Around the NHL: Part XVIII

[Trxjw]

Duclair is really carving out a nice spot for himself with Ottawa. Time will tell if he can be more than a good, streaky player on a bad team but he's really rounding out his game. They have him killing penalties as well. Picked up a shorty the other night.

Nice to see Graves playing well. He really sort of stagnated here but he's a good kid that plays a quality game.

 

[RangersFan1994]

Graves is a +20 he also 5 goals and 12 points. That’s not bad for a 6/7 defense first guy. Colorado is getting help from everyone right now.

And why couldn't he get a chance here when he was here?? Always liked him as a prospect. What a horrible trade that was.

 

[Maximus]

Too funny...MacKinnon at it again...surprise(lol) with a sick pass to Donskoi who looks like a 50 goal scorer playing with him to make it 4-4!

 

[aufheben]

Am I the only one who just...doesn't like Colorado?

 

[Maximus]

People myself included talk about Subban being a shell of himself...how about Lucic?

I'm watching him tonight in the Flames Avalanche game and I'm wondering how he even has a job anymore...he's absolutely terrible...slow as shit, has no offensive game whatsoever and is basically just a big slug these days.

Talk about a fall from grace.

 

[Maximus]

Am I the only one who just...doesn't like Colorado?

Maybe...tho not sure why. They are so likable. Admittedly due to my having 4 of their guys on my $$ team certainly helps me like them and want them to do well. But even if I didn't, they play such an exciting brand of hockey.

MacKinnon alone makes Colorado must watch TV. Add Makar, Rantanen, Girard....etc...I dunno man, not to many teams in the league more exciting to watch than the 'Lanche IMO.

 

[aufheben]

What Trotz is doing is amazing. They skate and play hard making it tough on the opposition.
Tonight Mcelhinney has been trash.

*What Mitch Korn is doing. Anyone else notice that Robin Lehner's SV% is just as good this season as it was last season?

 

[aufheben]

Maybe...tho not sure why. They are so likable. Admittedly due to my having 4 of their guys on my $$ team certainly helps me like them and want them to do well. But even if I didn't, they play such an exciting brand of hockey.

MacKinnon alone makes Colorado must watch TV. Add Makar, Rantanen, Girard....etc...I dunno man, not to many teams in the league more exciting to watch than the 'Lanche IMO.

I don't know why. Maybe it's because they always find these elite players. Maybe it's their asshat play-by-play.

Every time Colorado does something cool—which is often—I just picture that guy losing his f***ing mind.

 

[Maximus]

I don't know why. Maybe it's because they always find these elite players. Maybe it's their asshat play-by-play.

Every time Colorado does something cool—which is often—I just picture that guy losing his ****ing mind.

No doubt Mosier and McNabb the Colorado play by play team are bigtime homers and get very excitable but to me it's fine. Heck even John Forsland the play by play guy in Carolina who IMO is the best in the business gets a bit homerish and excitable at anything that Carolina does.

Just the way it is these days. Thank the Boston team of Jack Edwards and Andy Brickley for homerish announcing as they are the kings of it...lol

 

[I Eat Crow]

Lehner was always a good goalie. Guy fell onto rough times in his mid twenties. He's looking like a top 10 goalie in the league like he had potential to do when he was drafted. I love that he took a one year deal. That's the ultimate "bet on yourself" move that one can pull.

 

[Maximus]

Monahan with the winner in OT for the Flames in a 5-4 win over the Avalanche in a great game to watch.

Even when Colorado loses it's an exciting game. I dunno maybe it's just me and Aufheben is in the majority but other than the Rangers, the Avalanche are the team I most want to watch play in the entire league.

I can't wait till our two team play one another as it's guaranteed to be must see TV...MacKinnon, Rantanen, Landeskog line vs Panarin, Zibanjeg and whoever is the 3rd guy...oh baby...can't wait!!

 

[Cassano]

Am I the only one who just...doesn't like Colorado?

They've had a superstar center their entire existence. We haven't had one since Gretzky at the end of his career. I'm envious Lol.

 

[Maximus]

Lehner was always a good goalie. Guy fell onto rough times in his mid twenties. He's looking like a top 10 goalie in the league like he had potential to do when he was drafted. I love that he took a one year deal. That's the ultimate "bet on yourself" move that one can pull.

Totally agree. Lehner is a great story and has really gotten his shit together the past few year both on the ice an off of it.

Besides as you say becoming a Top 10 ish top goalie, his publicly coming out with his bigtime depression issues showed tremendous courage and it likely helped and was inspirational to thousands of people who also suffered from the same affliction.

