More disappointing season: VGK, MTL, NYI
- Thread starter amnesiac
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The Podium
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MTL was expected by everyone outside Montreal
NYI maybe wasn’t expected this soon, but they don’t exactly have a young core and had committed a lot of money to older grinder types which probably doesn’t bode well in the highest scoring seasons in decades.
Vegas is obviously the disappointment here, easily should’ve made it had they not put themselves in a complicated cap situation
NYI maybe wasn’t expected this soon, but they don’t exactly have a young core and had committed a lot of money to older grinder types which probably doesn’t bode well in the highest scoring seasons in decades.
Vegas is obviously the disappointment here, easily should’ve made it had they not put themselves in a complicated cap situation
Machinehead
GoAwayTrouba
Has to be Vegas.
Montreal had the 18th best record in the league last year and only got in because of the strict division format. They got hot and went from there.
The Islanders didn't really make any significant changes in the summer and were never a great regular season team, finishing 4th in the division in '21 and having to go through the covid play-in in '20.
Vegas added a star player to a team that had 82 points in 56 games (120 pace) and won a playoff round every year, correct me if I'm wrong.
I don't think there's even much of a comparison to be drawn.
Montreal had the 18th best record in the league last year and only got in because of the strict division format. They got hot and went from there.
The Islanders didn't really make any significant changes in the summer and were never a great regular season team, finishing 4th in the division in '21 and having to go through the covid play-in in '20.
Vegas added a star player to a team that had 82 points in 56 games (120 pace) and won a playoff round every year, correct me if I'm wrong.
I don't think there's even much of a comparison to be drawn.
Vegas. Montreal was a bad team that got hot at the right team and the NYI played hard every night for a coach who has a history of getting players to over achieve.
Would suggest the VGK because they were widely considered to be true Cup contenders (or, at the very least, West contenders) at the end of last season, but then the injury bug hit, they played most of the season with around a $60M non-injured payroll liberally sprinkled with AHL players, and ended the season with an AHL starting goalie (albeit Thompson has already proven to be better than even a healthy Lehner).
The folks who think that the VGK failed because of cap considerations are dumber than a box of donuts, since they played most of the season about $20M under cap and only hit the cap in about the last three weeks of the season .... and even then with players trying to find their game after long layoffs.
The folks who think that the VGK failed because of cap considerations are dumber than a box of donuts, since they played most of the season about $20M under cap and only hit the cap in about the last three weeks of the season .... and even then with players trying to find their game after long layoffs.
M88K
irreverent
- May 24, 2014
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Why is Montreal an option, did anyone actually expect them to be good?
Most disappointing in terms of outside expectation - Vegas. Most disappointing in terms of the aggregate heartbreak of its fans, Montreal. I just feel Montreal is a team that shouldn't be that bad. It doesn't seem right.
The majority of posters on the Habs board thought that we’d be a bubble team at best. Then the Habs set the all-time record for man-games lost this season, and this is the result.
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Idlerlee
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- Apr 19, 2013
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Easily has to be Vegas. They went in with the highest expectations, acquired a legit elite player, and still missed the playoffs.
Expectations had to be low in Montreal having lost the 3 most important players from the SCF run (Price, Weber, Danault).
For the Islanders, most knowledgeable hockey fans realized they massively overachiever going to back to back ECF. They were due for a regression
Expectations had to be low in Montreal having lost the 3 most important players from the SCF run (Price, Weber, Danault).
For the Islanders, most knowledgeable hockey fans realized they massively overachiever going to back to back ECF. They were due for a regression
Big Habs fan - im optimistic usually and so I had expectations for our team. But to me - we werent huge favorites, it was more about having that "punchers chance" with Price playing out of his mind. Clearly that went to shit with Price not playing all year.
Vegas to me had such an open path in a very weak western conference + Pacific division. By far the bigger disappointment.
Nyi? Yes people expected more - but this is the toughest crop of contenders out of one conference in NHL history imo. No shame in missing playoffs in this conference this year.
Vegas, easily
Vegas to me had such an open path in a very weak western conference + Pacific division. By far the bigger disappointment.
Nyi? Yes people expected more - but this is the toughest crop of contenders out of one conference in NHL history imo. No shame in missing playoffs in this conference this year.
Vegas, easily
Has to be Vegas. Montreal was a mediocre team that got hot last year and lost a lot of key players to injury and they can't be disappointed about a high pick this year. Isles (I think) were hit hard by Covid and injuries early on? They just couldn't catch up, but I don't think they were true contenders. Vegas was banking on making playoffs then doing the whole cap circumvention thing and figured it would be easy to get in with the way the Pacific has been recently... then have their super team for the playoffs.
North Cole
♧ Lem
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Voight
#winning
They lost in the first round 3 years ago. That was the time the refs laid a huge egg with the Eakin call.
Even with a healthy roster they didn't have much of a chance at the playoffs. Team got lucky with last years set up.
GermanSpitfire
EU Video Scout for McKeen’s
The Nuge
Some say…
Montreal wasn’t even a good team last year. They just had a hot streak at the best possible time. Even a lot of Habs fans knew they weren’t going to be good this year.
New York was more of a bubble team than Vegas, so Vegas managing to screw up their team this badly has to be the winner
New York was more of a bubble team than Vegas, so Vegas managing to screw up their team this badly has to be the winner
Machinehead
GoAwayTrouba
Holymakinaw
Registered User
Montreal fans all told us how "legit" they were last season, when they had their super lucky run to the Finals, so it has to be them. They went from a "legit" cup threat, to team with the worst finish in NHL history, in one season.
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The Crypto Guy
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- Jun 26, 2017
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Isles easily. Everyone expected them be a top dog in the East. They were brutal all season. Vegas at least started off ok until Jack went on the team.
Can you imagine the hot take pre season of someone Said “Vegas will trade for eichel mid season and miss the playoffs”. Hfboards would laugh and ridicule that hfboards member and tell them that would never happen…but here we are
ricky0034
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not if people had also known that Stone,Pacioretty, and Martinez would all be out for the majority of the season, and obviously Eichel himself was gonna be somewhat rusty after not playing hockey for an entire year as well
nothing surprising about Vegas not quite making the Playoffs taking that into account
jetsforever
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- Dec 14, 2013
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Vegas for sure.
For Montreal, last year was a fluke - but finishing dead last after reaching the finals is remarkably bad. There are few teams that have achieved something like that. Still if you miss the playoffs, it's better to be dead last than 20th.
Islanders pretty meh - not that great, not that bad. More of a bubble team in my eyes, this time not meeting the mark. Disappointment but not a huge one.
Vegas - supposedly a contender and made significant acquisitions to that end, but missed the playoffs. The biggest failure of this season for certain.
For Montreal, last year was a fluke - but finishing dead last after reaching the finals is remarkably bad. There are few teams that have achieved something like that. Still if you miss the playoffs, it's better to be dead last than 20th.
Islanders pretty meh - not that great, not that bad. More of a bubble team in my eyes, this time not meeting the mark. Disappointment but not a huge one.
Vegas - supposedly a contender and made significant acquisitions to that end, but missed the playoffs. The biggest failure of this season for certain.
