Around the League - ...in 56 Games

[Critical13]

On the flip side, Jets are a very good team. Dubois is a legit top line center along with Schiefele

Are they actually good, though? Every time I watch them I can’t decide. They seem to give up a ton of good chances 5v5 aka the Leafs two year ago. Helle seems to be keeping them in every game right now.

 

[LeafalCrusader]

On the flip side, Jets are a very good team. Dubois is a legit top line center along with Schiefele

Probably our biggest threat in the division IMO.

 

[willmma]

Montreal imploding before our very eyes lol

That's undebatable

 

[wingman75]

Habs get blown out again. I love it!

They didn't generate shit for offence, and Hellebuck would like to have a couple of those back. If that is all they can generate, they are fckd no matter how good Price is. And, if Anderson is out for any period of time their fall will continue.

Personally, I felt Julien's structure is what kept that team competitive. Yes, they were restrained a little on the offensive side but I think they need to play that way to have success. Maybe Ducharme has a good game plan too, guess we'll see but there certainly was no big push from their squad tonight.

 

[BrannigansLaw]

Probably our biggest threat in the division IMO.

Yeah not to jump to any conclusions but I can definitely see these two teams in the semis

 

[ffh]

Are they actually good, though? Every time I watch them I can’t decide. They seem to give up a ton of good chances 5v5 aka the Leafs two year ago. Helle seems to be keeping them in every game right now.

This year helle has cost them more games then he's won for them.

 

[willmma]

Wow

 

[BrannigansLaw]

Wow

I’m not even surprised. This guy plays like Dominik Hasek against us and like Vesa Toskala against everyone else. It’s ridiculous

 

[Critical13]

This year helle has cost them more games then he's won for them.

Doesn’t match the team test for me. In the morning I’ll be curious to check his underlying numbers.

 

[Mattavarner]

I’m not even surprised. This guy plays like Dominik Hasek against us and like Vesa Toskala against everyone else. It’s ridiculous

Missed a perfectly good opportunity to say "Rittichulous"

 

[zeke]

Are they actually good, though? Every time I watch them I can’t decide. They seem to give up a ton of good chances 5v5 aka the Leafs two year ago. Helle seems to be keeping them in every game right now.

They have a horrendous dcorps.

But they have an elite goalie and now with Dubois and Stastny over Laine and Roslovic their forwards are more devastating than ever. That can take them a long way.

 

[zeke]

Habs went about this the wrong way. Anderson and Toffoli are adds you make to a core that’s already established. They don’t have that yet. They had promising pieces in Suzuki, Kotkaniemi, and Romanov, but they aren’t there yet.

That's an understatement.

Right now Suzuki is maybe an ok 2nd line C. Kotkaniemi barely a 3rd line C. Romanov is trying to prove that he even belongs in the NHL yet.

Not only are they not there yet, they're nowhere close to being there yet.

 

[All Mod Cons]

Habs went about this the wrong way. Anderson and Toffoli are adds you make to a core that’s already established. They don’t have that yet. They had promising pieces in Suzuki, Kotkaniemi, and Romanov, but they aren’t there yet. Price and Weber are both too old and can’t be key pieces on a Cup contender anymore.

The timing for them is all wrong. Price isn’t good and hasn’t been for a couple of years now, their centre core is weak, especially compared to other teams in this division, and their defence is overrated, it lacks mobility and puck movement ability.

Kotkaniemi is a bust. Honestly, for a 3rd overall, he's so just below average. Not much has been made of it so far.

 

[Mattavarner]

Lol @ the first page of threads on the main boards rn

"Fire Bergevin"
"Price will never be a great in his generation"
"What would it realisticqlly cost to move price"
"What is Montreal really"
"Carey Price needs to be benched"
"Dylan Demelo slew foot" (on josh anderson)

Throw in the canada cup thread and thats 7 free threads on habs fan tears tonight

 

[Voodoo Child]

Some names have been changed to coincide with the pre-season and first weeks expectations...

'Montreal is the best team in Canada because the Leafs are chokers and Montreal added Rantanen (Anderson), Hertl (Toffoli) and Parayko (Edmundson) and will get lightspeed leaps from Hischer (Suzuki), Nylander (Kotkaniemi) and a strong debut from Gavrikov (Romanov)!'

From 'best team in Canada' to what will probably be a 5th place finish and a 9th overall pick.

You love to see it.

 

[CanadasTeam]

Lol @ the first page of threads on the main boards rn

"Fire Bergevin"
"Price will never be a great in his generation"
"What would it realisticqlly cost to move price"
"What is Montreal really"
"Carey Price needs to be benched"
"Dylan Demelo slew foot" (on josh anderson)

Throw in the canada cup thread and thats 7 free threads on habs fan tears tonight

Team Juggernaut

 

[zeke]

Some names have been changed to coincide with the pre-season and first weeks expectations...