From a hockey perspective, I recall when he first came up with Ottawa he was the cat's meow and he had some very nice moments his first few years but he could never unseat Craig Anderson for the starting gig. Him going to the Islanders tho was best thing that ever happened flourishing in the Trotz system which can make any goalie look good nevermind someone with as much talent as Lehner does.

Anyways good for him...Lehner is an easy guy to root for.

 

[Maximus]

They've had a superstar center their entire existence. We haven't had one since Gretzky at the end of his career. I'm envious Lol.

To think that Colorado once upon a time had Sakic and Forsberg playing at the same time is mind boggling. I'm convinced had Forsberg not suffered so many injuries those late 90's early 2000 Colorado teams that also had Roy in net, Hejduk, Kamensky, Drury, Rob Blake, would have won multiple Cups and not just the one that Bourque won with them in 2000.

But yah, I'm envious as well that MacKinnon is on their team tho that's the beauty of fantasy hockey as you can own him and enjoy the fruits of his labor while at the same time he can help fatten up your bank account...

 

[SnowblindNYR]

We have probably the best D prospect pool in the NHL and 4 good young D-men in the NHL, not losing any sleep over Ryan Graves.

 

[Paulie Walnutz]

Am I the only one who just...doesn't like Colorado?

I placed a bet on them to win the Cup at 8-1 odds in Vegas yesterday, they better win it all. I also placed the Sharks at 40-1 to win the Cup as a long shot.

 

[Maximus]

We have probably the best D prospect pool in the NHL and 4 good young D-men in the NHL, not losing any sleep over Ryan Graves.

This is true and I agree with you but Graves has been pretty en fuego the past 3 weeks with Colorado from what I've seen and it seems as if once again they plucked another good young player from another team this time ours!

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Am I the only one who just...doesn't like Colorado?

cannot stand them and can't stand their cheerleaders either

 

[n8]

And why couldn't he get a chance here when he was here?? Always liked him as a prospect. What a horrible trade that was.

I didn't get it at the time either. I wonder if it was a contract thing. He was clearly the better player at the time. It's not like we were getting an AHL vet to shore up our failing minor league team. Maybe it was something dumb like McCambridge not liking him and getting him traded away.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Vesey with a breakaway couldn't even register a shot on goal LOL

I will always remember Vesey as the guy who dumps the puck on a delayed penalty

 

[Leetch3]

To think that Colorado once upon a time had Sakic and Forsberg playing at the same time is mind boggling. I'm convinced had Forsberg not suffered so many injuries those late 90's early 2000 Colorado teams that also had Roy in net, Hejduk, Kamensky, Drury, Rob Blake, would have won multiple Cups and not just the one that Bourque won with them in 2000.

But yah, I'm envious as well that MacKinnon is on their team tho that's the beauty of fantasy hockey as you can own him and enjoy the fruits of his labor while at the same time he can help fatten up your bank account...

Avs also won in 96

 

[Barnaby]

People myself included talk about Subban being a shell of himself...how about Lucic?

I'm watching him tonight in the Flames Avalanche game and I'm wondering how he even has a job anymore...he's absolutely terrible...slow as ****, has no offensive game whatsoever and is basically just a big slug these days.

Talk about a fall from grace.

Its miraculous that Calgary got them out of that albatross contract. James Neals contract is no bargain, but he’ll probably score 30+ goals this year.

 

[Barnaby]

I will always remember Vesey as the guy who dumps the puck on a delayed penalty

Thankfully our friends to the north in Buffalo took him. He’s one of my least like Rangers in recent memory.

 

[ThirdEye]

This is true and I agree with you but Graves has been pretty en fuego the past 3 weeks with Colorado from what I've seen and it seems as if once again they plucked another good young player from another team this time ours!

Every team loses these kind of guys. While Graves didn't really do anything to deserve getting traded he also hardly lit the world on fire during his stint here. It happens

 

[Edge]

Every team loses these kind of guys. While Graves didn't really do anything to deserve getting traded he also hardly lit the world on fire during his stint here. It happens

And that's a big part of the game too.

Sometimes we get a Ryan Strome. Sometimes we lose a Ryan Graves.

But it's too easy to look at these moves in hindsight. No one was beating down the door for Graves to make the team. In fact, I believe a good portion of this board was making fun of another poster for at one time saying he liked Graves better than Skjei.

Could we use Graves? Yeah, we could. Would he be a huge difference maker on this squad? Doubtful. A lot of success is based on timing and chemistry. Just like Ryan Strome benefits from his current surrounding, so to does Ryan Graves.

But we also need to remember that Graves on this roster means at least one of Lindgren and Hajek wasn't/isn't playing, maybe both.