News Around the League: 2017-2018 During and AFTER THE CUP

[VoidCreature]

As far as I can tell Montreal is running

Pacioretty-Drouin-???
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???-Weber
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Price

They look like shit. Feels like they've been getting worse every year for a while now.

 

[MadDevil]

Montreal looks like the 14-15 Devils. Their forwards are slow and uncreative and their D can't make a pass. Getting cycled to death in their own zone.

NHL.com says they have 29 shots on goal but I don't believe it.

You mean they could use a defenseman like Subban or even a kid like Sergachev?

 

[JimEIV]

Didn't think either team looked very good

 

[My3Sons]

As far as I can tell Montreal is running

Pacioretty-Drouin-???
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???-Weber
???-???
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Price

They look like ****. Feels like they've been getting worse every year for a while now.

That lineup could use a little Lovejoy!

 

[RememberTheName]

That lineup could use a little Lovejoy!

Shoulda claimed Merrill as well

 

[HenriquesJawLine]

As far as I can tell Montreal is running

Pacioretty-Drouin-???
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???-Weber
???-???
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Price

They look like ****. Feels like they've been getting worse every year for a while now.

Lehkonen is gonna have a big year

 

[Emperoreddy]

That lineup could use a little Lovejoy!

We get it. You don't like Lovejoy

 

[Bleedred]

We get it. You don't like Lovejoy

I'm sure he likes him a little bit more than I do.

I don't think they've been that good either. Not sure how either of these teams can see themselves as a contender.

It's the first time in about 4 years where I haven't read or heard many people referring to the Canadiens as contenders or an ''Elite'' team, which is fantastic. They were never elite or contenders, over these last few years. They're basically the mid 90's/early 00's Sabres, who were never a serious threat, outside of having Hasek. They had a couple other nice pieces, like Montreal does. I never took them seriously as a threat though. I never took Montreal very seriously either.

I don't think the Rangers are really a serious contender either, but at least they've been to the Conference Finals a few times and the SCF once over the past several years. Montreal has been to the Conference Finals once. They're usually a one or two and done team.

 

[glenwo2]

I didn't expect the Habs to win anyway.

The Rags always seem to find a way to beat them.

Still.... 1-2 for the Rags but 1-0 for the Devils.

 

[sabremike]

I'm sure he likes him a little bit more than I do.


It's the first time in about 4 years where I haven't read or heard many people referring to the Canadiens as contenders or an ''Elite'' team, which is fantastic. They were never elite or contenders, over these last few years. They're basically the mid 90's/early 00's Sabres, who were never a serious threat, outside of having Hasek. They had a couple other nice pieces, like Montreal does. I never took them seriously as a threat though. I never took Montreal very seriously either.

Wait the 97 Sabres had the best record in the East and 99 Sabres came within a game of winning the cup. I'd say that was legit, far more than the recent Habs have done.

 

[Bleedred]

Wait the 97 Sabres had the best record in the East and 99 Sabres came within a game of winning the cup. I'd say that was legit, far more than the recent Habs have done.

Fair enough, but those Sabres were mostly just okay teams, with Hasek being the biggest part. They had some other good players, but Hasek was the reason they were a convincing playoff making team in those years, and not just a bubble team.

I'd even use the comparison of Montreal the past few seasons being similar to the 2005-2010 Devils, but I think even most of teams over that span were better than Montreal.

 

[JimEIV]

Those Devil teams from 2005 to 2010 were very underrated.
They won the Division 4 out 5 years and had 46 or more wins every year. They lost to the eventual Cup Champs Hurricanes in 05-06 they lost to Ottawa who would go to the finals in 07 and they lost to the Flyers in 2010 who would represent the East in the finals.

Those teams were missing a couple of ingredients each year, they lost Niedermayer and never recovered and they never really had a 2nd center... I always wished that we could've seen more time with a Zajac and Gomez 1/2 combo but that really never happened. I honestly believe if we could've retained Niedermayer we would've won another Cup. Free Agency has been tough on NJ over the last decade....you can make an all-star team from the players that left.

The No compensation team
Niedermayer -Rafalski
Parise-Gomez-Gionta
Then add Martin, Fayne, Kovalchuk, Clarkson to the no compensation team and the train derailed.

All home grown(except for Kovalchuk) all very good to excellent and no return on any of them.

I don't think Montreal has been anywhere near that in a long time.

