The Eastern Conference is so BAD

[barilko05]

Which is distorted by the fact that the Caps are having one of the best seasons, if not the single best season in NHL history right now.

As much as it pains me to say this...the 76-77 Habs, along with their 60-8-12 record, their 9 HOF players, plus their HOF coach and their HOF GM, would have to THOROUGHLY disagree!

As would the 95-96 Red Wings and their 131 points.

The Caps are good...but they are not even CLOSE to being on that level.

 

[Menzinger]

Ovie will finally likely get his cup.

Though that Hawks trade makes them a pretty serious challenger.

 

[indigobuffalo]

The East is better than the West this year.

Yeah was gonna say this.

the Hurricanes are not a bad team. They've got a lot of really great talent that is young and they're going to be good for a number of years.

Same with NJ.

What we're actually seeing this year is the result of the drive for total parity.

The margin between the worst team and the best team is the smallest it has ever been in the NHL, regardless of which conference you look at.

Teams are having a tough time realizing this.

You could have a SC calibre team and hit a cold-stretch that lasts a couple weeks and boom! Mike Yeo gets fired. Same in CBJ. And MTL. And almost COL.

Plenty of really good teams will struggle because the bad teams just aren't bad enough anymore.

And that's hen good teams become bad teams, when they think the whole team is a problem when it's just a small thing that needs fixing, or even nothing at all.

What did COL do when they stumbled out of the gate early this season? Nothing at all. That's going to be the separator going forward. GMs need to resist the urge to panic. And owners need to see the forest for the trees too.

 

[indigobuffalo]

Ovie will finally likely get his cup.

Though that Hawks trade makes them a pretty serious challenger.

Really hoping we see some sort of Bozak for Laich swap that nets us some picks/prospects.

 

[Willchel Marlynder]

The East is better than the West this year.

Overall maybe but that's only because the West has Edmonton which is 10 times worst than having Toronto in your conference. The West has the best teams in the league though. L.A., Chi, Dallas and Nashville are all teams that would probably beat every team in the East in a 7 game series. Washington looks like the only team in the east with a chance at the cup.

 

[zeke]

Overall maybe but that's only because the West has Edmonton which is 10 times worst than having Toronto in your conference. The West has the best teams in the league though. L.A., Chi, Dallas and Nashville are all teams that would probably beat every team in the East in a 7 game series. Washington looks like the only team in the east with a chance at the cup.

I don't see why you'd give those western teams that kind of respect, other than LA and CHI.

what's so great about Dallas or Nashville?

 

[Autism]

All the west have over the east are a couple more cup contenders.

 

[egd27]

Or maybe the Oilers' scouts are braindead morons. I mean, the only decent player they've drafted outside the first round in the last decade is Tobias Reider... who they idiotically waived and is playing terrific in Arizona.

Who needs second rounders when your drafting first overall every year?

 

[Faltorvo]

We are 8 wins from making the playoffs with a AHL team.

Their are so many teams in this conference that suck.

Carolina is 2 pts out and they are so bad.

With Babs coaching anything is possible next yr.

Ohh, it's not as easy as this post sounds.

If the last 12/13 years have not taught everyone this, well, that's a shame.

Folks need to pay attention to a little detail that happens when your this bad.

Other teams tend not to use their starting tender against you.


Once a team starts to climb out of the basement and they don't look like that years "easy touch for 2 points" , they bring in their best tender

and that's when you see a leveling off of the bad teams rise to playoff contention.

 

[beach]

Yes, if I take out the good teams in the West they are also a bad conference

The Caps are 12-3-2 against the West, but they're also 32-8-2 against the East so its pretty much the exact same pace.

The West is so overrated this year IMO. Hawks haven't been that good, Dallas has fallen off, St Louis is nothing but a regular season team, the Kings/Ducks are worse than they were in 2014 and 2015 respectively and the rest of the conference is a tire fire.

Interesting discussion. I agree with you. I'm an Isles' fan and they are 17-4 against the west this season.

 

[horner]

If the Leafs kids thrive next year with few growing pains - which considering management's patient/conservative development philosophy may lead to - the team may challenged for a playoff spot.

