Around the NHL 2021-22

[Scoresberg]

We will see, it’s not like I think Neal will set the league on fire either. He would’ve been a good depth piece to have.

 

[Viqsi]

Neal with the hat-trick in the first preseason game.. maybe that PTO wouldn’t have been such a bad idea.

oh my g-d almighty why are we still doing this nonsense LET IT GO ALREADY

 

[Armourboy]

We will see, it’s not like I think Neal will set the league on fire either. He would’ve been a good depth piece to have.

We have enough kids that need a shot that don't have a spot already. No sense in stacking it up even more with an old wore out vet.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

Pretty typical James Neal.

-Looks like an elite player for 10 games a season
-Injured for 10 games a season
-Mostly invisible for 60 games a season

Looks like he's using some of his uberness in the pre-season now, which probably doesn't bode well for his regular season.

 

[PredsV82]

Pretty typical James Neal.

-Looks like an elite player for 10 games a season
-Injured for 10 games a season
-Mostly invisible for 60 games a season

Looks like he's using some of his uberness in the pre-season now, which probably doesn't bode well for his regular season.

But its the only way he gets a contract, so...

 

[OldFan]

Preds don’t need Neal. He’s done; at least pretty soon. BUT he’s been an elite NHL player for a long time. Give him his credit; he was good for Preds for awhile and I enjoyed watching him.

 

[Armourboy]

Preds don’t need Neal. He’s done; at least pretty soon. BUT he’s been an elite NHL player for a long time. Give him his credit; he was good for Preds for awhile and I enjoyed watching him.

No one is not giving him credit, he just hasn't been good in several years.

 

[OldFan]

No one is not giving him credit, he just hasn't been good in several years.

Didn’t say they were; just complimenting Neal.

 

[nine_inch_fang]

Boro to the box and a goal against. That seems eerily familiar.

 

[Flgatorguy87]

Boro to the box and a goal against. That seems eerily familiar.

He and Benning looked like a damn mess tonight.

 

[nine_inch_fang]

He and Benning looked like a damn mess tonight.

Looks like I put that in the wrong thread but yes they did. As the most experienced pair for the second game they were a mess.

 

[Predsanddead24]

I apparently missed this story from last week but apparently the NHL is cracking down on crosschecks this season. Hopefully it doesn't turn out like when they started emphasizing slashing calls and everyone in the world got one. Have to think Ekholm is going to take a lot of penalties to start the season though.

 

[nine_inch_fang]

I apparently missed this story from last week but apparently the NHL is cracking down on crosschecks this season. Hopefully it doesn't turn out like when they started emphasizing slashing calls and everyone in the world got one. Have to think Ekholm is going to take a lot of penalties to start the season though.

Josi already takes a ton of them so I'd worry more about him.

 

[herzausstein]

I apparently missed this story from last week but apparently the NHL is cracking down on crosschecks this season. Hopefully it doesn't turn out like when they started emphasizing slashing calls and everyone in the world got one. Have to think Ekholm is going to take a lot of penalties to start the season though.

Glad they’re going to actually start calling them. Hopefully our guys figure it out before taking a bunch of penalties

 

[GoldOnGold]

I apparently missed this story from last week but apparently the NHL is cracking down on crosschecks this season. Hopefully it doesn't turn out like when they started emphasizing slashing calls and everyone in the world got one. Have to think Ekholm is going to take a lot of penalties to start the season though.

Notice they only had the guts to make this change once it looked like Weber won't play...

 

[Legionnaire11]

I apparently missed this story from last week but apparently the NHL is cracking down on crosschecks this season. Hopefully it doesn't turn out like when they started emphasizing slashing calls and everyone in the world got one. Have to think Ekholm is going to take a lot of penalties to start the season though.

It'll be and ugly parade to the penalty box at first, then they'll back off a bit as players adjust. But they'll learn what they can get away with and push the envelope more and more as the season progresses. Same story every time the league has cracked down on something in the last 15 years.

 

[adsfan]

I think we all knew it was going to happen eventually. I hope they keep it more inconspicuous than some of the ridiculousness that's out there.

Just say that you don't want NHL jerseys to look like NASCAR fire suits with all of those sponsor ads!

Me too.

 

[LCPreds]

Glad they’re going to actually start calling them. Hopefully our guys figure it out before taking a bunch of penalties

They’ll call them until the playoffs. At that point the only illegal crosscheck will be the one that injures someone.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

They’ll call them until the playoffs. At that point the only illegal crosscheck will be the one that injures someone.

Or not even then. The NHL is such a dumpster fire on officiating. It's legitimately sad how we all automatically know exactly what to expect from this.

 

[drwpreds]

First games on TNT last night- really strange watching hockey on TNT- overall I was pretty impressed. The best thing about it was they have what I think is a very good scorebug, which is always key for me. So much better than that absolute disaster one on Bally Sports......

 

[Roman Yoshi]

I know this is very unlikely to happen, but you have to think Poile is at least going to kick the tires on Eichel.

We are a team in flux, what does it matter if our star forward is out for most of the season? If we win, we win. If we lose, we lose and that's ok because we are rebuilding.

I'm sure the NHL wants the situation to end sooner rather than later. Looking at the teams that have cap space... it get's really interesting especially if Buffalo doesn't want to move him in division.

Really comes down to Seattle, Preds, Anaheim, Arizona, Columbus, NY Rangers.

Have to think Joey, Askarov, maybe Tomasino going the other way... but it's at least interesting to think about.

 

[hockey diva]

No thank you, nope, just NO to Eichel. Not worth the risk and definitely not worth losing Tomasino over

 

[Flgatorguy87]

We don't have a prospect I wouldn't trade for Eichel aside from maybe Askarov. Just my perspective. It's a gamble, but nothing we have projects as more than a player that is "average" at their projected role.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

We don't have a prospect I wouldn't trade for Eichel aside from maybe Askarov. Just my perspective. It's a gamble, but nothing we have projects as more than a player that is "average" at their projected role.

Conversely, there is almost nothing I would give up to take on Eichel.

Assuming he doesn't play at all this year, then he only has 3 years left on his contract. Then he's a UFA. I can't see what next level he brings us to in those 3 years that he didn't manage to bring Buffalo to. And there's always the chance he never plays again at all, ever. Or never at a #1C level, anyway.

If I desperately wanted to spend $10M on a gamble, I'd just take that $10M onto the UFA market and not give up anything at all from our prospect pool. Get somebody who at least starts off healthy.

I would need Buffalo to pay me to take on Eichel at this point. (Which of course they wouldn't do, I'm not asking for that - I'm just saying that in my crusty GM seat, that's what it would take).

 

[Armourboy]

Conversely, there is almost nothing I would give up to take on Eichel.

Assuming he doesn't play at all this year, then he only has 3 years left on his contract. Then he's a UFA. I can't see what next level he brings us to in those 3 years that he didn't manage to bring Buffalo to. And there's always the chance he never plays again at all, ever. Or never at a #1C level, anyway.

If I desperately wanted to spend $10M on a gamble, I'd just take that $10M onto the UFA market and not give up anything at all from our prospect pool. Get somebody who at least starts off healthy.

I would need Buffalo to pay me to take on Eichel at this point. (Which of course they wouldn't do, I'm not asking for that - I'm just saying that in my crusty GM seat, that's what it would take).

Agreed, I'm not touching him with a 10ft poll let alone handing good assets for him. That thing has worse than Forsberg deal written all over it for the team that does it.