Around the NHL: Part XVII - Season’s Greetings

[Fugazy]

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[Gospel of Prospal]

Always nice when our neighbors in Long Island and the Dirty Jerz lose....oh and when people are already overreacting and calling Hughes a bust

 

[lemonybergamot]

Watched the Devils game. Man the Jets are good. They just bulldoze people over and seem to score at will. Their goalie kept them in the game. Coleman's one hander was a thing of beauty. Gusev & Hughes look like defensive liabilities together, but slippery players. Hughes also looked very nervous and was kind of a non-factor in this game. Don't think he got a shot on goal either. Hopefully these #1-2 rookies get going soon

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Devils are scary small.

They're going to get bullied often this year.

 

[YoSoyLalo]

Devils are scary small.

They're going to get bullied often this year.

Ya by us

Lemieux is going to make Jack Hughes want to go back to the USNDTP

 

[TriFF51]

Was stuck at work and saw Jersey up 4-0. What a pleasant surprise to come home and check the scores.

 

[YoSoyLalo]

Oh yea how the hell does Heinola look so good so early? He’s 18, was drafted 20th, and is a defenseman. That’s wild. Winnipeg’s first rounders are always studs.

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

Oh yea how the hell does Heinola look so good so early? He’s 18, was drafted 20th, and is a defenseman. That’s wild. Winnipeg’s first rounders are always studs.

I remember some people (I wanna say it was someone on a podcast relaying what scouts were telling them) before the draft saying he was Heiskanen-lite

 

[bl02]

It is crazy that they lost pretty much their entire defense and they still are a decent team. Especially with that goaltending they have!

 

[bl02]

I remember some people (I wanna say it was someone on a podcast relaying what scouts were telling them) before the draft saying he was Heiskanen-lite

Kid does look like Heiskanen minus the size. If we were starving for a left-handed defenseman I would be upset right now

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

Kid does look like Heiskanen minus the size. If we were starving for a left-handed defenseman I would be upset right now

Every now and then I catch myself thinking about how close they were to having 4 firsts and ending up with 1 (and what a 1 to have), but then I think about the picks they did make and as it stands right now, it doesn't seem like there's a bad pick or even one to get annoyed about from the 2019 crop which is really nice

 

[and 99 others]

Devils are scary small.

They're going to get bullied often this year.

the league in general is getting smaller and it's been pretty clear for a few years now that speed and playmaking ability are more important than size.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

the league in general is getting smaller and it's been pretty clear for a few years now that speed and playmaking ability are more important than size.

Tell that to the Blues. And the Captials the year before. Small and fast puts up fancy numbers in the regular season. As soon as the playoffs hit its big boy time

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

Tell that to the Blues. And the Captials the year before. Small and fast puts up fancy numbers in the regular season. As soon as the playoffs hit its big boy time

I was thinking about this earlier and I ended up thinking that playoff time is more stingy defense time rather than big boy time, but big boys help clog up lanes to create the stingy defense

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

I was thinking about this earlier and I ended up thinking that playoff time is more stingy defense time rather than big boy time, but big boys help clog up lanes to create the stingy defense

Thats also why you see big slow bruisers start scoring a lot and become heroes in the playoffs and looking good when they don't do jack shit in the regular season (Coyle, B. Boyle, Bickell, etc.)

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

Thats also why you see big slow bruisers start scoring a lot and become heroes in the playoffs and looking good when they don't do jack **** in the regular season (Coyle, B. Boyle, Bickell, etc.)

Yeah, the NHL is both a copycat and do-the-complete-opposite kind of league, so after the Penguins stole the Rangers whole 'be a lot faster than everyone else' thing and got 2 cups out of it, the teams that were still really good, but a lot slower just went 'f*** it, make sure no one can get through the neutral zone' and that's been the story for the last 2 years now and making sure they get to slow the pace of the game down, they also get to play to the slower guys strengths. That is until another fast team can utilize their speed to get through the traps before they even get set up.

Plus refs don't call penalties in the playoffs, so get away with all the hooking and holding you want

 

[aufheben]

Karlsson has had an impeccable night.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

the league in general is getting smaller and it's been pretty clear for a few years now that speed and playmaking ability are more important than size.

until the playoffs.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

delete

 

[Rangerfan4life90]

Oh yea how the hell does Heinola look so good so early? He’s 18, was drafted 20th, and is a defenseman. That’s wild. Winnipeg’s first rounders are always studs.

Would still trade that pick for Trouba, but yeah, Heinola actually looks pretty good so far.

 

[eco's bones]

Winnipeg always has a heavy team. Judging by what they have this year though--not so much--yet against us the other night they were very aggressive taking the body on the forecheck. Last night against the Devils they weren't doing that so much and then they were and that's when the goals started coming. But taking guys like Bufyglien, Trouba, Myers and Chiarot just off their defense and replacing them with Pionk, Heinola etc. is going to make a difference--that's a lot of size and aggression. They don't appear to be as tough at forward either. Wheeler in particular though is not only a great player but a huge and physical player. Two straight seasons of 91 points. He can fight very well too if he feels the need to.

 

[Machinehead]

 

[IamNotADancer]

Not making any illusions here, it's only a moment in time but man.. seeing the Isles, Pens and Devils (especially brutal) lose while the Rangers win is always a good time.

I'll savor it until our next 6 game winning drought

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Ya by us

Lemieux is going to make Jack Hughes want to go back to the USNDTP

I always laugh when people just randomly arrange the NTDP letters

 

[ijuka]

Oh yea how the hell does Heinola look so good so early? He’s 18, was drafted 20th, and is a defenseman. That’s wild. Winnipeg’s first rounders are always studs.

Heinola looking so good is a bit of a surprise but not nearly as big of one as it's made to be. And he was drafted way too late, for reasons unknown. If you think about Heinola as a defenseman outperforming #3OA Kotkaniemi offensively towards the end of the season there never was any justification for having him so late on any list.

And yeah, Jets have a good track record outside of the awful Stanley pick they even traded up for.