Around the League Part 9: The Post-Tavareslyptic Hellscape

[RodTheBawd]

These are awesome!

A designer gave current NHL players vintage flow and facial hair

Those are incredible.

 

[Lempo]

How is the Orprick signing back back Washington not cap circumventing?

It's hard to charge anyone for perfectly CBA-allowed moves. Colorado has given a legit reason that they rather took Orpik and his cap hit to be moved or bought out so they wouldn't hace to give a 1st for Phillip Grubauer.

Orpik cleared waivers before the buyout. Obviously his SPC was of negative value and no one wanted it, but if they did they could have taken it. Also after the buyout he was legitly an UFA for a month and WSH could have been outbidded by anyone wanting to touch him.

I can see the case for a cap circumvention, but it also is a case of perfectly legally getting rid of bad contract in a trade + buyout.

 

[bleedgreen]

Colorado didn’t agree to buy him out as part of the trade. It’s not circumvention. Nobody wanted to be within a ten foot stick length of Orpik and his contract. No one on waivers. No one wanted to give him more than a million. Save those arguments for a player that had some value.

 

[Lempo]

Yup. It sure looks like a windfall for Caps which some news articles were predicting at the time of the trade, but there's nothing wrong in it if you (and Cap) logically can predict at the time of the trade that this will be how it plays out.

Every team was in position to hiccup the supposed "gameplan" if they wanted, and no one did. It was a price-finding process for a NHL player not worth of his previous contract.

Though, he was in for $4.5M real money, and now gets paid 2/3 of it, 2 x $1.5M by Avs, and gets $1M from WSH, with $500k Performance Bonus which can for be anything in a 35+ one year SPC.

He may have lost $500k in this, unless he hits the performance bonus. If it is a bonus catered so that he can't miss it, I reserve the right to change my opinion to "shenanigans!".

 

[Svechhammer]

These are awesome!

A designer gave current NHL players vintage flow and facial hair

Alright, alright, alright

Edit: Oh FFS, someone made this EXACT same comment on the main NHL board yesterday

 

[HisIceness]

Phil Kessels 1958 buzzcut looks like it could be in one of those iconic civil rights movement photos from that era.

 

[Lempo]

Alright, alright, alright

"Sir, your tail light is broken. *batoncrash*"

 

[Navin R Slavin]

If I were a Caps fan, I would, with 100% certainty, be changing my handle to "Al Iafrechkin" right now, and this would be my avatar.

 

[vorbis]

If I were a Caps fan, I would, with 100% certainty, be changing my handle to "Al Iafrechkin" right now, and this would be my avatar.

HankEbequois

 

[Unsustainable]

If I were a Caps fan, I would, with 100% certainty, be changing my handle to "Al Iafrechkin" right now, and this would be my avatar.

Looks like Andy Kaufman

 

[Lempo]

Alright, alright, alright

Edit: Oh FFS, someone made this EXACT same comment on the main NHL board yesterday

Yes, but Patrik Laine made this same look in 2017 NHL Awards so the joke's on that guy.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Is that hairline photoshopped or is he actually balding already?

 

[Cane mutiny]

Is that hairline photoshopped or is he actually balding already?

It's ok. He can afford plugs.

 

[Lempo]

Is that hairline photoshopped or is he actually balding already?

That's what you get idolizing Ovechkin.

 

[spockBokk]

Lots of signings today. Maybe GMs are getting back from the golf course.

 

[DaveG]

Arbitration time, a lot of deals getting done last-minute so that long-term extensions can be agreed to rather then 1 or 2 year deals that almost always result in the player leaving anyway.

Also not surprising to see some of the more veteran UFAs signing with contenders, though personally I would have preferred to see Orprick just retire.

 

[Joe McGrath]

Arbitration time, a lot of deals getting done last-minute so that long-term extensions can be agreed to rather then 1 or 2 year deals that almost always result in the player leaving anyway.

Also not surprising to see some of the more veteran UFAs signing with contenders, though personally I would have preferred to see Orprick just retire.

I don’t mind the Caps having a 38 year old pylon coming off a season where he played 105 games.

 

[RodTheBawd]

@garnetpalmetto wish you hadn't locked that 10 team NTC thread on the MB. Outside of a few posts, it was pretty good. I thought it was interesting/hilarious that the only posters that had Carolina listed were all Canadian, and those with comments attributed it to cheap ownership. The narrative is strong up there.

