Around the NHL VIII - 2017-2018 Season

[drwpreds]

What is going to be fascinating for me is to see how Vegas does next year (and beyond).

I have given up doubting them this year as they have made me look like a complete idiot time after time after time.

But I still maintain they are due for a major regression- and it obviously ain't happening this year.

They are on some kind of magic carpet ride- one of those years when just about everything falls into place and goes your way.

And add to that they pretty much have a roster full of players who are having incredible, career years. Many of whom have never even sniffed a season like the one they are having.

And- they will also have to deal with what the Preds had to deal with this year- no longer being the great underdog story, but now being the "big dogs"- the favorite. They won't catch anyone by surprise next year. They won't be a team of destiny any longer. And as we saw this year with us, it is incredibly difficult to make runs like this two years in a row.

Factor all of that in and it is going to be fascinating to see what happens going forward.

 

[Drake744]

This isn't a personal attack on anyone, people can root for forever they want, but this is me whenever I see people on the VGK bandwagon.

Wish Winnipeg would've swept em.

 

[LCPreds]

Why does the VGK bandwagon bother you so much?

 

[Scoresberg]

Who gives a heck about what happens next year?? Vegas is winning it this year and it'll be one of the greatest events in this league, ever.

 

[Drake744]

Why does the VGK bandwagon bother you so much?

Ha good question. It's just mainly me being jealous to be honest. What they're doing in the Vegas community is good for the league in terms of growing the sport but it's hard to fathom the kind of players they have right away. It's kind of deflating to see a team have those kinds of players because they paid the league a large entry fee. They had rules and went by them, but it's just frustrating I guess to see a team with no bad players come out right away. Past expansion teams have had to give everything they've got to not be a doormat, build through the draft, fight free agency apathy, etc, while they've been able to skip all of that. I don't mean this in a deprecating way but there's no question they're catching tons of breaks this year that likely won't be sustainable. Yeah, everything is working in their favor but it does for every team that makes it this far.

I'm aware it sounds dumb but I'm just bitter about it. If they continue to be really good in future years, this casual love for them will turn into annoyance pretty quickly I think.

 

[drwpreds]

Who gives a heck about what happens next year?? Vegas is winning it this year and it'll be one of the greatest events in this league, ever.

Who said it wasn't?? So because a team wins it this year you can't talk about next year?????

Its just conversation......

 

[NoNecksCurse]

im with you drake. especially going from what we started with to now.

 

[LCPreds]

What I find interesting about Vegas is that every analytic had them faring so poorly. These are emotionless looks at team expectations and even they missed the mark entirely. How is that possible?

Anyway, another point of interest is that average Vegas fan cannot even really appreciate what is happening here. They have not gone through 20+ years of wanting to just win a series, or get the WCF/SCF, so in terms of anticipation there was none. So in a sense they are being robbed of a future of anticipating the point when they will finally get to these rare achievements. I do not envy them.

Some will draw parallels to the Titans but in my opinion that is quite different. I can't recall the specific expectations of the Titans that season, other than Jeff Fisher so obvious expectation is 8-8. But I do remember knowing that we had good players so it wasn't a complete surprise to make the playoffs.

 

[BigFatCat999]

Speculation from what source?

Greg Wyshinski on his twitter.

 

[NoNecksCurse]

Greg Wyshinski on his twitter.

that guy is a clown. merely a reason to say trotz could even be speculated to go there. everyone is friends or knows someone in the hockey community. tavares should sign here cause PK is his friend from when he was younger. not happening either.

 

[Legionnaire11]

What is going to be fascinating for me is to see how Vegas does next year (and beyond).

I have given up doubting them this year as they have made me look like a complete idiot time after time after time.

But I still maintain they are due for a major regression- and it obviously ain't happening this year.

-snip-

Factor all of that in and it is going to be fascinating to see what happens going forward.

I can see them being the Tennessee Titans of the NHL. Go on a huge run in year one (okay, it wasn't really year one for the Titans) and live off of unrealistic expectations for the fanbase for a decade when they're actually regressing the whole time. That's not to say they'll sink to the bottom of the league, they'll probably still be good but not great, they've got a ton of really nice prospects in the pipeline.

 

[drwpreds]

What I find interesting about Vegas is that every analytic had them faring so poorly. These are emotionless looks at team expectations and even they missed the mark entirely. How is that possible?.

For me, the reason everyone missed on it is because it STILL MAKES NO SENSE- there is no logic whatsoever to what they are doing.

Maybe I am just nuts, because I still don’t think their roster is all that stacked. And it certainly wasn’t going into the season- no one with a brain looked at that roster and said- “yep, that is a 109 point, Cup winning team”.

Not to be a broken record on this, but how many of the other top teams in the league or their fans (Boston, TB, Pittsburgh, Washington, Preds, Jets, etc)- how many of them would trade their roster for Vegas’? If you could have their roster starting next year instead of the one you have right now, would you do it? I don’t think any of them would- for me it is not even close.

And that is the reason I am fascinated to see how they fare in the next couple of years

 

[LCPreds]

For me, the reason everyone missed on it is because it STILL MAKES NO SENSE- there is no logic whatsoever to what they are doing.

I certainly get that argument from an eye test. I don't understand how analytical tools also missed it by such a wide margin. Is it a complete fluke or is there some underlying.. "something".. here that will be leveraged by those who manage to figure it out first?

 

[GoldOnGold]

Kane apparently signed a 7x7 with San Jose. That's some big money for a guy like him, and I wonder how much it'll affect the JVR, Neal, and Stone contracts.

 

[Drake744]

Kane apparently signed a 7x7 with San Jose. That's some big money for a guy like him, and I wonder how much it'll affect the JVR, Neal, and Stone contracts.

7 per for Kane? Yikes. He's good but, ehhhh.

 

[GoldOnGold]

7 per for Kane? Yikes. He's good but, ehhhh.

Kane scored at a 54 point pace over the entirely of the regular season last year. Craig Smith had a 53 point pace.

 

[NoNecksCurse]

Kane apparently signed a 7x7 with San Jose. That's some big money for a guy like him, and I wonder how much it'll affect the JVR, Neal, and Stone contracts.

holy cow that's brutal

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

holy cow that's brutal

Agreed, absolutely awful. He plays well in...what, 2 playoff games...and cashes in? Though RyJo only put up the same regular season production and makes a million more.

 

[NoNecksCurse]

Agreed, absolutely awful. He plays well in...what, 2 playoff games...and cashes in? Though RyJo only put up the same regular season production and makes a million more.

ryjo gets a pass for playoffs but yeah his contract is pretty bad, too. he has a lot he brings to the game other than points being a big bodied center. not thrilled with his contract but Kane for 7x7?!? dude scores goals and that's it. and he has sucked at that at times and misses a shit ton of games it seems like. SJ also lose their 1st to buffalo for signing him as well.

the UFA market is ruined.

 

[Osprey]

I just realized that Neal will be in the Stanley Cup Final for the second year in a row... and with a different team. I wonder if Hossa in '08 and '09 is the last player to do that.

 

[Armourboy]

San Jose has lost their mind.

 

[NoNecksCurse]

I just realized that Neal will be in the Stanley Cup Final for the second year in a row... and with a different team. I wonder if Hossa in '08 and '09 is the last player to do that.

Daniel Carrillo was on 3 consecutive cup winning teams. 2012-2013 hawks then 2013-2014 kings then 2014-2015 hawks. random fact of the day/night

edit: i am pretty sure he would get his name on the cup 3 times but I'm not sure about the GP threshold

 

[AdmiralsFan24]

Kane apparently signed a 7x7 with San Jose. That's some big money for a guy like him, and I wonder how much it'll affect the JVR, Neal, and Stone contracts.

If you're committing that amount of AAV, you want a shorter contract. If you want a longer contract, he needs to lower his AAV. The fact that San Jose didn't get either of those done and how big of a risk Kane is makes this a really dumb contract.

 

[PredsV82]

If you're committing that amount of AAV, you want a shorter contract. If you want a longer contract, he needs to lower his AAV. The fact that San Jose didn't get either of those done and how big of a risk Kane is makes this a really dumb contract.

San Jose knows their window is closing soon. They are panicking.

Not only are they on the hook from 7x7, the draft pick they have to give to buffalo is now a 1st

 

[King Weber]

the Kane deal means they'll have 10-14 million in cap space depending on how much the cap raises, so it pretty much takes them out of the Tavares sweepstakes too if they want to keep Thornton, Hertl, DeMelo and Tierney.