Out of Town Thread 2021: Part 4

[Non Player Canadiens]

The usual assinine response is that he won't be a Norris winner

Would still be by far our best left D

but hey we got elite winger Drouin in exchange, who hasnt scored in what? 30 games?

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

but hey we got elite winger Drouin in exchange, who hasnt scored in what? 30 games?

Didn't he score 2 goals this season? It's a start As many as Sergachev.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

I'm getting more of more afraid that this year may be theirs

At least to win North Division and get to the Final Four. Don't see them doing much after that.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

but hey we got elite winger Drouin in exchange, who hasnt scored in what? 30 games?

He scored in the Sens game on Tuesday, so 2 games.

 

[7even]

Ovy isn't playing all his games against shit defenses

The Caps were the only good team in the Southeast Division for over half a decade, sleep walked to 5 straight division titles iirc, his 65 goal season was in there. Guy just brutalized my Thrashers every game. Got to the point you'd go to a game and see more kids wearing Ovechkin jerseys than Kovalchuk or Hossa (who was criminally underrated) lol. Man he was a force of nature back then. They say if you can't beat a team physically just beat them on the scoreboard. Ovi was like why not both

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

The Caps were the only good team in the Southeast Division for over half a decade, sleep walked to 5 straight division titles iirc, his 65 goal season was in there. Guy just brutalized my Thrashers every game. Got to the point you'd go to a game and see more kids wearing Ovechkin jerseys than Kovalchuk or Hossa (who was criminally underrated) lol. Man he was a force of nature back then. They say if you can't beat a team physically just beat them on the scoreboard. Ovi was like why not both

Divisional play accounted for less than 40% of games, compared to 100% this year, which makes your argument completely irrelevant.

 

[Per Sjoblom]

Minnesota are doing well.

 

[MaxDummy]

YeS bUt SeRgAChEv PlAyS wItH tHe LiGhTnInG aNyBoDy WoUlD dO tHe SaMe

 

[ZUKI]

that's so nasty ...

 

[montreal]

i don't watch non Hab NHL games but if you would have told me in the off-season that at this point in the season Hall/Eichel would have combined for 3 goals I would have called you crazy.

I know there were many willing to give Hall 8M+ but looks like that would have been a bad idea.

 

[Per Sjoblom]

Eriksson Ek is finally playing like expected when he was drafted at number 20. Getting Zuccarello, Fiala and Johansson has also helped Minnesota.

 

[Per Sjoblom]

i don't watch non Hab NHL games but if you would have told me in the off-season that at this point in the season Hall/Eichel would have combined for 3 goals I would have called you crazy.

I know there were many willing to give Hall 8M+ but looks like that would have been a bad idea.

Kakko and Lafreniere have 3 points each, that is also a bit underwhelming.

 

[Ezpz]

Kakko and Lafreniere have 3 points each, that is also a bit underwhelming.

Both were overhyped and shouldn't have been placed immediately in the NHL. I can't help but feel the Rangers are using political situations to tell Panarin to stay home so they can tank another top pick.

 

[Doc McKenna]

I'm getting more of more afraid that this year may be theirs

I wouldn't worry about that too much. They are playing in the north. Even if their stats look great, its a competition issue. Hell Eller has 11 points in 17 games. That washington team looks real good this season. Boston is another. If you look at the other divisions they are much tighter from 1-5 because all those teams are fairly skilled. We have the weakest division because only Toronto, oilers(.542) and jets(.514) were above .500 teams last season. Toronto only had .521 but they had 9 OTL which isn't counted.

guess who is top 3 in our division this year? Literally the same 3 teams only TO is having much better success bottom feeding on a weak division. To be fair each team is stuck in their division, but if you go by last years % we have the weakest overall numbers. Not a single team above .550 while every other division has teams that were over .600 last year. Meaning they are playing against harder teams OVERALL.

And Toronto isn't junk by any means. Lots of game breaking talent, their young guys are in their prime, finally got some good goaltending. Their D squad is still suspect though. Just not worse than the jokes around our division. They will likely get out of the division but hardly means much and playoffs are a lot different than regular season. See us and Boston. We own them no matter how bad the habs are.

