Dallas is a Paper Tiger

[Sidney the Kidney]

Is anyone aware that VGK was able to get Hanafin, Hertl, and Martha with Stone’s LTIR money - and then MIRACULOUSLY get Stone back to start the play-offs? This is not an ordinary NHL team. The only people who think VGK’s success is a commentary on the Stars is not paying attention.

Wayne or Stewart?

 

[TruePowerSlave]

Vegas circumvented the cap to get an edge once again. It is what it is.

Don't hate the player hate the game.

Other teams can take advantage of the system as well, they just choose not to.

 

[Bleedred]

I’ve pointed this out a lot lately.

They’re a very old team. Pavelski and Suter are both just about 40. Dadonov is 35. Benn is just about 35. Tanev is 34. Duchene is 33. Seguin is 32. Craig Smith is 35. He’s just a role player, but the others all have significant roles.

They have quite a few young players like Johnston, Robertson, Harley and Heiskanen are all 25 and under. Stankoven has been impressive since he came in. Hintz is 27.

Still, that’s a lot of older contributors. I’ve been skeptical some of those older guys won’t run out of gas before the finish line.

Oettinger is also young but he’s been a net negative both in last year’s playoffs and these two games. The Hanifin game winner was shit.

 

[RJMA]

Dallas has no superstars. No one that can take over a game. Depth is meant to complement superstars. When depth alone is your team's core, you're screwed.

 

[ozzie]

I dunno, Vegas are the champs for a reason and healthy. Maybe Vegas is just better. Doesnt mean Dallas is paper tiger. Just a poor match up.

 

[HockeyWooot]

Paper Tiger is a significantly overused term here that it quickly loses meaning.

Dallas Stars are a top team in the league no doubt. VGK are a great team with championship pedigree, and bolstered by a nice cap circumvention boost.

 

[Daximus]

I disagree with that, the NHL playoff format is broken, because Vegas would probably beat the Rangers, Carolina, Boston, Toronto, Vancouver and Edmonton so it's not that Dallas is a paper tiger, its the fact that a team like Vegas was a wild card seed.

It's not really broken. Vegas just snuck in as a WC team missing some key players and got them all back for the playoffs and is now at their full strength. Had this Vegas team been healthy and playing all year they likely take the division and the conference and are taking on a team like LA or Nashville in round one. But they managed to parlay some key injuries into some deadline pickups.

 

[Hockeyholic]

First off, the playoff format sucks. I'm tired of seeing the same matchups each year. Go back to 1 vs 8 etc. A lesser team than Dallas (like Edm) should not be getting an easier opponent.

Secondly, Dallas will win both games in Vegas. After that, who knows what happens.

Lastly, I don't agree that Dallas are paper tigers. They made the SCF & conference finals in the past four years.

 

[ijuka]

This makes no sense.

A paper tiger would require the team to be amazing on paper. Is Dallas amazing on paper? I look at that roster and I just don't see a paper tiger. Are Pavelski or Johnston or Duchene strong names on paper? Do they sound like great players in comparison to, what, Kucherov, Stamkos, Point, Hedman, what have you?

Is Jason Robertson a star player the way Kucherov, Matthews, McDavid, or Pastrnak is a star player? Is that an impressive name?


Dallas Stars are pretty much the opposite of a paper tiger, if you ask me. On paper, none of their positions are particularly impressive name-wise. Heiskanen is probably the best one, but most people would still say that he's not on the level of a Makar or a Hughes.

 

[Black Tank]

Dallas is no paper tiger - it's that Vegas was a wolf in sheep's clothing. Everyone knew that which is why no one wanted them in the 1st rd. Life is often unfair and it's put Dallas in a bad spot this year.

 

[JoVel]

First off, the playoff format sucks. I'm tired of seeing the same matchups each year. Go back to 1 vs 8 etc. A lesser team than Dallas (like Edm) should not be getting an easier opponent.

Not that I don't agree, but Dallas-Vegas would've happened under 1-8 too.

 

[byrath]

I disagree with that, the NHL playoff format is broken, because Vegas would probably beat the Rangers, Carolina, Boston, Toronto, Vancouver and Edmonton so it's not that Dallas is a paper tiger, its the fact that a team like Vegas was a wild card seed.

I don't think it has anything to do with the playoff format being broken, unless you want the top seeds to be able to select their opponent... which to me seems like a pretty great idea. It does suck that the reward for winning the conference is a 1st round matchup against the previous champs.

 

[Chips]

Is anyone aware that VGK was able to get Hanafin, Hertl, and Martha with Stone’s LTIR money - and then MIRACULOUSLY get Stone back to start the play-offs? This is not an ordinary NHL team. The only people who think VGK’s success is a commentary on the Stars is not paying attention.

Vegas struggled through the regular season, they’re not suddenly a juggernaut because they got Stone back. They’re great but very beatable, Dallas just has to get over the hump


Blaming LTIR would be a cop out and I hope most Dallas fans wouldn’t go that route if they lose. The Isles almost beat the LTIR Bolts, and those Isles were way worse than this Dallas team (and those Bolts were arguably better than the Knights). The difference between those Isles and the Stars of this and last year was largely mental and perseverance, the Dallas younger guys need to catch fire and they need their goalie.

