Around the League the 13th: Deadline week

[Cardiac Jerks]

Yes, I wish that Lindholm wasn’t traded knowing how good he is now, but I think that he was easily worth at least 3 years of Dougie value-wise.

Honestly, though, was he ever going to reach those levels of production here? We saw enough of him in a canes jersey to know what he was as a cane. For whatever reason he just never put it all together.

 

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

Honestly, though, was he ever going to reach those levels of production here? We saw enough of him in a canes jersey to know what he was as a cane. For whatever reason he just never put it all together.

IMHO I think he probably would have with Aho’s breakout. His underlying numbers were all there. The problem was that at the time that’s all he had, so it was a huge risk to give him the kind of (eventual bargain) contract that the Flames gave him in RFA. I just hope that eventually our team can consistently win enough for game attendance to return to 2006 levels, allowing us to be the kind of cap team that CAN take those kind of risks comfortably.

 

[Negan4Coach]

It’s a fickle market. Combination of fairly cheap and lack of corporate support (the biggest “customer” in Ottawa should be the federal government but there are rules they prevent that).

Oh so it's like Canberra for the Aussies. Now I see.

 

[HisIceness]

Honestly, though, was he ever going to reach those levels of production here? We saw enough of him in a canes jersey to know what he was as a cane. For whatever reason he just never put it all together.

I don't think he was, when we needed him to take the next step he started looking like a bust, turned himself around but just not enough for a guy we picked at #5. I like Ferland better and am hoping we can resign him to something reasonable because we haven't had a player of his intensity in years.

 

[HisIceness]

That should be it for the Flyers.

Now the scoreboard-watching focus shifts to Columbus and Montreal

 

[sabremike]

Oh so it's like Canberra for the Aussies. Now I see.

Brumbies supporter myself!

 

[My Special Purpose]

Canucks/BJs is getting chippy early. Anderson with a questionable hit on Edler. Then somebody ran Dzingel. Edler is running around like a man possessed. Should be fun. Still 0-0.

 

[HisIceness]

Jackets up 1-0.

 

[Canes]

'Lumbus just scored.

Hopefully the Canucks and superstar Pettersson can make it interesting but I won't hold my breath.

 

[Bunch of Jurcos]

Columbus just went up 2-0. Blah.

Canucks going on the PP as there was a really ugly hit into the boards but the Canuck player got up almost immediately but yeah it looked bad. OMG Vancouver's PP looks almost as bad as ours. Yikes.

Columbus just went up 3-0. Vancouver playing like a team that's ready for tee time.

 

[My Special Purpose]

The game is even more chippy now. The best we can hope for is the Canucks making Columbus hurt a little.

 

[robbieberns]

I’ve certainly got not love for Columbus, but it’s a bummer that they look comfortable better than Dallas and Colorado yet they stand to miss out this year.

 

[cptjeff]

I’ve certainly got not love for Columbus, but it’s a bummer that they look comfortable better than Dallas and Colorado yet they stand to miss out this year.

Yeah, the west is an embarrassment this year.

 

[HisIceness]

5-0 Jackets.

 

[Wolfpuck]

Sheesh. Okay, let the Jackets and Habs fight it out for the right to get smoked by the Bolts.

 

[SlavinAway]

Sheesh. Okay, let the Jackets and Habs fight it out for the right to get smoked by the Bolts.

If we see any chance of making it beyond a round or 2 (yes, I am being optimistic) I would rather see Jackets in WC2. They are a big, physical team that will be able to keep up with Tampa physically and maybe bruise them up a little bit.

Best case scenario to me is Jackets-Bolts, Pens-Caps, and Canes-Islanders 1st rounds. Obviously we would need to overtake the Pens to make it happen.

 

[CanesFanBudMan]

If we see any chance of making it beyond a round or 2 (yes, I am being optimistic) I would rather see Jackets in WC2. They are a big, physical team that will be able to keep up with Tampa physically and maybe bruise them up a little bit.

Best case scenario to me is Jackets-Bolts, Pens-Caps, and Canes-Islanders 1st rounds. Obviously we would need to overtake the Pens to make it happen.

while I agree with that assessment I still think it would be too funny for the Jackets to miss the playoffs after selling the farm.