 

[BenedictGomez]

I still have no idea why nobody wanted to sign Jaromir Jagr to a 1 year deal.

He was top-30 in the NHL in points last year, and top-5 in the NHL in points the year before that.

Put him on the 3rd line and if you dont make the playoffs trade him for a 3rd Round draft pick in March. Zero downside.

 

[NJDevs26]

I still have no idea why nobody wanted to sign Jaromir Jagr to a 1 year deal.

He was top-30 in the NHL in points last year, and top-5 in the NHL in points the year before that.

Put him on the 3rd line and if you dont make the playoffs trade him for a 3rd Round draft pick in March. Zero downside.

I'm with you on that one but he didn't respond to a third-line role well with us at the end so you'd figure he'd have preferred to go to a team with an opening in the top six. The tricky part is contenders weren't going to want him in their top six for the most part, and rebuilding teams for the most part would prefer to give younger players a look rather than going for the whole play a guy and try to get a pick at the deadline type flip.

 

[BenedictGomez]

I'm with you on that one but he didn't respond to a third-line role well with us at the end so you'd figure he'd have preferred to go to a team with an opening in the top six. The tricky part is contenders weren't going to want him in their top six for the most part, and rebuilding teams for the most part would prefer to give younger players a look rather than going for the whole play a guy and try to get a pick at the deadline type flip.

That's the only possible explanation, I just disagree with it.

Especially given he was on record several years ago claiming he'd play a 4th-line role if he had too. Maybe he changed his mind on that and it was no longer true, but I cant imagine a team in the NHL that wouldn't benefit from Jagr on the 4th-line.

 

[Devils Dominion]

Devils Fan Puck Daddy Wyshnyski hired by ESPN.

 

[devilsblood]

I still have no idea why nobody wanted to sign Jaromir Jagr to a 1 year deal.

He was top-30 in the NHL in points last year, and top-5 in the NHL in points the year before that.

Put him on the 3rd line and if you dont make the playoffs trade him for a 3rd Round draft pick in March. Zero downside.

I just think teams want to play fast, and Jagr plays the extreme opposite. I think that was def why we didn't go after him. He's still very effective, but he plays at a different tempo.

 

[Colin226]

Can't believe Philly scored 5 straight goals and still blew it

 

[My3Sons]

We get it. You don't like Lovejoy

I don’t dislike Lovejoy and I think as a bottom pair defender with the right partner and the right usage he’d get by. I just find Hynes overuse of him comical. My references to him are tongue in cheek and illustrate the contrast between his status as the scape goat for the fans and the coach’s seeming favor for him.

 

[R8Devs]

I don’t dislike Lovejoy and I think as a bottom pair defender with the right partner and the right usage he’d get by. I just find Hynes overuse of him comical. My references to him are tongue in cheek and illustrate the contrast between his status as the scape goat for the fans and the coach’s seeming favor for him.

he got healthy scratched in the first game, played 12 minutes in the 2nd game and had the lowest 5v5 time of all the defenseman. Hynes seems to have no problem in playing young guys in critical roles so I don't see why there needs to be constant whinging about Lovejoy -- he's not taking away anyones spot. And there will be games when a guy like Butcher may be healthy scratched for Lovejoy but that doesn't mean they think Lovejoy is the better player.

 

[My3Sons]

he got healthy scratched in the first game, played 12 minutes in the 2nd game and had the lowest 5v5 time of all the defenseman. Hynes seems to have no problem in playing young guys in critical roles so I don't see why there needs to be constant whinging about Lovejoy -- he's not taking away anyones spot. And there will be games when a guy like Butcher may be healthy scratched for Lovejoy but that doesn't mean they think Lovejoy is the better player.

You may be right this season. Last season it didn’t appear that way.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Devils Fan Puck Daddy Wyshnyski hired by ESPN.

Oh, he'll be PERFECT for ESPN.

Good grief & LOL.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Reviewing the TOR lineup ahead of tonight's game, and seeing Curtis McElhinney is their backup.

The Leafs seriously cant do any better than that?

 

[Zippy316]

Reviewing the TOR lineup ahead of tonight's game, and seeing Curtis McElhinney is their backup.

The Leafs seriously cant do any better than that?

They traded for Pickard from Vegas but he's in the minors at the moment.

 

[JimEIV]

And the Avalanche beat Boston 6-3 to go 3-1. I'm telling you Colorado was the toughest team we played so far