That is my point.

We have been playing without JVR, Bozak and ext and we are still only 8 wins out.

Throw in some talented players and who knows its a pretty weak conference.

Pitt, Mont, Car, NJ, Phil and Ott

None of those teams are very good

We will have more talent than this yr.

And have players that understand Babs system.

 

[Weltschmerz]

And we are only 8 pts out.

out of what?

 

[LeafFever]

The Leafs can be an East powerhouse soon enough. These 5+ years rebuilding is a joke. They can be in the playoffs in 2 years.

 

[Maffew]

Anyone wanna change the topic title to "The Western Conference is so BAD" ?

 

[zeke]

Wsh 78.3 -- dal 65.1 --- (+13.2)
fla 63.9 ---- chi 64.3 --- (-0.4)
nyr 62.9 --- lak 63.9 --- (-1.0)
nyi 61.9 ---- stl 61.7 --- (+0.2)
tbl 60.7 ---- ana 61.7 -- (-1.0)
bos 59.7 --- sjs 58.3 --- (+1.4)
det 58.9 --- nsh 57.9 --- (+1.0)
pit 58.3 ----

phi 54.9 ----
njd 53.2 ---- col 53.1 --- (+0.1)
mtl 52.4 ---- min 51.6 --- (+0.8)
ott 52.4 --- van 50.0 ---- (+2.4)
car 52.4 --- arz 48.4 ---- (+4.0)
cbj 47.6 --- cal 45.9 ---- (+1.7)
buf 45.2 -- wpg 45.9 --- (-0.7)
tor 43.3 -- edm 40.5 ---- (+2.8)

 

[Willchel Marlynder]

I don't see why you'd give those western teams that kind of respect, other than LA and CHI.

what's so great about Dallas or Nashville?

Nashville is a stretch. But I'd say Dallas is better than every team in the East not named Washington.

 

[zeke]

Nashville is a stretch. But I'd say Dallas is better than every team in the East not named Washington.

why?

 

[Ruski]

Eastern Conference is bad yes, just not as bad as the Oilers.
They are really bugging me. We have an AHL roster and are still winning the odd game. Oilers are loaded with talent, and suck just as bad now as they did 5 years ago.

They managed to inbreed a 'loosing culture' on that team. No amount of 1st overall picks is going to fix that. What the oilers need is a complete change of leadership and some veteran defenders. Really is pathetic to waste that much individual talent on one team...hurts the league IMO.

Time to trade RNH or one of the other big guns and shake things up! Trading Yakupov isn't going to be enough.

....anyway, back to the topic at hand..eastern conference is weak!

 

[-DeMo-]

Eastern Conference is bad yes, just not as bad as the Oilers.
They are really bugging me. We have an AHL roster and are still winning the odd game. Oilers are loaded with talent, and suck just as bad now as they did 5 years ago.

the Oilers currently have 2 rookie's as there top 6 centers, yes I consider Draisaitl a rookie this is his first full season, they also have a rookie playing the 2nd most minutes among there Dmen and a goalie whose never been a starter before this year how good do you expect them to be?

 

[zeke]

Wsh 77.3 -- chi 64.8 --- (+12.5)
nyr 63.5 --- dal 63.8 -- (-0.3)
fla 63.5 ---- lak 62.9 -- (+0.6)
tbl 61.9 ---- stl 62.9 -- (-1.0)
nyi 61.5 ---- ana 62.3 -- (-0.8)
det 59.5 --- sjs 59.7 -- (-0.2)
bos 59.4 -- nsh 58.6 -- (+0.8)
pit 58.1 ----

phi 55.6 ----
njd 52.3 ---- min 53.1 --- (-0.8)
ott 52.3 ---- col 52.3 --- (---)
car 52.3 --- van 48.4 ---- (+3.9)
mtl 51.6 --- arz 47.6 ---- (+4.0)
cbj 46.9 --- wpg 45.2 --- (+1.7)
buf 45.3 --- cal 44.4 ---- (+0.9)
tor 42.6 -- edm 42.3 ---- (+0.3)