Around the League 19: And Down the Stretch They Come...OK, Who Hit the Pause Button?

[bleedgreen]

I’m having a hard time seeing Rod use Vatanen very high, even if he’s the appropriate choice. He was brought it for emergency injury purposes and Dougie is back, when Vatanen was likely a pp1 option when acquired. Rod has to trust guys, and now is a tough time for any coach to break someone in. I think he’ll be third pairing to start and maybe not playing at all - only because Rod is Rod and not because I think it makes sense. I know we’re still short Pesce but he’s got an extra now, and he’s been unafraid to force guys to play the wrong side.

Itll be interesting to see where he plays vs Fleury. Rod’s distrust of a young guy vs a new guy....which will win out?!?

Hopefully he makes a good debut, quick starts are important for Rod.

 

[MrazeksVengeance]

It would be nice to rattle a few cages again.

Toronto and us having these odds is ridiculous.

 

[Joe McGrath]

The Oilers at 50/1 is tempting.

 

[MinJaBen]

The Oilers at 50/1 is tempting.

Other than the obvious, the Rangers at 80/1 is very tempting.

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

The Oilers at 50/1 is tempting.

The west is such a crap shoot and with this layoff who knows how teams will respond. St. Louis and Colorado for me though are still my top picks.

 

[sabremike]

 

[Lempo]

View attachment 347560

Not all of them ever will.

 

[MinJaBen]

Not all of them ever will.

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

Went to the Rangers board yesterday to see if they had a GDT for our potential series going on. No dice, but they did have a discussion going on our old friend Mr. Gauthier or should I say GOATier!

Many are saying he is the next coming of Krieder or a Krieder lite type player. One poster went as far as to say he had Mantha level potential but will probably cap out slightly lower.

A few were wondering how a guy with all these tools and work ethic can also lack the finish to score goals in the NHL while having so much success at lower levels of development. A lot of this apparently points to the lack of ice time he is getting and the fact that he hasn’t played enough games at sea level because that’s where he really shines. Either way they are looking forward to him becoming a 25-25 player who can contribute at both ends of the ice, go to the net and throw the body around.

Also apparently PDG has completely revitalized their 3rd line.

Looks like we got hosed, guys...

 

[MrazeksVengeance]

At Rangers.

No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy.

Field Marshall Moltke the Elder.

 

[Svechhammer]

I think the only betting really worth considering right now is the date on which the first NHL player tests positive, completely shutting this whole thing down as an ill advised desperate cash grab by the owners.

 

[A Star is Burns]

Went to the Rangers board yesterday to see if they had a GDT for our potential series going on. No dice, but they did have a discussion going on our old friend Mr. Gauthier or should I say GOATier!

Many are saying he is the next coming of Krieder or a Krieder lite type player. One poster went as far as to say he had Mantha level potential but will probably cap out slightly lower.

A few were wondering how a guy with all these tools and work ethic can also lack the finish to score goals in the NHL while having so much success at lower levels of development. A lot of this apparently points to the lack of ice time he is getting and the fact that he hasn’t played enough games at sea level because that’s where he really shines. Either way they are looking forward to him becoming a 25-25 player who can contribute at both ends of the ice, go to the net and throw the body around.

Also apparently PDG has completely revitalized their 3rd line.

Looks like we got hosed, guys...

Everything but score. Tripp uses that phrase a lot and I typically want to launch him into the sun. I'd much rather do nothing right and actually score. Right now, Gauthier is the everything but score guy.

He may actually convert a lot of those pretty bull rushes to the net into scoring at some point. Or he could be the guy that does everything but score at the NHL level and has gotten by on bullying guys at lower levels. Time will tell. I don't miss him either way.

PDG is fine even though I recently called him a loser somewhat in jest. I think he's just one of those guys that had a good first call up, I'll assume because he was getting more time than he deserved with better players than he should be playing with at the end of a lost season or some such, and we expected more from him. He can certainly play a bottom six role without killing you. He wasn't particularly hard to upgrade on either.

