Around the NHL - Episode XLV

[AchtzehnBaby]

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[GCK]

Available room for the remaining UFAs is running out. Have Hoffman and the rest overplayed their hand ?

 

[GCK]

Looking at the Leafs depth chart with the new roster, I think they got a little worse.

 

[topshelf15]

Looking at the Leafs depth chart with the new roster, I think they got a little worse.

They really havent done enough...They still think skill is more important that physical and defensive play in that bottom 6 ...Thorton,Spezza lol Those guys dont do anything for u in that role

 

[JD1]

Looking at the Leafs depth chart with the new roster, I think they got a little worse.

The Leafs have too much money going to too few players and what they've done this off season has not resolved that.

We can all debate the Xs and Os of what they've done or not done, but until some team wins a cup with 65% of their cap hit going to 25% of the roster (or whatever the exact math is) what the Leafs have is a salary distribution experiment that has not proven to be successful

 

[Micklebot]

The Leafs have too much money going to too few players and what they've done this off season has not resolved that.

We can all debate the Xs and Os of what they've done or not done, but until some team wins a cup with 65% of their cap hit going to 25% of the roster (or whatever the exact math is) what the Leafs have is a salary distribution experiment that has not proven to be successful

Leafs are just shy of 69% on their top 7 players, penguins were at 63% and 65% in 2016 and 2017 and won back to back. I imagine the they will be in a similar situation to the pens as the cap grows though, the cap would need to get to 86 for them to be on par with the Pen's last cup win, which if not for the pandemic probably would have happened in the 21-22 season. Doesn't help that they are still paying part of Kessel's salary though...

 

[JD1]

Leafs are just shy of 69% on their top 7 players, penguins were at 63% and 65% in 2016 and 2017 and won back to back. I imagine the they will be in a similar situation to the pens as the cap grows though, the cap would need to get to 86 for them to be on par with the Pen's last cup win, which if not for the pandemic probably would have happened in the 21-22 season. Doesn't help that they are still paying part of Kessel's salary though...

Crosby and Malkin kinda disrupt models

 

[Tuna99]

Available room for the remaining UFAs is running out. Have Hoffman and the rest overplayed their hand ?

remember when fans in Ottawa wanted the coach fired for putting Hoffman on the 4th line (and Hoffman acting like a little pansie about it) and then hiring Boucher and Ottawa being happy that Hoffman liked the coaching hire. How stupid looking back

 

[GCK]

remember when fans in Ottawa wanted the coach fired for putting Hoffman on the 4th line (and Hoffman acting like a little pansie about it) and then hiring Boucher and Ottawa being happy that Hoffman liked the coaching hire. How stupid looking back

That’s because most fans don’t understand how teams need to be built. They look at 3rd pair D and think other players with more points would make the team better or that you can’t have defensive liabilities at forward unless they are so gifted they out score their mistakes. Sometimes I feel like fans think having 4 Pierre Turgeons or Jason Spezzas would be a great idea.

 

[JD1]

That’s because most fans don’t understand how teams need to be built. They look at 3rd pair D and think other players with more points would make the team better or that you can’t have defensive liabilities at forward unless they are so gifted they out score their mistakes. Sometimes I feel like fans think having 4 Pierre Turgeons or Jason Spezzas would be a great idea.

Give Dubas a call

Actually better yet... don't.

 

[TheDebater]

That’s because most fans don’t understand how teams need to be built. They look at 3rd pair D and think other players with more points would make the team better or that you can’t have defensive liabilities at forward unless they are so gifted they out score their mistakes. Sometimes I feel like fans think having 4 Pierre Turgeons or Jason Spezzas would be a great idea.

If we had even one more Jason Spezza in 2007, we would probably have won the cup.

Let alone 4 Jason Spezza's, which I would gladly take on this team.

 

[playasRus]

Crosby and Malkin kinda disrupt models

Not only but their depth also came through with Bonino, Hagelin really shining in the playoffs, and they still had reliable wingers like Kessel, Hornquist, a rejuvenated Kunitz to go with solid D from Letang and Cole, while some rookies played out of their minds in Dumoulin and Maata.

Prime uninjured Crosby/Malkin guaranteed them the ECF, and their wingers stepping up both years cruised them to the Cup.

 

[TheDebater]

Makes sense to do that, but that would mean at most a 50 game season?

 

[TheDebater]

Sounds like the Canadian division is very much a possibility.

 

[GCK]

8 games against each of the other 6 Canadian teams. We are going to be getting another high pick I imagine. I think it’ll be the Sens and Jets missing the playoffs.

 

[Tuna99]

Canadian Division is going to be amazing. Maybe the best thing the NHL had had since the Adam’s division. The bad blood we see in these series will last for decades

 

[BondraTime]

Canadian Division is going to be amazing. Maybe the best thing the NHL had had since the Adam’s division. The bad blood we see in these series will last for decades

Not sure that will be true. Highly doubt the Sens playing the Canucks or Oilers a few extra times for 1 season is going to do anything.

 

[Boud]

Not sure that will be true. Highly doubt the Sens playing the Canucks or Oilers a few extra times for 1 season is going to do anything.

