Miscellaneous NHL Discussion: 2016/17 Season, Part V

[Magua]

That team overachieved so hard it's nuts. Everything went perfect for them for a long time.

I want so badly to believe that. But I don't know what to think anymore. I don't think it's a fluke. That streak was, but their underlying numbers are all rock solid this season.

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

I hate Ruff almost as much as I hate Torts. It's very, very, very close.

I'm hoping our next coach is someone I don't hate yet, someone I can grow to hate.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

A dinosaur like Tortorella actually did what coaches should do this year with the way he handled Gagner. Sheltered bottom six minutes (not next to some stiffs who can't do anything without the puck) with a good dose of PP time. That's how you're going to maximize guys like Gagner & make them a useful player.

 

[TCTC]

So it could be Washington - Pittsburgh in the 2nd round again. But this time no Letang and the Caps have Shattenkirk.

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

So it could be Washington - Pittsburgh in the 2nd round again. But this time no Letang and the Caps have Shattenkirk.

Hopefully Torts can pinch one off on the Penguins' faces and bounce them.

 

[Rebels57]

McDavid reached 100 points tonight

 

[FLYguy3911]

McDavid reached 100 points tonight

10/14

McDavid is unreal. He's going to hit 100 this year.

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=123130755&postcount=733

My gut was right. He finished on a tear.

 

[MacDonald4MVP]

Between Hawks and Oilers slated for easy wins and other two matchups trying to win one goal games west looks absolutely atrocious.
Sheer unlikebility of Habs and Rags makes that series hard pass and that leaves only Lumbus Pens and Caps Leafs as potential fun games to watch. Thank god Leafs are as atrocious as they are in shootout or I would have to consider watching effing Pens.

 

[Lindberg]

Really kind of disgraceful how Edmonton won the Connor McDavid sweepstakes. He single-handedly turned that franchise around. Years of incompetence turned around simply by tanking for the right player. Kind of bonkers how they finished fourth in the western conference after being a bottom dweller for a decade.

 

[BackToTheBrierePatch]

I've seen people say that they want Timonen on the coaching staff eventually (as an assistant I assume), but I'm against it because I don't want to end up hating him, like I inevitably will any coach we ever have.

yep. because if X player plays a couple minutes too long, or X player plays not enough minutes it wont go over well.
really good to great players dont always end up being good coaches. some of the better coaches were career minor league players or at best average NHL players at best.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

Really kind of disgraceful how Edmonton won the Connor McDavid sweepstakes. He single-handedly turned that franchise around. Years of incompetent turned around simply by tanking for the right player. Kind of bonkers how they finished fourth in the western conference after being a bottom dweller for a decade.

McDavid is so good he makes media people think Peter Chiarelli actually has a clue of what he's doing there.

 

[Lotusflower]

Really kind of disgraceful how Edmonton won the Connor McDavid sweepstakes. He single-handedly turned that franchise around. Years of incompetence turned around simply by tanking for the right player. Kind of bonkers how they finished fourth in the western conference after being a bottom dweller for a decade.

That's how the draft SHOULD work though. Bad teams get the best players.

Terrible on-ice product is part roster, part coaching staff, and part front office.

If EDM had better management before they might have been a competitive team long before this with all those chances at the top of the draft.

Draft seeding makes its so that even a lower end GM like Chiarelli cant mess up too badly.

Its a failsafe for struggling fanbases by ensuring that eventually they get some piece to build on.

The Islanders were just as terrible as EDM for even longer and yet now they have a piece like Tavares which keeps their fanbase engaged and the franchise relevant even if they are in flux (stadium issues).

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

After a while it just becomes incompetence by those in control of the situation. That's what happened to Edmonton. They were running close to decade of futility prior to getting McDavid. When they first started the tank that wasn't the goal.

We'll see how things go but Buffalo's a team trending in the direction despite landing a prize in Eichel. They tanked & got some key pieces but Murray's really struggling in the building back up process at this point.

 

[MacDonald4MVP]

Edmonton was bound to eventually hit on one of those top overall picks.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

Edmonton was bound to eventually hit on one of those top overall picks.

The issue more so was that outside of the obvious top picks their drafts were terrible. From the 2007 draft to the 2012 draft their best player outside of the first round was Tobias Rieder who never even played for them.

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/draft/teams/dr00005632.html

 

[Lotusflower]

The issue more so was that outside of the obvious top picks their drafts were terrible. From the 2007 draft to the 2012 draft their best player outside of the first round was Tobias Rieder who never even played for them.

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/draft/teams/dr00005632.html

Im with you my point was that in the case of Buffalo, the Isles, etc now that you have a foundational piece like an Eichel or Tavares it gives the fanbase something to hold on to and a form of relevancy that wasnt present before. Even if the rest of the team is garbage that one superstar is worth their weight in gold.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

Im with you my point was that in the case of Buffalo, the Isles, etc now that you have a foundational piece like an Eichel or Tavares it gives the fanbase something to hold on to and a form of relevancy that wasnt present before. Even if the rest of the team is garbage that one superstar is worth their weight in gold.

Yeah I hear ya. I was talking from a team building standpoint. Even the success stories of bottoming out/tanking the key was not just hitting on their obvious picks but getting some pretty good players outside of those where the odds decrease.

 

[Chinatown88]

What a clown show.

 

[Rebels57]

What a clown show.

Holy ****. Cant make this up!

 

[sobrien]

That team overachieved so hard it's nuts. Everything went perfect for them for a long time.

I have to disagree. They're a good team who finally was healthy enough to put it all together. Their young defense will rival ours and the Canes' for years to come, and they finally had a couple superstars emerge with Atkinson and Wennberg. Still have Bjorkstrand, Dubois and Milano in the works too.

If they can stay healthy, they're here to stay.

 

[YEM]

So it could be Washington - Pittsburgh in the 2nd round again.

bush league **** for this league to have [arguably] their two best teams meet in the 2nd ****ing round of the playoffs

 

[David St Hubbins]

That's how the draft SHOULD work though. Bad teams get the best players.

Terrible on-ice product is part roster, part coaching staff, and part front office.

If EDM had better management before they might have been a competitive team long before this with all those chances at the top of the draft.

Draft seeding makes its so that even a lower end GM like Chiarelli cant mess up too badly.

Its a failsafe for struggling fanbases by ensuring that eventually they get some piece to build on.

The Islanders were just as terrible as EDM for even longer and yet now they have a piece like Tavares which keeps their fanbase engaged and the franchise relevant even if they are in flux (stadium issues).

I get that. And generally agree. But at some point you need to punish incompetence/tanking. And this comes from my disgust with multiple years of incompetence by Edmonton, NYI, and Pittsburgh that gets turned into superstar laden teams and potential dynasties.

My proposal: no more than one #1 overall in 5 years. No more than three picks in the top 3 in 5 years. This eliminates the judgement calls/favoritism from the league office when Jagr or Kovalev are traded for futures/garbage, allowing $hittsbugh to get #5, #1, #2, #1, #2 overall in five consecutive years. I call it the "*** the Penguins for being tanking *******" Rule

 

[Curufinwe]

Eichel spitting fire.

http://www.thescore.com/news/1277000

During an end-of-season press conference Monday, Eichel said too many guys in the dressing room are simply happy to just be in the NHL, which is part of the culture that needs change, according to Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News.

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

And I agree with that sentiment. Don't be happy you're here, do your best to WIN.

 

[whitstifier]

Eichel spitting fire.

http://www.thescore.com/news/1277000

Any guesses at who he might be talking about?