 

[A Star is Burns]

I think the only betting really worth considering right now is the date on which the first NHL player tests positive, completely shutting this whole thing down as an ill advised desperate cash grab by the owners.

Every league coming back says a positive test won't shut it down. And as bad as they owners are, they certainly aren't the only ones interested in protecting their money and their future.

 

[Svechhammer]

Every league coming back says a positive test won't shut it down. And as bad as they owners are, they certainly aren't the only ones interested in protecting their money and their future.

Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.

One positive test can quickly turn into 20 in a league where close physical contact is essentially a job requirement. And as much as they are saying "oh, we'll be testing every day!".... Yeah, we can't effectively test the general public in any meaningful way, and in order to test everyone involved with this, you're probably going to need as many, if not more, tests per day than some states are currently able to do right now.

There's a lot of small details we need to nail to make this work that they seem to be glossing over with a 'don't worry, it'll happen'. Especially when I have seen absolutely nothing from society right now, especially here in the US where this will inevitably be hosted, to lead me to believe we are capable of making this work safely.

 

[MrazeksVengeance]

No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy.

Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.

 

[A Star is Burns]

Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.

One positive test can quickly turn into 20 in a league where close physical contact is essentially a job requirement. And as much as they are saying "oh, we'll be testing every day!".... Yeah, we can't effectively test the general public in any meaningful way, and in order to test everyone involved with this, you're probably going to need as many, if not more, tests per day than some states are currently able to do right now.

There's a lot of small details we need to nail to make this work that they seem to be glossing over with a 'don't worry, it'll happen'. Especially when I have seen absolutely nothing from society right now, especially here in the US where this will inevitably be hosted, to lead me to believe we are capable of making this work safely.

We'll see what happens. It may all blow up after it starts, or even before it starts. I'd be willing to bet all these leagues that are saying the exact same thing probably have a better idea about the potential circumstances than we do. Doesn't mean it will work, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt over all of us randos on the interwebs.

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

Everything but score. Tripp uses that phrase a lot and I typically want to launch him into the sun. I'd much rather do nothing right and actually score. Right now, Gauthier is the everything but score guy.

He may actually convert a lot of those pretty bull rushes to the net into scoring at some point. Or he could be the guy that does everything but score at the NHL level and has gotten by on bullying guys at lower levels. Time will tell. I don't miss him either way.

PDG is fine even though I recently called him a loser somewhat in jest. I think he's just one of those guys that had a good first call up, I'll assume because he was getting more time than he deserved with better players than he should be playing with at the end of a lost season or some such, and we expected more from him. He can certainly play a bottom six role without killing you. He wasn't particularly hard to upgrade on either.

Agree with you 100%. Our forward core had the exact opposite problem as the Rangers. They have super elite game breaking talent but no depth. Until recently we have lacked those high end players but our depth is through the ceiling and the floor. Moving Gauthier to get a guy like Keane in our D pipeline was a good move. Maybe he and PDG will be difference makers on the Rangers. Most likely not but I think we all had a good (or bad feeling) that they wouldn't really amount to much on the Canes.

 

[GoldiFox]

Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.

One positive test can quickly turn into 20 in a league where close physical contact is essentially a job requirement. And as much as they are saying "oh, we'll be testing every day!".... Yeah, we can't effectively test the general public in any meaningful way, and in order to test everyone involved with this, you're probably going to need as many, if not more, tests per day than some states are currently able to do right now.

There's a lot of small details we need to nail to make this work that they seem to be glossing over with a 'don't worry, it'll happen'. Especially when I have seen absolutely nothing from society right now, especially here in the US where this will inevitably be hosted, to lead me to believe we are capable of making this work safely.

Why do you think they are glossing over details? The NHL's phase 2 plan was 21 pages long and appeared pretty cautious. Martinook said in his The Athletic interview yesterday that safety is the #1 focus of every NHLPA meeting and they have medical experts on the calls.

The NHL has the buying power to get all the tests they need. I'd expect all of this to be held in Canada for some of the reasons you mention.

