Thankfully championships aren't decided on paper and we just saw a prime example of such when the Golden Nuggets proceeded to the SC Final. The Isles has been built as a tough team whereas the Laughs play primarily a speed and skill game which means that guys like Marner and Willie Nyllie focus on perimeter play. The Laughs will go through the same process which the Caps did for ten years before winning the Cup which is tight checking game coupled with some high end skill. All it takes e.g. couple of big dmen really taking notice of when Marner is on the ice and begins his usual opposing zone cycle play and when he skates behind the net then just step into his lane and lay the guy out. Couple of big hits into Marner and Willie is going to make them readjust their game and that process will take them at least a year. imo the Leafs is still a weak team even though they have the necessary high end skill. The game of hockey is zerosum game: the Laughs and Lightning are trying to win by whos got the best talent on their roster and when they got a step on you it's going to get harder to beat them in their chosen strategy. Therefore, the Cats should engage in depth strategy. This is just my opinion but I think that a lineup of ...
Dadonov - Barkov - Bjugstad
Hoffman - Trocheck - Huberdeau
Mamin - Borgstrom - Tippett
Hunt - McCann - Sceviour
Matheson - Ekblad
Yandle - Parayko(You don't have him and with ROR in the Blues really don't have anything to land him)
McCoshen - Petrovic
Stillman
.. has a better chance at winning than a lineup of...
Marleau - Tavares - Marner
Hyman - Matthews - Nylander
Timashov - Kadri - Kapanen
Johnsson - Jooris - Brown
Rielly - Zaitsev
Dermott - Gardiner
Nielsen - Carrick
(trade Heponiemi + Gildon + 2nd for Parayko)
In 2-3 years time when the Cats are or at least should be in the discussion for being a favorite for winning the Cup, they probably have a lot of depth in every position whereas the Lightning have depleted theirs. Then it becomes a coaching issues: is Boogie still going to rely primarily on Barkov and Trocheck to carry this team or can/will he use the entire lineup effectively.
We've gone through this numerous times already... the Cats are betting on Ekblad being the french fries dman for the Cats regardless you like or see it as Dalé sees it. He's getting paid like he's one now and they're not going to move him because they simply can't since it's going to be end of Dalé if Ekblad is traded and after one year Ek is scoring like 50pts per season and accrues +25 on the +/-. I don't exactly like the situation either but that's the way it is now. I think that around the next exp draft there will a team or two who are looking into starting their own rebuild and there will be high end defensemen trying to find a new home and Dalé is going to try acquire one of them.
Wasn't trying to insinuate that we'll be on par with TB or Toronto. But we're grading our offseason, not grading whether we're the best team in the league. Right now we should be good enough to make the playoffs and addressed weaknesses from last year without losing anything. Our goal right now needs to be making the playoffs and getting our core that experience.
While we won't be cup favorites, there are plenty of scenarios where we could surprise people with a run and do some damage. Vegas inexplicably made a run last year. Predators the year before, who made it as an 8th seed. Especially with these divisional playoffs, you see a Winnipeg/Nashville 2nd round where they wipe each other out and Vegas finishes the winner off. I could easily see that happening with Tampa/Toronto where they knock the other out and make life easier for another team in the East
I want to start by saying Preds never were a true 8th place team, they had 2 #1D's and the best top4 in the league with Rinne/Johansen/FF/Arvidson.
They were build better than a 8th place team, and Vegas is something that happens once in a million years and they didn't have to get through 2 of the best teams in the league.
Florida has a good team, I said it even before Hoffman trade the F group isn't my concern with them, now with Hoffman the top5 is one of the best in the league.
But if Karlsson lands in Tampa I haven't seen a team like that since I started watching NHL regularly, it looks like a team one shouldn't be able to build.
Even then one can say it's just 1 team, which is true, but then add Toronto who was already an elite team and they added a franchise C in his prime, now they are looking like a legit threat to do damage in the playoffs.
So that's already 2 elite of elite teams playing in the same division as we are, and then for Florida there's Boston as the 3rd threat and for Boston Florida as the 3rd threat.
This division is just a complete nightmare and just being good or great won't get you far, it maybe won't even get you into the playoffs or to win a round.
I'd like to see Florida make the playoffs but my goal is always have a plan that gets you to Stanley Cup race.