Around the NHL 2020-21

[Legionnaire11]

If you're not aware, ESPN has already been carrying games on the ESPN+ app. They stream usually two games a night, but sometimes just one. If you already subscribe to Disney+ or Hulu, it's worth it to just get the bundle with Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ for like $12.99 or $14.99/mo.

No local games, but it's a reliable and legal way to stream games daily. And the content available should be expanding with the new deal.

 

[PredsV82]

Main board thread says it works out to an extra 121 million a year over what the league gets now. That's a huge revenue boost at a critical time.

Wonder what will become of NBCSN and if this has any bearing in FOXSports doing local broadcasts

 

[Armourboy]

Well hopefully their articles get better along with it. The article on Josi mentions the high stick he took but not a hint of anything on the missed boarding call that probably was the cause of the actual injury.

 

[drwpreds]

Chicago is playing some magnificent, entertaining hockey.

I think you may have jinxed them big time- since this post they have been outscored 12-1........

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Main board thread says it works out to an extra 121 million a year over what the league gets now. That's a huge revenue boost at a critical time.

Wonder what will become of NBCSN and if this has any bearing in FOXSports doing local broadcasts

I wonder how much payroll the team is saving if insurance has kicked in on any of our big-$$$ IR players yet? Josi, Ellis, Duchene on the shelf might be helping the bottom line even more than $4M coming in from ESPN?

 

[triggrman]

I wonder how much payroll the team is saving if insurance has kicked in on any of our big-$$$ IR players yet? Josi, Ellis, Duchene on the shelf might be helping the bottom line even more than $4M coming in from ESPN?

What did they say last night, 30% of our cap was out of the line-up.

 

[alexmanu]

Just watched the Wild game. Why the heck did we get rid of Fiala and Bonino?! Damn

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Just watched the Wild game. Why the heck did we get rid of Fiala and Bonino?! Damn

I sort of get it with Fiala... he looked very skilled but it wasn't clear that he was a "fit"... but Bonino... damn, he was in a zone for us last year. Taking him out maybe killed our depth more than just his own value, it seems to have thrown Grimaldi into the pressbox also. Our "3rd line" was definitely most consistent for us last year. Now we have chaos, everywhere. That's hard to measure in single player evaluations.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

I sort of get it with Fiala... he looked very skilled but it wasn't clear that he was a "fit"... but Bonino... damn, he was in a zone for us last year. Taking him out maybe killed our depth more than just his own value, it seems to have thrown Grimaldi into the pressbox also. Our "3rd line" was definitely most consistent for us last year. Now we have chaos, everywhere. That's hard to measure in single player evaluations.

It was probably thought, as was the thinking on the board, that Sissons would be able to fill in Bonino's role and production if given the additional time and responsibility. Turns out Sissons really is probably just best as your 4th line center, playing a hard 10-12 minutes a night and occasionally having a fluke offensive explosion.

 

[Predsanddead24]

Has Bonino actually been good this season? I haven’t watched the Wild but his numbers don’t look great.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

Has Bonino actually been good this season? I haven’t watched the Wild but his numbers don’t look great.

Neither are Fiala's. Kaprizov has been impressive but I swear over half his goals have come against the Kings. Screwy year.

 

[GoldOnGold]

It was probably thought, as was the thinking on the board, that Sissons would be able to fill in Bonino's role and production if given the additional time and responsibility. Turns out Sissons really is probably just best as your 4th line center, playing a hard 10-12 minutes a night and occasionally having a fluke offensive explosion.

I don't think Sissons ever really got to be 3rd line center - Haula has mostly had it on lockdown

 

[OldFan]

I don't think Sissons ever really got to be 3rd line center - Haula has mostly had it on lockdown

Sissons = disappointment.
Old hockey proverb; “Don’t fall in love with your 4th liners”.

 

[Armourboy]

Sissons is playing where they put him. Hynes has these guys all over the place every single night. Sissons can be fine as a 3rd line center but you can't throw him there once a week with meh players and expect to get much out of him. He is no different than Jarnkrok, they play where they are told to play.

 

[PredsV82]

The Wild, Jets and Blackhawks are all doing better than expected against a new divisional lineup. Speaks to how tough the Central really has been.

 

[Scoresberg]

Has Bonino actually been good this season? I haven’t watched the Wild but his numbers don’t look great.

His numbers ain't great but you can't deny the fact that wherever he goes, that team starts winning.

 

[GoldOnGold]

His numbers ain't great but you can't deny the fact that wherever he goes, that team starts winning.

I feel like Kaprizov is probably the biggest reason for that, not Bonino.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

It was probably thought, as was the thinking on the board, that Sissons would be able to fill in Bonino's role and production if given the additional time and responsibility. Turns out Sissons really is probably just best as your 4th line center, playing a hard 10-12 minutes a night and occasionally having a fluke offensive explosion.

Yeah, I thought Sissons' 2018 and 2019 seasons were good, and that got him the big contract, and based on those 2 seasons it was fair we were all thinking about him becoming 3rd line C and filling Bonino's role. But then his struggles in the 2020 season raised some questions, and it just seems odd timing therefore to have traded Bonino at that point. And then to have continued to scatter Sissons around ever since too.

I'm not sure any longer what Sissons is. Maybe it is yet another case of a long-term contract taking the edge off a player???

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

So the Sabres fired Krueger... sigh.

 

[GoldOnGold]

So the Sabres fired Krueger... sigh.

They had lost 12 in a row, so we're not to that level yet.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

They had lost 12 in a row, so we're not to that level yet.

Sigh. I don't think it would matter even if we were, though.

 

[Legionnaire11]

Somehow in the last month, over 14 games (basically the Sabres streak), the Preds are 6-7-1 and a win over Florida tomorrow would flip that to 7-6-1. Now, they're not going to make the playoffs even if they keep this up or exceed it, but that pace all season would have had us right in the hunt, around 37 points and 4th place at the moment.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Somehow in the last month, over 14 games (basically the Sabres streak), the Preds are 6-7-1 and a win over Florida tomorrow would flip that to 7-6-1. Now, they're not going to make the playoffs even if they keep this up or exceed it, but that pace all season would have had us right in the hunt, around 37 points and 4th place at the moment.

So maybe this belongs in the drinking thread, but...

Glass half full... we have all those injuries and if the ship is even a little bit righted and we can stagger along like this, I dare to hope we could still be similarly competitive next year... i.e. still be capable of pushing for a playoff spot. And that's all I'm personally asking for. And it's why I'm not interested in trading off guys like Forsberg, Ekholm, Arvy and blowing things up. Just being competitive and maybe sneaking into the playoffs is fun enough for me as a fan. So I'm happy to keep all those players and just shoot for that modest level of success.

Glass half empty... if we didn't already know it, well, we know for sure we're keeping Hynes all this year and next. He has the injury excuse AND a mediocre-performing team now, so he's set. And we won't get a high draft pick either, of course.

Might be time to fill up my glass...

 

[Predsanddead24]

I dare to hope we could still be similarly competitive next year... i.e. still be capable of pushing for a playoff spot.

Playing only divisional games makes things so much harder to determine where we actually stand. It seems very likely to me that we would be last place in the normal Central division though given where the other teams stand.

 

[Armourboy]

Playing only divisional games makes things so much harder to determine where we actually stand. It seems very likely to me that we would be last place in the normal Central division though given where the other teams stand.

Who knows. With a normal camp does Poile pick these Vets up? Are some teams more preparred and learning less on the fly than today? I mean there is a whole host of things could change things. I tend to think the compressed start and season led Poile to go get Vets rather than throw the youngsters to the Wolves. Looks like he would have been better off doing that.