'Montreal is the best team in Canada because the Leafs are chokers and Montreal added Rantanen (Anderson), Hertl (Toffoli) and Parayko (Edmunds on) and will get lightspeed leaps from Hischer (Suzuki), Nylander (Kotkaniemi) and a strong debut from Gavrikov (Romanov)!'

From 'best team in Canada' to what will probably be a 5th place finish and a 9th overall pick.

You love to see it.

In the words of the great Brian Burke:

"Bergevin went out and filled every hole on the roster.....with SURGICAL PRECISION!!"

 

[Voodoo Child]

In the words of the great Brian Burke:

"Bergevin went out and filled every hole on the roster.....with SURGICAL PRECISION!!"

That's our Burkie, showing the same insight that led to Seguin, Hamilton and some other guy for Kessel.

While we're on this, I don't think it's possible to f*** up a prospect's development worse than the Canadiens did with KK.

Their first mistake was that they drafted for need. They had the 3rd pick and instead of going BPA, Bergevin said to himself 'I know we need ze centre, so we will draft ze centre, hon hon hon hon hon!'

Instead of being smart and picking Tkachuk, or Hughes, or even reaching for Dobson, they picked the center.

They then thrust him into the spotlight when he clearly wasn't close to physically ready. KK wasn't a 6'3, 215 beast like Matthews at 18, the combine height and weights list KK at just over 6'2, 180.

He has a decent rookie season, 34 points in 79 games, I don't know or care to research his underlying metrics, but if I did I'm sure I'd find easy zone starts, sheltered match ups and enough PP time to hang himself.

His sophomore year, however, the less said the better, just 8 points in 36, then he's sent down and doesn't exactly light up the A (PPG in 13), but he has an 'awesome!' (read: good) playoffs so there's hope.

And now he's expected to anchor a second line behind another, albeit better kid in Suzuki, and aside from his speed (which is great) nothing about his game stands out.

In one of those sad but humorous ironies of life, from the looks of things he's about two inches away from being converted to a winger.

So let's recap:

1. Drafting for need.
2. Rushing despite physical immaturity.
3. Over excitement due to numbers generated in favorable conditions against poor opponents.
4. A fiery plummet to earth leads to a confidence-killing demotion.
5. Very little growth in his game since the draft, unable to fill the role he was drafted for.

Tkachuk looks like a star and Hughes looks like at least a Rielly clone, Dobson already plays like a vet.

The thing to do would have been give him an additional year in Liiga, then a year in the A and then bring him in this year.

It's not too late for him to turn into a good player but his wacky development has capped him at - at best - a 60-point second line center.

And to people who say 'It's just his draft +3 he isn't a bust!', well I say 'He isn't a bust but this is the NHL and he was a 3rd overall pick, not a 146th overall pick. Stars are stars as soon as they lace them up.'

Montreal is going to be a bubble team for the foreseeable, might make the playoffs and might even win a round, but teams like Ottawa and Detroit, were laughing at them now but give it 3-5 years and they'll be formidable.

They took their medicine.

 

[hamzarocks]

Man oilers have been rolling. They're now going to be 14-8 after a 3-6 start

This 3 game series will be important. We need 4/6 points

 

[smokes lets go]

Man oilers have been rolling. They're now going to be 14-8 after a 3-6 start

This 3 game series will be important. We need 4/6 points

Smith looks like he's found the fountain of youth. If by miracle they get Klefbom back they are a scary team, Nurse has become a legitimate #1 defenseman.

 

[notDatsyuk]

Their 5 on 5 play has been alarmingly bad in the last week or so.

They've only lost four games in regulation, three of them to the Isles.

 

[Seath The Scaleless]

They've only lost four games in regulation, three of them to the Isles.

We were talking about the Flames lol

 

[TheBigFour]

oilers are an interesting case. Even though they are on hot streak over the past month, their underlying #s since feb 1 are rather mediocre.
22nd in the league in xGF (48%)
but first in the league in PDO
#'s from NST

 

[BrannigansLaw]

Smith looks like he's found the fountain of youth. If by miracle they get Klefbom back they are a scary team, Nurse has become a legitimate #1 defenseman.

Edmonton, a scary team. Thanks for the morning laughs

 

[Critical13]

oilers are an interesting case. Even though they are on hot streak over the past month, their underlying #s since feb 1 are rather mediocre.
22nd in the league in xGF (48%)
but first in the league in PDO
#'s from NST

The Jets are kind weird too, which matches the eye test for me: