Around the NHL 2019-20

[Armourboy]

This may turn into an interesting test for Fiala this season. I feel like here, he was kept in Milwaukee maybe a little longer than he would have liked, ostensibly so that he could learn to play a more team-oriented game and improve on some of his tendencies, except he never really did - he just got too good to stay in the AHL any longer and we needed that 2nd line scoring that it was projected he could provide. And subsequently he never changed his game here either. We got on him a little bit, but nothing really major, and I didn't really get the sense he was given any ultimatums by the coaching staff either. There's only so much you ask of a kid still on his ELC, after all.

Whereas in Minnesota now, he might be facing a much tougher go of things. Fans, coach, contract... it's all piling up on him. Is this where he is finally facing significant pressure to fix those parts of his game that need fixing? Will he actually buy in to that? Or will he just feel unappreciated, resentful, and in a matter of a few years be sulking his way to an overseas career outside the NHL? That would be a shame.

Still think part of the reason Poile was willing to let him go is his attitude. I have a hunch Fiala is one of those guys that blames everyone else.

 

[drwpreds]

The fact that he is having a game like tonight’s after being healthy scratched last game is not good at all

 

[Legionnaire11]

Dang that was a brutal effort by Fiala.

 

[Predsanddead24]

The fact that he is having a game like tonight’s after being healthy scratched last game is not good at all

Seems like the scratch had the exact opposite effect as intended and just made him quit on the team. Obviously the lack of effort is unacceptable for an NHL player, but he's basically now the poster boy for the disaster that was Fenton for their team and that is somewhat unfair to put on him. I haven't watched their games outside the opener, but statswise he's far from the worse player on the team yet Boudreau and at least some of their fan base seems to be blaming the young guys including Fiala rather than the veterans. Here are the stats for some of their big guns, which are all as bad or worse than Fiala :

Staal: 0 goals, 1 assist, -10 in 7 games
Zuccarello: 0 goals, 0 assists, -6 in 4 games (now injured)
Parise: 2 goals, 0 assists, -7 in 7 games
Koivu: 0 goals, 2 assists, -1 in 7 games
Zucker: 2 goals, 0 assists -3 in 7 games
Dumba: 1 goal, 1 assist -7 in 7 games
Dubnyk: 0.867 SV% and 4.44 GAA

It's honestly shocking how bad Minnesota has been to start the season.

 

[PredsV82]

And Shea apparently has injured Ekman Ek. The guy blocked 3 straight Weberbombs and even though he played after he apparently left the arena in a walking boot

 

[King Weber]

And Shea apparently has injured Ekman Ek. The guy blocked 3 straight Weberbombs and even though he played after he apparently left the arena in a walking boot

 

[FilthyScoresberg]

What a warrior lol

 

[TitansVolsPreds615]

That is absolutely brutal. I don't know if I'd ever attempt to block another Weber bomb if I ever got in the way of one in the first place.

 

[PredsV82]

Boyle signs with Florida. 940k x 1yr. Guess he would have been redundant seeing how deep we are at center but I'd still rather have him than Salomaki. The way our PK was struggling I thought Poile might still go there

 

[Armourboy]

Boyle signs with Florida. 940k x 1yr. Guess he would have been redundant seeing how deep we are at center but I'd still rather have him than Salomaki. The way our PK was struggling I thought Poile might still go there

I have a feeling Poile is saving that money for something else.

 

[PredsV82]

Hockey is weird. Oilers and Jets, with all their firepower and suspect defense, played to a 0-0 tie that went to a shootout.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Boyle signs with Florida. 940k x 1yr. Guess he would have been redundant seeing how deep we are at center but I'd still rather have him than Salomaki. The way our PK was struggling I thought Poile might still go there

I wouldn't use him as a center anyway, not on our team. It's nice for other teams that a guy that big can play center, I guess. Anyway, him at $940k would be a lot better than Salomaki, and better than Grimaldi too.

I suspect Poile just likes to have flexibility. At least with $3M in empty cap space, he can basically afford anybody he wants at the deadline. He can get pro-rated superstars if that's the direction the team feels ready to opt for. Or if a top D goes down to injury, they at least have a chance to replace him. Or they don't have to worry about rolling Fabbro's bonuses over to next year if he hits them. Etc, etc. A lot of teams in the league right now are playing these sorts of things right out of their list of options by being jammed right against the cap. It's crazy to think our cap charge is 21st in the league. Colorado might be the only definite playoff-bound team with more cap space than us.

I think maybe the expectations and pricetag were a little high on acquiring Boyle last year, but even though he clearly wasn't any kind of difference-maker on the ice, I would have liked him all the same, with basically no expectations attached. Even if he got 5 goals all year, he could have been a leader, and still better than picking up a Cody McLeod. So I get if they were a little disappointed with what he brought last year, but this time around could have been a little different. And really, waive Grimaldi for all that he's really in the team's future plans (he's not)... they could have had Boyle AND kept the $3M in cap space intact. Oh well.

 

[FFWRX]

 

[nine_inch_fang]

Was there any disciplinary action for the pile that happened in the King/Flames game?

 

[GoldOnGold]

Detroit has lost 8 of their last 9 games. How do they always beat us

 

[hockey diva]

Detroit has lost 8 of their last 9 games. How do they always beat us

The world may never know.

NBCSN carrying the SN feed of the Heritage Classic.

 

[GoldOnGold]

Pretty good night for us. Chicago, Blues, Dallas, and Colorado all lose in regulation. Unfortunately Winnipeg won in OT. Minnesota also won but who cares.

 

[Roman Yoshi]

Dallas is really shocking to me. They should be a really good team. They have a very talented core in Seguin Benn and Klinkberg. Promising young players like Hintz and Heiskanen.

I'm really not sure why it isn't working out for them right now.

Could very well be a fire the coach and go to the finals like St Louis and Pittsburgh

 

[101st_fan]

Dallas is really shocking to me. They should be a really good team. They have a very talented core in Seguin Benn and Klinkberg. Promising young players like Hintz and Heiskanen.

I'm really not sure why it isn't working out for them right now.

Could very well be a fire the coach and go to the finals like St Louis and Pittsburgh

Last year was the ownership calling out star players. 10 months later and the same issues are there. They've gone from Ruff (16-17) to Hitchcock (17-18) to Montgomery (18-now) so I'm not sure it's a fire the coach and go further situation.

 

[Preds Partisan]

Call it chemistry, heart or whatever you want, I never thought the Dallas roster has what it takes.

 

[Scoresberg]

I’d say Dallas makes it to the postseason whether they change their coach or not. But when they do, look out.. that team can be absolute dynamite in the playoffs. Their style is built for the postseason.

 

[Armourboy]

I think its frankly a lack of give a crap. That and I think Benn is just beat all too heck.

 

[PredsV82]

They got where they got last year on Bishops back. He had a sub 2.0 GAA. And they still only squeezed into the playoffs. Yeah, they beat us but we sucked. Not sure why everyone was so high on them this year

 

[drwpreds]

They got where they got last year on Bishops back. He had a sub 2.0 GAA. And they still only squeezed into the playoffs. Yeah, they beat us but we sucked. Not sure why everyone was so high on them this year

Don't disagree but they did take the Stanley Cup champs to a 2OT Game 7 in round two.

 

[PredsV82]

Don't disagree but they did take the Stanley Cup champs to a 2OT Game 7 in round two.

Yeah I forgot that series went 7. So I guess I understand the hype but Bishop sliding back to just "really good" may be enough for them to miss altogether this year