Around The League - 15-16 Part III (And So It Begins Again)

[Jet]

http://www.mynhltraderumors.com/2015/10/25/rumors-ii-blues-flames-ducks-blue-jackets-and-keenan/

“Everyone is looking for defencemen,†one scout said this past week. “There simply aren’t enough NHL defenceman to service 30 teams. Especially Top six.†An exercise his team did in the offseason was to count the number of legit No. 1 defencemen in the game today. “We came up with 11.â€

**

So 30 teams, counting the top 4 on each team, that gives us 120 defensemen... and of those only 11 would be seen ( by this scouts team ) as being legit #1. Interesting. I wonder if any Jets are "seen" as #1 defensemen?

This is so ****ing subjective and stupid.

There are 30 #1 defensemen in the league.

There are plenty of NHL defensemen and top 6 defensemen. What do they want? A league where no one ****ing scores? God this is beyond stupid.

I wonder how many top 6 defensemen there were in 1985? 1995? 2005?

If you want perfection and the best of the best there has NEVER been enough defensemen. Gawd.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

This is so ****ing subjective and stupid.

There are 30 #1 defensemen in the league.

There are plenty of NHL defensemen and top 6 defensemen. What do they want? A league where no one ****ing scores? God this is beyond stupid.

I wonder how many top 6 defensemen there were in 1985? 1995? 2005?

If you want perfection and the best of the best there has NEVER been enough defensemen. Gawd.

Well I don't know. There are only 6 'legit' 1st line Cs in the league and about 10 top line LWs. Why should D be any different.

 

[Whileee]

http://www.mynhltraderumors.com/2015/10/25/rumors-ii-blues-flames-ducks-blue-jackets-and-keenan/

“Everyone is looking for defencemen,†one scout said this past week. “There simply aren’t enough NHL defenceman to service 30 teams. Especially Top six.†An exercise his team did in the offseason was to count the number of legit No. 1 defencemen in the game today. “We came up with 11.â€

**

So 30 teams, counting the top 4 on each team, that gives us 120 defensemen... and of those only 11 would be seen ( by this scouts team ) as being legit #1. Interesting. I wonder if any Jets are "seen" as #1 defensemen?

The following analysis is mostly way off-base, though.....

The Blues may be willing to move pending UFA Carl Gunnarsson, and that could bring back a Cam Atkinson-type player. If they Blues want a top-six forward, they may dangle Kevin Shattenkirk, who has a year left on his contract.

Pending Flames UFA Kris Russell would get them a second line player. The Blackhawks might be looking at the Flames. Can bet the Blackhawks are looking to move Bryan Bickell, who has been available since the offseason.

Pending UFA Gunnarsson is not what teams are looking for. If pending UFA Kris Russell brings a bona fide second line player, then there is at least one very stupid GM out there with a contending team. Nobody will give anything for Bickell - he cleared waivers.

 

[Jet]

Well I don't know. There are only 6 'legit' 1st line Cs in the league and about 10 top line LWs. Why should D be any different.

After the last expansion I HATED the arguments about not enough talent for the league. Utter, complete hogwash. Go back to ANY era and you are going to find exceptional players, great players, good players and 'wow, I can't believe I am in the NHL' players.

Yes, we have increased the number of teams, but the population that plays hockey and the countries we have to draw from have also increased to a large degree. Players work on the sport and their athleticism to a fanatical degree.

I, for one want to see more bad players in the NHL. Bad players lead to more goals, and that has been the number one complaint about the NHL for the past 20 years. Mistakes are a part of hockey, and the unending desire to eliminate all mistakes has taken a lot of the beauty of the game away.

 

[Romang67]

This is so ****ing subjective and stupid.

There are 30 #1 defensemen in the league.

There are plenty of NHL defensemen and top 6 defensemen. What do they want? A league where no one ****ing scores? God this is beyond stupid.

I wonder how many top 6 defensemen there were in 1985? 1995? 2005?

If you want perfection and the best of the best there has NEVER been enough defensemen. Gawd.

I'm always really curious as to what exactly these people think make a #1D. If there are only 11 in the entire league...

 

[Jet]

I'm always really curious as to what exactly these people think make a #1D. If there are only 11 in the entire league...

Right??

I guess if they said there were only 11 elite defensemen in the NHL they MIGHT have an argument.

It's poppycock.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

The following analysis is mostly way off-base, though.....



Pending UFA Gunnarsson is not what teams are looking for. If pending UFA Kris Russell brings a bona fide second line player, then there is at least one very stupid GM out there with a contending team. Nobody will give anything for Bickell - he cleared waivers.

I wouldn't mind getting Gunnarson but he is not = Cam Atkinson. Kris Russell brings a top 6 F. Riiiight. Then Mark Stuart should get us Cam Fowler. What are we waiting for?

I think Bickell has some value as a player. It is not him that Chi wants to move. It is his contract. They are up against the cap and he is overpayed by quite a bit. I could see taking him to push an otherwise good deal through. It will cost Chi another good player to get rid of that contract though.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

After the last expansion I HATED the arguments about not enough talent for the league. Utter, complete hogwash. Go back to ANY era and you are going to find exceptional players, great players, good players and 'wow, I can't believe I am in the NHL' players.