Might create a bit more rivalry between Montreal and Ottawa with the additions that both teams made in the offseason though. I would say same for Toronto. More games will be played against those two teams IIRC.

Agreed that it likely doesn't change anything for the Western teams though.

 

[Tuna99]

Not sure that will be true. Highly doubt the Sens playing the Canucks or Oilers a few extra times for 1 season is going to do anything.

regional rivalry in Canada is so strong, of course it’s going to be lit. Brady Tkachuk falling on top of Conor Mcdavid - Brady Tkachuk playing his Brother on a back to back - its going to be mental

 

[BondraTime]

regional rivalry in Canada is so strong, of course it’s going to be lit. Brady Tkachuk falling on top of Conor Mcdavid - Brady Tkachuk playing his Brother on a back to back - its going to be mental

No different than playing any other games, the whole Canada vs Canada narrative doesn't really mean anything imo. They aren't getting anymore pumped up for a game vs Edmonton because they are Canadian compared to a game vs the Rangers.

Especially when it's a 1 off year, and the season after they will go back to playing them 2 times a season, they will just go back to being a token Saturday afternoon game in Winnipeg on Hockey Day in Canada, there won't be any kind of looming rematch or big showdown between the teams, almost ever.

 

[Tuna99]

No different than playing any other games, the whole Canada vs Canada narrative doesn't really mean anything imo. They aren't getting anymore pumped up for a game vs Edmonton because they are Canadian compared to a game vs the Rangers.

Especially when it's a 1 off year, and the season after they will go back to playing them 2 times a season, they will just go back to being a token Saturday afternoon game in Winnipeg on Hockey Day in Canada.

totally disagree. I think the Canadian division will be amazing and live in legend

 

[BondraTime]

totally disagree. I think the Canadian division will be amazing and live in legend

I think that will be quickly dissolved after the tiring games halfway through the season, and will have nearly everyone looking ahead to a return to normalcy.

 

[TheDebater]

I think that will be quickly dissolved after the tiring games halfway through the season, and will have nearly everyone looking ahead to a return to normalcy.

I am going to have to agree with Tuna on this one. Canadian team fans are jealous of each other, there is pride thing in being the "best" canadian team during a regular NHL year, imagine if it was a season where you only played other Canadian teams?

I have not watched an Ottawa vs Oilers, Flames or Canucks game that was not intense. Heck I remember the last time we played the Jets it got very heated on the ice, and it is kinda tough to hate the Jets right now but it will slowly happen.

Being the first Canadian team to win the cup since 1993 is going to give those fans bragging rights for a while, which is why I reluctantly cheer for the last remaining Canadian team in the playoffs to go deep because I would rather Ottawa be the first.

With that said, you personally might not find it possible for a rivalry to ignite, but that is because your expectations for this team are so low (like the rest of us) but look at it from an Oiler fan perspective for example (or Canucks even) where they lose 5 out of 8 games to the Senators? They will not be too happy about that.

 

[BondraTime]

I am going to have to agree with Tuna on this one. Canadian team fans are jealous of each other, there is pride thing in being the "best" canadian team during a regular NHL year, imagine if it was a season where you only played other Canadian teams?

I have not watched an Ottawa vs Oilers, Flames or Canucks game that was not intense. Heck I remember the last time we played the Jets it got very heated on the ice, and it is kinda tough to hate the Jets right now but it will slowly happen.

Being the first Canadian team to win the cup since 1993 is going to give those fans bragging rights for a while, which is why I reluctantly cheer for the last remaining Canadian team in the playoffs to go deep because I would rather Ottawa be the first.

With that said, you personally might not find it possible for a rivalry to ignite, but that is because your expectations for this team are so low (like the rest of us) but look at it from an Oiler fan perspective for example (or Canucks even) where they lose 5 out of 8 games to the Senators? They will not be too happy about that.

I highly, highly doubt they will care outside of the season. Just like we wouldn't care if we lost 5 times to Edmonton in 06-07. Would be a forgotten memory as soon as the season ended. Especially going back to 2 games a year.

It's a tool for the league for a season, then will be a trivia question people don't remember.

Out of conference games are least important games on the schedule, once the schedule is back to normal, they will be looked at as such again, regardless of a 50 game season with a Canadian division

 

[TheDebater]

I highly, highly doubt they will care outside of the season. Just like we wouldn't care if we lost 5 times to Edmonton in 06-07. Would be a forgotten memory as soon as the season ended. Especially going back to 2 games a year.

It's a tool for the league for a season, then will be a trivia question people don't remember.

Out of conference games are least important games on the schedule, once the schedule is back to normal, they will be looked at as such again, regardless of a 50 game season with a Canadian division

Before joining HF fulltime I was posting at another forum, and it was surprising to me how much Oilers and Flames fans (and to an extent Vancouver but their forum was quiet) hated the Senators. And I would be surprised at the random jabs they would take about our team when it came to pre-season rankings of Canadian teams or discussing teams they dislike for example.

Rivalries can take on many forms, obviously the most heated are going to be with the teams in closest geographical proximity, especially in the playoffs, but you cannot underestimate what a few extra games in a season can do to bring out bad blood between two teams.