One player testing positive doesn't necessarily mean everyone they were around will also be positive. Medical workers who catch COVID are quarantined in their own homes around their families who don't catch the virus with proper precautions. John Forslund stayed in the same room a day after the NBA player who tested positive and he didn't catch it. Quarantining and mitigation can be effective.

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

Every league coming back says a positive test won't shut it down. And as bad as they owners are, they certainly aren't the only ones interested in protecting their money and their future.

I agree. A lot of people seem to forget the players want to play for the future of their earning potential and think these playoffs only benefit the owners. The owners benefit less by these playoffs than anything. No merch, no parking money, no food / beverages, no ticket sales. The TV money is big, ~10 million per team. We would double that with just 3 home playoff games with fans. The players want to keep the cap firm instead of a massive dip.

 

[A Star is Burns]

I agree. A lot of people seem to forget the players want to play for the future of their earning potential and think these playoffs only benefit the owners. The owners benefit less by these playoffs than anything. No merch, no parking money, no food / beverages, no ticket sales. The TV money is big, ~10 million per team. We would double that with just 3 home playoff games with fans. The players want to keep the cap firm instead of a massive dip.

The health of the league can also be tied to a lot of different jobs outside of the players. Some of those jobs may already be gone or reduced by all of this, but I'm sure a good many can be saved. The healthier the league is by way of not losing all their money and cancelling this season, the more jobs stick around long term and the more that might get created long term.

 

[Joe McGrath]

So that Skjei trade could still screw the Canes out of a 1st this year if the Leafs lose the play in and win the lottery, yes?

 

[DaveG]

So that Skjei trade could still screw the Canes out of a 1st this year if the Leafs lose the play in and win the lottery, yes?

Sounds like the lottery is going to be just the bottom 7 teams before play resumes. At least I'm hoping that holds to be the case. Watch the league try to pull some bullshit there to appease Montreal and Chicago like they did with this bullshit playoff format.

 

[MinJaBen]

Sounds like the lottery is going to be just the bottom 7 teams before play resumes. At least I'm hoping that holds to be the case. Watch the league try to pull some bullshit there to appease Montreal and Chicago like they did with this bullshit playoff format.

I can't imagine they do anything but the bottom seven given that the lottery will be before the playin games. Can you imagine the shit show if they included 15 teams in the lottery and then #10 won the 1OA pick? You'd have a team or two knowing that they could lose the series to win the pick. So many people would assume the worst in a situation like that despite any protestrations made by team and league.

What worries me the most, though, is if they do just do a lottery with the top seven and then fix the rest by standings as they are now. That would mean the Rangers would have a top 10 pick but could still keep us out of the playoffs and advance deep. I heard one proposal that had the playin teams swapping 1sts if the lower seed won. I doubt that becomes real, but I'd like to see that.

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

So that Skjei trade could still screw the Canes out of a 1st this year if the Leafs lose the play in and win the lottery, yes?

as @DaveG has stated if the lottery is just bottom 7 teams and in the wild case where every top seed loses the first round play-in, there would be 3 other teams lower than Toronto in points. So, the lowest Toronto would be is 11th. this is assuming they arent re-seeding 8-27 based on the current first 2 rounds of playoffs draft status on points but by points per round. If they do the standard seeding of draft position based on points before the conference finals, we'll something like 19 and 20th. The best being 15 or 16th if four lower teams make it the final four. This format guarantees the Canes get a first and give up a relatively lower half pick to NYR.

 

[GoldiFox]

Sounds like the lottery is going to be just the bottom 7 teams before play resumes. At least I'm hoping that holds to be the case. Watch the league try to pull some bullshit there to appease Montreal and Chicago like they did with this bullshit playoff format.

She's the Rangers reporter who broke the Skjei trade so I'd guess she has some contacts in the know.

I just hope we get clarification today in Bettman's 4:30PM announcement. On the draft lottery, the draft, the 2 hub cities, and the Playoff schedule. In any case it would be pretty low odds for the Canes to lose their 1st this year. If that happens at least they have Toronto's unprotected 2021 1st to look forward to.