 

[tarheelhockey]

@garnetpalmetto wish you hadn't locked that 10 team NTC thread on the MB. Outside of a few posts, it was pretty good. I thought it was interesting/hilarious that the only posters that had Carolina listed were all Canadian, and those with comments attributed it to cheap ownership. The narrative is strong up there.

Tbh I felt kind of gratified that most lists didn’t include us, considering we’re a small nontraditional market with a decade long streak of failure and an owner seems to trigger everybody. It says a lot that most people still don’t see us as a toxic place to play.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

Tbh I felt kind of gratified that most lists didn’t include us, considering we’re a small nontraditional market with a decade long streak of failure and an owner seems to trigger everybody. It says a lot that most people still don’t see us as a toxic place to play.

Agreed that I’m pleasantly surprised from a fan perspective, but I think we’ve had enough evidence from a player perspective that we aren’t generally blacklisted. Two years in a row we’ve signed free agents that have spoken very highly of the team and the situation (Williams, de Haan), big enough FAs that they very easily could’ve gone elsewhere.

Then there’s articles like this that put us in a pretty good spot to begin with: NHL rebuild rankings: Which teams are closest to contending?

That said, it’s surprising fans think the same, we’re an easy target and online people usually love those.

 

[HisIceness]

This would be my list.

1. Montreal. Just couldn't do it, way too much of a fishbowl and some of the most demanding fans on planet earth. It's not surprising to me PK Subban is a lot happier in Nashville. Patrick Roy in Colorado was certainly happy when he left. We will see if Gaulenchuk is the same way in Arizona.

2. Ottawa. Eugene Melynk, enough said. Get rid of him and we will talk.

3. Edmonton. Self explanatory.

4. Vancouver. I'm sure it's a beautiful city but that franchise is in shambles right now. And while they are not as bad as Montreal, their fanbase isn't exactly one of patience either.

That's it. That's the list. Winnipeg and Toronto would have been on this list 2 years ago but right now is a good time to play for either. As for Calgary, I like their roster at the moment so that's enticing. I'm of the opinion that they have the most relaxed and easy going fanbase of the Canadian clubs.

I'd play anywhere in the States. Less stress.

 

[cptjeff]

This would be my list.

1. Montreal. Just couldn't do it, way too much of a fishbowl and some of the most demanding fans on planet earth. It's not surprising to me PK Subban is a lot happier in Nashville. Patrick Roy in Colorado was certainly happy when he left. We will see if Gaulenchuk is the same way in Arizona.

2. Ottawa. Eugene Melynk, enough said. Get rid of him and we will talk.

3. Edmonton. Self explanatory.

4. Vancouver. I'm sure it's a beautiful city but that franchise is in shambles right now. And while they are not as bad as Montreal, their fanbase isn't exactly one of patience either.

That's it. That's the list. Winnipeg and Toronto would have been on this list 2 years ago but right now is a good time to play for either. As for Calgary, I like their roster at the moment so that's enticing. I'm of the opinion that they have the most relaxed and easy going fanbase of the Canadian clubs.

I'd play anywhere in the States. Less stress.

Not a bad list, but I'd add the Isles. You want to talk about a franchise in shambles...

 

[Unsustainable]

My 10 team:

1: Canada: I count this as 1 team, and it’s Canada.
2: New York including the suburb of New Jersey: Nope.
Minnesota: Cold
California: Taxes
Florida: eh


So really:
Denver, Nashville, Tampa, Arizona, Dallas, Vegas

 

[HisIceness]

Not a bad list, but I'd add the Isles. You want to talk about a franchise in shambles...

The Islanders were actually the one American team I was thinking about putting on here for their current situation, but man they've got a hell of an appreciative fanbase. Kind of reminds me of people in Green Bay and the relationship that town has with the Packers. I really hope that franchise gets their arena situation taken care before it's too late.

Buffalo and Arizona are honorable mentions but I'm of the opinion that both are about to take a turn for the better, latter still in doubt regarding their future in the desert but Phoenix is a cool city with lots of beautiful women (hello Arizona State!)

And no matter how bad things may get in South Florida, how can one say no to spending a day on the beach with bikini models walking about before heading off to the rink?

 

[Surrounded By Ahos]

Capitals Re-sign Tom Wilson

Six years, $5.17 million per year.

I feel like that’s a bit high.