 

[bringbacktheskate604]

Thing is, I'd take them in a 7 game series over almost every other Western team except Vegas.

This series right here might as well be the WCF, imo. Unfortunately for the Stars, they suck against Vegas for whatever reason

The stars are a fine team but based on the last couple of years we would have the edge. I'm not sure exactly what it is but we seem to have your guys number

 

[JKG33]

Like I said in another thread, the Kings winning and Vegas losing on the last day of the season was one of the worst things to happen for playoff matchups.

Dallas would likely be beating anyone except Vegas or maybe Colorado. Meanwhile the shitty ass Kings and Oilers have no buisness playing each other in rd 1.

 

[BKarchitect]

I mean…they are kind of the “hey nobody talks about how great they are” team among casual NHL fans this year who are just now catching up to speed to old news. So in that regard, they definitely do have that “hipster” vibe among neutrals.

I think this idea that they are just this superior team that nobody else in the West can match and they simply got unlucky is patently untrue though. I don’t think they are a “tier better” than any of the top half-dozen top teams in the West, they just had a few more points at the end of the season.

The first round was always going to have some really really good teams knocked out no matter what the matchups were. Would Dallas be some sure thing guaranteed winner over, for example, the Predators? I don’t think they are head and shoulders above any of these teams. More than capable of beating all of them and going on a long run…sure. Not some unbeatable juggernaut who got unlucky though.

This series isn’t even over either.

 

[bringbacktheskate604]

Vegas are defending cup champs and were able to use a known cap exploit to gain an advantage. There is no shame in losing to that team.

More shame in calling these Stars "paper tigers" IMO.

Vegas has looked like shit for months and came limping into the playoffs and the only addition is a very notably rusty Stone.
Game 1 Vegas looked absolutely putrid and game two not much better. Problem for the stars is they've looked worse.

 

[BMOK33]

First off, the playoff format sucks. I'm tired of seeing the same matchups each year. Go back to 1 vs 8 etc. A lesser team than Dallas (like Edm) should not be getting an easier opponent.

Secondly, Dallas will win both games in Vegas. After that, who knows what happens.

Lastly, I don't agree that Dallas are paper tigers. They made the SCF & conference finals in the past four years.

The main reason to go back to 1-8 is it discourages teams tanking. Its extremely hard to try and determine your opponent 2-3-4 games before the season ends so rarely if ever is a matchup sort of locked in within a setup such as that. The divisional setup makes it too easy to do what the Bruins did vs the Caps or Vegas did vs Anaheim

Vegas is loaded with talent just like e.g. Avalanche or Red Wings were back in late 90s. This should never happen with cap in place.

Still Stars may turn the things around still.

The most absurd thing is someone said last night not a single player in the Vegas lineup was drafted by them. IMO that should not happen either. Even Tampa/Florida who benefit from the also needs to be fixed no income tax rule do not have that sort of roster. Something is wrong if you can build a team purely on trades on signings.

 

[chaz4hockey]

Vegas has looked like shit for months and came limping into the playoffs and the only addition is a very notably rusty Stone.
Game 1 Vegas looked absolutely putrid and game two not much better. Problem for the stars is they've looked worse.

“the only addition is a very notably rusty Stone.“

Nah, Hertl getting a few games at end plus Pietrangelo back for start of playoffs matters too. Which wouldn’t occur with a proper restraint on cap cough “management” by League/PA.

 

[Harry Kakalovich]

They've looked terrible

 

[bringbacktheskate604]

Is anyone aware that VGK was able to get Hanafin, Hertl, and Martha with Stone’s LTIR money - and then MIRACULOUSLY get Stone back to start the play-offs? This is not an ordinary NHL team. The only people who think VGK’s success is a commentary on the Stars is not paying attention.

Stone makes 9 million and Hertyl alone makes what 8? So Hanifin and Mantha cost a million towards the cap?

If your gonna whine and be a sore loser at least get your facts straight.
They basically got Hertl who is massively overrated and has been for a couple of years. Mantha is even more useless and they would have added Hanifin regardless of Stone.

 

[GeeoffBrown]

Is anyone aware that VGK was able to get Hanafin, Hertl, and Martha with Stone’s LTIR money - and then MIRACULOUSLY get Stone back to start the play-offs? This is not an ordinary NHL team. The only people who think VGK’s success is a commentary on the Stars is not paying attention.

True, plus Stone on LTIR hurt Vegas in the regular season standings, so they are a much lower seed than they should be

 

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Which teams would beat this Vegas team?

 

[Idiot Stick]

Which teams would beat his Vegas team?

Seam Team 6, maybe

 

[tarheelhockey]

Vegas was a really bad draw for a #1 seed in the first round. It’s not like these are blowouts, it’s a powerhouse matchup. Sucks for Dallas to be rewarded with this after a great season, but it is what it is. You have to go through the tough teams to win a Cup.