 

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

I think the Jackets may be an unexpectedly dangerous opposition to Tampa if Bob doesn't fall into his usual epic playoff collapse. A lot of their pieces are starting to mesh well now with the system, especially Dzingel, and if they have all fires blazing they actually have the kind of talent necessary to generate enough offense to compete with Tampa's juggernaut. The same can't be said for MTL, who IMO would get smoked.

 

[MinJaBen]

while I agree with that assessment I still think it would be too funny for the Jackets to miss the playoffs after selling the farm.

I think the Jackets may be an unexpectedly dangerous opposition to Tampa if Bob doesn't fall into his usual epic playoff collapse. A lot of their pieces are starting to mesh well now with the system, especially Dzingel, and if they have all fires blazing they actually have the kind of talent necessary to generate enough offense to compete with Tampa's juggernaut. The same can't be said for MTL, who IMO would get smoked.

I see it the opposite. I don’t think either team has the horses to get in a track meet with the Bolts. But I think the Habs can maybe play a grinding and forechecking game with a hot Price behind them and maybe steal a few games to make it interesting.

I think CBJ would get smoked with Bob backstopping them.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

If we see any chance of making it beyond a round or 2 (yes, I am being optimistic) I would rather see Jackets in WC2. They are a big, physical team that will be able to keep up with Tampa physically and maybe bruise them up a little bit.

Best case scenario to me is Jackets-Bolts, Pens-Caps, and Canes-Islanders 1st rounds. Obviously we would need to overtake the Pens to make it happen.

And probably overtake the Caps too. I bet the Pens pass the Isles. The Athletic has the Caps as our most likely 1st round matchup, and the Pens as second most likely. Isles are only third. I think they like the odds of the Isles falling to WC1 better than holding one of us off but not the other.

 

[Joe McGrath]

I think the Jackets may be an unexpectedly dangerous opposition to Tampa if Bob doesn't fall into his usual epic playoff collapse. A lot of their pieces are starting to mesh well now with the system, especially Dzingel, and if they have all fires blazing they actually have the kind of talent necessary to generate enough offense to compete with Tampa's juggernaut. The same can't be said for MTL, who IMO would get smoked.

The only way a metro team is beating Tampa is if the Bruins manage to drag them through 7 games of misery.

 

[Incubajerks]

And probably overtake the Caps too. I bet the Pens pass the Isles. The Athletic has the Caps as our most likely 1st round matchup, and the Pens as second most likely. Isles are only third. I think they like the odds of the Isles falling to WC1 better than holding one of us off but not the other.

I am ok with Isles/Caps in the first round. I don't want to see the Pens and not because i am scared of them because i am not.

 

[My Special Purpose]

moneypuck.com shows just how much of a mess this division is -- still -- with six games to go.

Projected final points in the Metro:

WSH 102.4, NYI 101.9, PIT 100.6, CAR 99.7, CLB 94.1, so 2.7 points separating four teams. *One* unexpected result changes everything.

Pct. chance to win the Metro:

WSH 38.9, NYI 36, CAR 13.3, PIT 11.9

Pct. chance to take WC1:

CAR 30.8, PIT 26.8, WSH 11.6, (MTL 11.4), NYI 10.7, CLB 8.3

 

[MinJaBen]

This is why the last month of the season is such fools gold to teams outside the playoffs:

Over the last ten games, we’ve picked up one point on the Isles, lost one point to the Pens, stayed even with the Caps, and only pickup two points against the Jackets and the Habs.

Standings movement is glacial.

 

[My Special Purpose]

This is why the last month of the season is such fools gold to teams outside the playoffs:

View attachment 204691

Over the last ten games, we’ve picked up one point on the Isles, lost one point to the Pens, stayed even with the Caps, and only pickup two points against the Jackets and the Habs.

Standings movement is glacial.

I agree with you. It's really hard to make up ground in this league.

But from our perspective, our last 10 games brings us back to March 3. In that time, Montreal has also played 10 games, but the Blue Jackets, Capitals and Penguins have played 11 games, and the Islanders have played 12. So even though the gains have seemed minimal, we have an extra game to work with. Taking advantage of that or not will determine whether we actually can move up into the top 3.