Yes, we have increased the number of teams, but the population that plays hockey and the countries we have to draw from have also increased to a large degree. Players work on the sport and their athleticism to a fanatical degree.

I, for one want to see more bad players in the NHL. Bad players lead to more goals, and that has been the number one complaint about the NHL for the past 20 years. Mistakes are a part of hockey, and the unending desire to eliminate all mistakes has taken a lot of the beauty of the game away.

At the risk of straying off topic I think the drop in scoring has an awful lot to do with SV%. That in turn has an awful lot to do with the sheer size of goalies and their equipment. Another aspect of goalie equipment that I NEVER see mentioned is the materials they are made from. 50 years ago (yeah, yeah, ancient history) goalie pads were made from leather and kapok, both a lot heavier than foam and kevlar. I have a suspicion that adding that much weight to the pads (and other equipment too) would see them suddenly getting smaller. The league can't legislate a max size of goalies and even regulating the size of pads has to be relative to the size of the goalie. Just start adding weight. The bigger the pads the more weight to add. Pads get smaller, goalies get slower, scoring goes up. Maybe less controversial than making the nets bigger which I think they will soon come to otherwise. Bigger goalies need to protect a bigger net.

 

[nobody important]

I, for one want to see more bad players in the NHL. Bad players lead to more goals, and that has been the number one complaint about the NHL for the past 20 years. Mistakes are a part of hockey, and the unending desire to eliminate all mistakes has taken a lot of the beauty of the game away.

So... extend Stuart and Pavelec?

 

[Master Scheif]

I'm always really curious as to what exactly these people think make a #1D. If there are only 11 in the entire league...

Here are 11 of the best 1D's in no particular order (IMO, and forgive me, I didn't spend too long making the list).

Keith, Karlsson, Hedman, Doughty, Subban, OEL, Petro, Carlson, Josi, Gio, Faulk. Then i'm omitting a lot of great D-men still. Suter, Weber, Shattenkirk, Brodie to name a few

Hard to narrow down the last few to make it 11. Eh.. I guess they just mean those elite 1D's. But even then, I think there are more than 11.

 

[HannuJ]

on the fashionable side...
the Bruins revealed their winter classic jerseys. meh.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

on the fashionable side...
the Bruins revealed their winter classic jerseys. meh.

What, Bruins held a press conference and nobody came?

 

[Jet]

At the risk of straying off topic I think the drop in scoring has an awful lot to do with SV%. That in turn has an awful lot to do with the sheer size of goalies and their equipment. Another aspect of goalie equipment that I NEVER see mentioned is the materials they are made from. 50 years ago (yeah, yeah, ancient history) goalie pads were made from leather and kapok, both a lot heavier than foam and kevlar. I have a suspicion that adding that much weight to the pads (and other equipment too) would see them suddenly getting smaller. The league can't legislate a max size of goalies and even regulating the size of pads has to be relative to the size of the goalie. Just start adding weight. The bigger the pads the more weight to add. Pads get smaller, goalies get slower, scoring goes up. Maybe less controversial than making the nets bigger which I think they will soon come to otherwise. Bigger goalies need to protect a bigger net.

I agree it has a lot to do with goalies. However, there just isn't a lot of ice out there, even for good players. That is coaching, systems, and the athleticism of even the lesser lights of the league.

 

[Whileee]

Goal Differential, by Division (so far):

Central +27
Atlantic +13
Metro -19
Pacific -21

 

[YWGinYYZ]

Goal Differential, by Division (so far):

Central +27
Atlantic +13
Metro -19
Pacific -21

Central:
Atlantic:
Metro:
Pacific:

 

[mcpw]

The best defense in the league was defending again today.

 

[YWGinYYZ]

The best defense in the league was defending again today.

They should award the Norris now, and just get it over with.

 

[CorgisPer60]

They should award the Norris now, and just get it over with.

4 way tie between Giordano, Hamilton, Russel, and Wideman?

 

[mcpw]

4 way tie between Giordano, Hamilton, Russel, and Wideman?

Nope. Brodie is the saviour and will be the Norris winner.

 

[Whileee]

Nope. Brodie is the saviour and will be the Norris winner.

He's already got my vote. Frolik is also a shoo-in for the Selke.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

I agree it has a lot to do with goalies. However, there just isn't a lot of ice out there, even for good players. That is coaching, systems, and the athleticism of even the lesser lights of the league.

I don't disagree with any of that. Parity was a desired goal. The level of parity is very high, all things considered. I think that leads to less scoring too. But the size of the target areas is a lot smaller than it used to be when a typical goalie was 5'10" tall.

 

[Derfel*]

The Oilers don't look that great right now playing the Kings. Sloppy, lazy play. Seemingly little urgency.

EDIT: ... and two minutes after I type that, they get a PP and tie it up. Go figure.

 

[sully1410]

Right??

I guess if they said there were only 11 elite defensemen in the NHL they MIGHT have an argument.

It's poppycock.

Whoa...

Hey now, you kiss your mother with that mouth?

 

[sully1410]

Sportsnet announcer just called Tanner Pearson...Taylor Pearson. It sounded funny.

 

[mcpw]

something something kingspiracy