]

And people also accuse Lou of being set in his ways, in some respects yes but the dude ganked his coach midseason and brought in a radical outside choice who did make the playoffs. We ganked our coach too late, and replaced him with another Fitz good old boy pick from within.

I've never seen the word ganked used on here other than by me lol.

I've used that word for a long time and people have told me it doesn't mean it the way I'm using it lol, but I don't care.

Technically it means to steal something, but it's just a cool sounding and I think it's appropriate to use when firing a coach. Whatever it is, the word sounds like it's not something good and a coach being fired is not good, at least not for the coach.

 

[Oneiro]

The days of me being impressed by teams like Nashville, NYI, Boston, Minnesota, Winnipeg, Calgary, etc. being competitive year in and year out are long over. They are all futile for a reason.

The 'anything can happen' mentality is silly and f***ing stupid in the cap era (not to mention information age where there is practically no edge). The purpose is to win it all and there's a higher probability way of doing that, which is directly impeded by mushy middle mentality. At the end of the day, the teams with the best players - drafted or bought - have owned this league for the greater part of 15+ years.

 

[TrufleShufle]

I've never seen the word ganked used on here other than by me lol.

I've used that word for a long time and people have told me it doesn't mean it the way I'm using it lol, but I don't care.

Technically it means to steal something, but it's just a cool sounding and I think it's appropriate to use when firing a coach. Whatever it is, the word sounds like it's not something good and a coach being fired is not good, at least not for the coach.

Yea, I think he ganked that word from you.

 

[tailfins]

And people also accuse Lou of being set in his ways, in some respects yes but the dude ganked his coach midseason and brought in a radical outside choice who did make the playoffs. We ganked our coach too late, and replaced him with another Fitz good old boy pick from within.

I’m not sure why you’re defending Lou here.

People are willfully blind. Isles have been getting lucky, have gotten unsustainable performances, have no future, have no talent, but continue to make the playoffs. But they’re stuck in no-man’s land. Much better to be picking top 10 than have lost in the first round.

God we suck.

 

[NJDevs26]

I've never seen the word ganked used on here other than by me lol.

I've used that word for a long time and people have told me it doesn't mean it the way I'm using it lol, but I don't care.

Technically it means to steal something, but it's just a cool sounding and I think it's appropriate to use when firing a coach. Whatever it is, the word sounds like it's not something good and a coach being fired is not good, at least not for the coach.

Not gonna lie I never looked up the word either, just sounds cute lol

 

[Bleedred]

Not gonna lie I never looked up the word either, just sounds funny. Now I don’t want to lol

According to Webster's dictionary it means to rob or defraud someone.

I think I like using it for things like firing coaches because it rhymes with shanked, which means to kick or hit someone. And that would definitely be somewhat more gramatically appropriate to describe a coach firing.

But shanked also means to stab someone and it seems a little extreme to suggest a coach is stabbed.

 

[MadDevil]

According to Webster's dictionary it means to rob or defraud someone.

I think I like using it for things like firing coaches because it rhymes with shanked, which means to kick or hit someone. And that would definitely be somewhat more gramatically appropriate to describe a coach firing.

But shanked also means to stab someone and it seems a little extreme to suggest a coach is stabbed.

I listen to too many podcasts with British people so I often say "sacked" instead of fired.

 

[My3Sons]

I’m not sure why you’re defending Lou here.

People are willfully blind. Isles have been getting lucky, have gotten unsustainable performances, have no future, have no talent, but continue to make the playoffs. But they’re stuck in no-man’s land. Much better to be picking top 10 than have lost in the first round.

God we suck.

I’ll always defend Lou Reed . The man was a NY music legend. I saw him open for Peter Gabriel at the Beacon in maybe 1994.