Non-Minnesota NHL News XXIII

[FVM]

Winnipeg is second in the division. I don't think their play is sustainable, but their goaltending by Hellebuyck is. He looks like a changed player, his summer training with a personal coach has really paid dividends. I predict a wild card spot for them.

 

[Wabit]

Winnipeg is second in the division. I don't think their play is sustainable, but their goaltending by Hellebuyck is. He looks like a changed player, his summer training with a personal coach has really paid dividends. I predict a wild card spot for them.

Any reason why you don't think their play isn't sustainable, if their goaltender is fixed?

Goalie, injuries, and their head coach was what kept them out of the Playoffs last year. They finished 2nd in the West in goals scored last season. They are a top-6 heavy team, but the d-corps is better than most MN fans give them credit for. Their PP is wicked with multiple options to go with Laine's shot.

 

[FVM]

Any reason why you don't think their play isn't sustainable, if their goaltender is fixed?

Goalie, injuries, and their head coach was what kept them out of the Playoffs last year. They finished 2nd in the West in goals scored last season. They are a top-6 heavy team, but the d-corps is better than most MN fans give them credit for. Their PP is wicked with multiple options to go with Laine's shot.

I think Maurice holds them back. I don't rate him highly as a coach and their systems always look suspect, especially the porous team defense. Granted, they've been stingier, but I credit a lot of that to reborn Helle.

They do have great young offensive firepower: Scheifele, Laine, Ehlers, Connor... That, and good goaltending will help them make the playoffs even if the whole is still less than the sum of its parts, as I suspect it will be.

 

[Terrier]

Boston fan here, thought you would enjoy this Globe story about a Vietnam veteran from St. Paul and his conversation with Bobby Orr.

The story of a Vietnam veteran and his puck from Bobby Orr - The Boston Globe

 

[Wabit]

Eichel just dropped the gloves. Kane pushed him off the guy before he could get into it. Similar to Dumba and Kunin the other night.

 

[Wabit]

Bufflo just had these players all on the ice together (as their set line/pair):
Pommer/Larsson/Moulson
Scandella/Falk

 

[gphr513]

Would the NHL succeed in Houston?

Interesting article in The Athletic about the NHL's viability in Houston. @StealthClobber any thoughts on if the NHL would thrive there?

 

[tomgilbertfan]

I'm still bitter about losing the Aeros.

 

[StealthClobber]

There's been rumblings on the internet lately about Houston being the next expansion location.

They (so far) made it work in Vegas. Granted, Vegas is a special town, but their fanbase is loyal and certainly not only made up of out of towners. Houston has a built in fanbase of hockey fans; Aeros fans who were left torn after the team got forcibly moved to Iowa (I hold Norm Green/North Stars levels of hatred over that whole ordeal), and Houston is a major oil and gas hotbed, with employees relocated from many cities with NHL teams who would love for Houston to have a team.

The racial makeup of the downtown core is not what you would associate with ice hockey, but the Houston metropolitan area is f***ing massive. I don't think they would have a problem, and I can only hope that it happens, and that they are named the Aeros.

Arena wouldn't be a problem either, since there's already an NHL ready arena in town where the Rockets play; Toyota Center. Hell, the Aeros had 13,000 fans attend their last regular season game.

 

[Wild11MN]

Brent Burns currently has 0g, 7a in 19 games. And he just signed an 8x8 contract last year. It seems extremely unlikely that this continues all year, but that has to be very concerning for the Sharks.

 

[Drewcifer]

Pretty embarrassing loss for the Oilers, and impressive win for the Blues. It will be interesting to see if Yeo brought the December collapse to St Louis or if that was a Minnesota only thing.

 

[Bazeek]

Pretty embarrassing loss for the Oilers, and impressive win for the Blues. It will be interesting to see if Yeo brought the December collapse to St Louis or if that was a Minnesota only thing.

I'd be surprised if those collapses really had much to do with Yeo.

But yeah, the Blues looked like they just broke the collective will of the Oilers. By the mid-3rd it didn't seem like either team was trying and the Blues were still popping them in (though toward the end so did Edmonton).

 

[Wabit]

Pretty embarrassing loss for the Oilers, and impressive win for the Blues. It will be interesting to see if Yeo brought the December collapse to St Louis or if that was a Minnesota only thing.

Yeo (or any head coach) has at least a season or two before players will start to tune him out. The Blues team makeup really does fit how Yeo wants to play very well. Big d-men that can control the d-zone, with an elite scorer to put the team on his back when games are turning into grinds.

 

[Wabit]

Sabres just released their Winter Classic jerseys. I like them. I might have to order a Pominville one.

 

[StealthClobber]

This will g0 down as one of the better looking Winter Classics for sure.

 

[57special]

Athletic is 50% off, guys. Black Friday, i think.

 

[Bazeek]

Vatanen to New Jersey for Henrique, Blandisi and a 3rd. Feels like a shoe that's been hanging in the air for years now finally dropped.

Guess we can forget about New Jersey grabbing Quincey

 

[Bazeek]

Actually, on that note, it looks like the Devil's defensive depth is now (stolen from the trade board):

LHD: Greene, Moore, Butcher, Mueller
RHD: Severson, Vatanen, Santini, Lovejoy, Prout

So if the assumed Prosser Gambit falls through, I guess the Devils might be looking to move RHD. Lovejoy's making way too much money. Maybe Dalton Prout? Or is that even worse than Prosser?

 

[57special]

Prout is crap. Don't know about Dalton. i would guess there aren't a lot of gems available from NJ

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Prout is crap. Don't know about Dalton. i would guess there aren't a lot of gems available from NJ

It's the same guy.

 

[2Pair]

Prout is crap. Don't know about Dalton. i would guess there aren't a lot of gems available from NJ

 

[Jesus comma Brodin]

It's the same guy.

Lolz

 

[Bazeek]

Looks like there is increasing steam behind this $80 m cap ceiling number for next year. This could be a big help: it'd make the Zucker and Dumba extensions less worrisome, and if Fletcher/New Guy was looking to make bigger changes it'd help loosen up the trade market. Just have to stay away from big contracts in free agency.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Looks like there is increasing steam behind this $80 m cap ceiling number for next year. This could be a big help: it'd make the Zucker and Dumba extensions less worrisome, and if Fletcher/New Guy was looking to make bigger changes it'd help loosen up the trade market. Just have to stay away from big contracts in free agency.

$80 million cap makes it so we could give Dumba/Zucker $12 million combined (likely too high, will probably be closer to $9 to $10) with zero cap worries. A little bit of maneuvering with Ennis' contract and it could open up ~$5 or $6 million to help out the 4th line or bottom pair D.

 

[Bazeek]

$80 million cap makes it so we could give Dumba/Zucker $12 million combined (likely too high, will probably be closer to $9 to $10) with zero cap worries. A little bit of maneuvering with Ennis' contract and it could open up ~$5 or $6 million to help out the 4th line or bottom pair D.

Yeah, the downside is that it's likely to make the FA market go kind of bonkers, but if all we're looking to grab are 4th liners or a veteran defenseman for the bottom pair we should be in good shape. All of the important stuff becomes much easier.