Through the conclusion of the 2019–20 regular season, the Canadiens have won 469 games,[4] with the Bruins winning 345 of them, with 103 games between the two teams ending in ties, and 10 other games between the two teams ending in shootouts.[43] In the playoffs, the two teams have met in 34 series for a total of 177 games, 11 series, and 60 more games than two other Original Six teams, the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs.[43][45] The two teams have faced each other nine times in Game 7 NHL playoff games, more than any other pair of opponents in NHL history


The Bruins-Habs rivalry is one of the most storied in all of sports, and these two Original Six franchises have met in the playoffs 33 times before, with the Canadiens winning 24 times.

 

[CHfan1]

 

[DavePeak]

i don't watch non Hab NHL games but if you would have told me in the off-season that at this point in the season Hall/Eichel would have combined for 3 goals I would have called you crazy.

I know there were many willing to give Hall 8M+ but looks like that would have been a bad idea.

Add Skinner and you still have the same total of 3 goals combined... 4 if you include Dahlin... yikes

We have our share of ugly contracts in MTL but damn Skinner... what a catastrophe

 

[OldCraig71]

Detroit has 45 shots and is losing 6-2, the Detroit Canadiens. Oh well, they are rebuilding and we aren't so there's that.

 

[Rapala]

i don't watch non Hab NHL games but if you would have told me in the off-season that at this point in the season Hall/Eichel would have combined for 3 goals I would have called you crazy.

I know there were many willing to give Hall 8M+ but looks like that would have been a bad idea.

Hall has always been High maintenance Low IQ with purely physical attributes. I never got on that train. Eichel wants to win and has lost faith.

 

[Rapala]

if the leafs win the cup, i will have to stop watching hockey. They have the easiest path towards the final four.

They have yet to win a series with that group. Imagine this scenario...
Leafs running away with the division while the Habs are hovering around 4th. The Leafs take the pedal off the gas for our three remaining games which allows us to scrape in. Habs take out the Leafs in 7.

 

[Rapala]

I always saw a torts meltdown coming with Domi...

In 5-4-3 -2 1...

 

[The Great Weal]

Patrick Kane with 400 career goals and in contention for another Hart trophy at 32 years old. Meanwhile Carey Price can't stop a beach ball unless he has a hall of fame defense in front of him. You would think that Price is the one with 3 cups and a Conn Smythe since he doesn't care and Kane is the one that is trying to get his first cup if you compared their performances.

 

[Per Sjoblom]

Patrick Kane with 400 career goals and in contention for another Hart trophy at 32 years old. Meanwhile Carey Price can't stop a beach ball unless he has a hall of fame defense in front of him. You would think that Price is the one with 3 cups and a Conn Smythe since he doesn't care and Kane is the one that is trying to get his first cup if you compared their performances.

Blackhawks without Toews are doing much better than expected, probably one of the biggest surprises?

 

[LyricalLyricist]

Patrick Kane with 400 career goals and in contention for another Hart trophy at 32 years old. Meanwhile Carey Price can't stop a beach ball unless he has a hall of fame defense in front of him. You would think that Price is the one with 3 cups and a Conn Smythe since he doesn't care and Kane is the one that is trying to get his first cup if you compared their performances.

MB and the habs have avoided giving out cap circumventing deals and long term retirement contracts since the beginning.

Then they gave Price one.

I think it was kind of a blank check situation.

Reality is long term deals aren't a good idea usually. Sometimes you have no choice.

Few players could maintain top end performances that long.

The only issue most of us have is we expected Price to regress much later into the contract.

 

[LaP]

MB and the habs have avoided giving out cap circumventing deals and long term retirement contracts since the beginning.

Then they gave Price one.

I think it was kind of a blank check situation.

Reality is long term deals aren't a good idea usually. Sometimes you have no choice.

Few players could maintain top end performances that long.

The only issue most of us have is we expected Price to regress much later into the contract.

It can be a good idea when you sign someone like Ovy, McJesus or Crosby when they are in the middle of their 20ies. But certainly not when you sign a late 20ies goalie who is recovering from a serious injury.

 

[LyricalLyricist]

It can be a good idea when you sign someone like Ovy, McJesus or Crosby when they are in the middle of their 20ies. But certainly not when you sign a late 20ies goalie who is recovering from a serious injury.

Those are 3 generational talents, easy sell.

In general though we've seen guys like Mike Richards get long term deals. It's just nonsensical and we didn't take part in it until Price had to be re-signed. Let's call it what it is, the team owed him from before and he is/was a huge market favorite.

Damage is done now.