Around the NHL - Episode XLIX

[Tuna99]

John Tavares wakes up in a weird spot - Islanders celebrating his departure and their new found success without him and Toronto can’t win without him.

He’s got a curse feel going. Could be the pyjamas

 

[Tuna99]

All Sens fans want to do this morning is talk about past playoffs with the Leaves fans.

Any Leafs fans out there not to raw to talk playoffs?

 

[Blotto71]

I can't believe some of you were cheering for the Leafs. Look at all this incredible chaos.

You're telling me the alternative would have been better?

I was always going to be happy, no matter which team lost.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

I was always going to be happy, no matter which team lost.

Same.

But at the same time, I've seen goalies steal a Cup before. Prices' hot streaks don't usually last overly long, but if he keeps it up....

I want to see Montreal go down in flames this round, but I have a nagging feeling this series is going to be really close. Perhaps an upset.

 

[Mingus Dew]

Same.

But at the same time, I've seen goalies steal a Cup before. Prices' hot streaks don't usually last overly long, but if he keeps it up....

I want to see Montreal go down in flames this round, but I have a nagging feeling this series is going to be really close. Perhaps an upset.

Jets are not some dominant force. Montreal has a chance if Price keeps this up.

 

[Tuna99]

Jets are not some dominant force. Montreal has a chance if Price keeps this up.

Montreal for sure has a chance. Winnipeg doesn’t have the start power of Toronto but way better depth and it’ll be hard for Montreal to control that.

Helleybuck is WAY better then Campbell. That’s should even the goaltending you a bit.

 

[BondraTime]

Anyone in the North Division has a chance, it's all mediocre/awful teams.

 

[SensFactor]

 

[Sens72]

Ben Hutton was such a pointless trade, he played four regular season games

 

[Knave]

I can't imagine being placed in a prime spot to make a deep run, adding a ton of pieces at the deadline and then Matthews and Marner manage a single goal in a 7 game series. I get they assisted Nylander and others but holy shit.

 

[NyQuil]

Just heard this stat today (apologies if someone has already referenced it):

17 of the top 18 highest salaries in the NHL are out of the playoffs - the sole exception is Carey Price.

Players can really price themselves out of a competitive team situation.

 

[Xspyrit]

I was always going to be happy, no matter which team lost.

This.

For a Senators fan, there was always going to be one good news and one bad news regarding the outcome of that series.

Jets are not some dominant force. Montreal has a chance if Price keeps this up.

That's why I wanted the Leafs to win the Series. I'm more confident in Winnipeg winning vs Toronto than Montreal. Tavares still banged up, Muzzin missing 3 weeks, Andersen haven't played and is rusty. Price can totally win another round with the way he's playing now.

Leafs win the round : they lose vs Winnipeg and are still irrelevant, no matter how much they hype and brag about their team. An original team with no Cup in 55 years and basically no playoffs success in almost 2 decades is not relevant. You let them "talk" and say "Oh really?" with that in the back of your mind, it's even funnier that way.

Montreal lose the round : they continue to build their playoffs winless drought (since 2015*, last year they won in the qualifying round only), they panic and make more bad moves (like firing Claude Julien)

* Habs last playoffs round win was against Ottawa, just like the last Leafs win in 2004. Could have been a strong curse building too. Oh well.

I understand that emotionally, Sens fans in Ontario wanted to see the Leafs lose more than anything but rationally, I think it would have been "less risky" the other way around. Leafs would have been less likely to win vs Winnipeg (IMO) and wouldn't stand a chance vs Colorado anyway

All that win did is open the door for another Montreal cinderella run, great.

 

[NyQuil]

As impressed as I am with Montreal's attitude and compete level, Winnipeg is a whole different challenge for them in terms of the depth they can bring up front.

Montreal certainly shut down that top line, but with Tavares out, they could fixate on those guys and that assignment and give themselves a good chance to win.

 

[foggyvisor]

Just heard this stat today (apologies if someone has already referenced it):

17 of the top 18 highest salaries in the NHL are out of the playoffs - the sole exception is Carey Price.

Players can really price themselves out of a competitive team situation.

Melnyk gonna weaponize this factoid.

 

[NyQuil]

Melnyk gonna weaponize this factoid.

Well, it's the truth.

You throw all your money on a few guys and the team that surrounds them sucks unless you get really lucky on some ELCs.

It's a convenient stat for us in Ottawa because we will never be able to compete with the large markets when it comes to the huge salaries anyway.

 

[GCK]

The kid can play an entire playoff series and not have a hair out of place by the end of it. He is not the type of player you want if you want a Cup. You can have all the talent in the world, but if you won't get your nose dirty in the post season, you'll never win anything.

I’d take Marner on my team any day. Keefe overplayed him all year and even more in the playoffs. Terrible roster management.

 

[Beech]

growing up in the 1970's, the Flinstones were still very popular. In one episode, 'The Tycoon". Fred is hired to impersonate a rich man and run the company. In one segment, he is at his desk answering a number of phones and all you hear is "Buy, Sell, Buy, Sell...".

Teams get themselves into a whole lot of trouble when their GMs become Fred Flinstone and it's Buy/Sell. When GMs start seeing themselves as "executives" and "tycoons" and not as, talent evaluators and "high level scouts" and "one level up from coach". Teams get themselves into trouble when they are trading and trading and signing free agents and so on.. yet draft poorly, trade away draft picks and have execs with $300 hair cuts, instead of Zamboni exhuast in their lungs.

The Leafs and the Habs have GMs that are Fred Flinstone, when they need to be the Mann brothers. One down, the next will most likely fall in 6-8 days.

 

[DrakeAndJosh]

This next series is tough for me cuz I find jets fans almost as annoying as leaf fans. I guess I don’t care that much since whoever wins will get run over by col/veg in round three.

 

[Masked]

As impressed as I am with Montreal's attitude and compete level, Winnipeg is a whole different challenge for them in terms of the depth they can bring up front.

Montreal certainly shut down that top line, but with Tavares out, they could fixate on those guys and that assignment and give themselves a good chance to win.

Scheifele , Lowry and Dubois will bring a much different compete level than what the Habs faced down the middle with the Leafs.

 

[maclean]

Have you lived in either city? Probably not.

Both are great cities. Both have their highs and low, but neither is a shithole.

I did actually live in Toronto for a number of years, but the conversation has moved on, seems pointless to dwell on it now

 

[DueDiligence]

Jets are not some dominant force. Montreal has a chance if Price keeps this up.

The Jets forwards are much gritter than the Leafs. They hit and forecheck much better. They will score on the Habs.

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

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